Cement block 'dividing wall' in garage - Foundations needed?

[Carlosfandango1971]

Hi,

I am looking to build a dividing wall within my garage and was considering stud work but the garage has a finished ceiling with a room above so don't want to chop into it. I therefore have landed with an alternate option of building a light weight cement block wall.

My question is: Can I build the wall on top of the cement garage floor without extra foundations?

Thanks in advance for your guidance.

Regards,

Carl

 

[Mottie]

I don’t see why not. When I divided up our through lounge, I used lightweight blocks directly on a timber floor. That was 20 years ago and they’ve been fine.

 

[johnny2007]

Yes, go ahead.
Garage floor will be at least 4inch of reinforced concrete, unless bodged by cowboys.
You could always drill and inspection hole first but if I were you I would just build the wall.

 

[SFK]

was considering stud work but the garage has a finished ceiling with a room above so don't want to chop into it.

You don't need to chop into the ceiling with a stiud will any more than you do with a brick wall. I would have screwed a length of wood into the floor and into the finished ceiling, and then put studs between them.

Can you explain what your concern / issue is?
Asking as a brick wall is good, but a stud wall is a lot faster to put up.

 

[^woody^]

It may or may not work, it's a risk based on assumptions not only that the slab is thick enough, but that the hardcore base is thick and compact enough not to settle under load.

The risk of shear is greater from part load, if the wall has a doorway

Concrete is different to timber, it does not flex, and it's unlikely to be reinforced.

If the wall is full width, there are options to reinforce the wall to transfer loads to the side walls.

 

[Carlosfandango1971]

You don't need to chop into the ceiling with a stiud will any more than you do with a brick wall. I would have screwed a length of wood into the floor and into the finished ceiling, and then put studs between them.

Can you explain what your concern / issue is?
Asking as a brick wall is good, but a stud wall is a lot faster to put up.

Concern is the joints won’t be in the right place to secure the stud wall top plate into position.

 

[mrrusty]

Concern is the joints won’t be in the right place to secure the stud wall top plate into position.

Stud dividing wall? all the fixings will be in shear. You could actually glue the header to a plasterboard ceiling with grab adhesive and just pop a couple of small fixings in to counter any (unlikely) really hard impacts it might receive, and that non-structural dividing wall would still be there in 50 years.