Comparing “speed” & “straight,true, plumb,square”, have nothing to do with each material, but the carpenters involved. If your talking about a lighter gauge wall I don’t see how you would even get the same sheer rating let alone a stronger one. It was 12 feet off the ground and I was able to handle all the prices my self. Consistent quality means that scrap is drastically reduced (two percent for steel versus 20 percent for wood), which also reduces costs for hauling off and disposing of discarded material. We here in Hawaii we lead the country in steel home building for many years. Walls are nice and straight, but it is a nightmare trying to hang pictures. A hybrid metal/wood project works real well. The only true advantage for steel studs within exterior walls and roof like in the picture I can see: it’s a faraday cage and will protect you from lightning. Does anyone else have a thought on this? Dirty – Thanks for the feedback. In being the contractor, I had to consider cost vs labor. A drywall screw gun is the best tool to use as it stops at a preset depth, but a cordless drill with a clutch will also work. Lowe’s: Shop at Lowe’s and find all the quality tools and materials like metal studs, tracks, and fasteners all in one place. You are here: for bearing walls. Deck screws & Timber screws Screws for wood to wood fastening applications such as decks, docks, and ledgers, etc. Share your reasons for using metal studs or discuss why you believe wood studs are a better option. Be careful when installing fasteners. the only real time ive found steel stud handly has been for building bulk heads… typically guys will use 2×2 which is far less stable which is harder to keep straight. We also finish all corners/windows/headers with pine lumber. Both wood & metal studs are awesome, efficient materials with correct framing methods & someone who cares. I don’t think people are seeing the forest through the steel beams. Locate several points on the suspected stud and locate adjacent studs as described above to confirm that you've found a stud. As soon as everyone had one, they would be out of business. If you think your home might have steel studs, you can check by running a magnet along a wall. If necessary, measure out in increments of 16 or 24 inches until you reach the location where you want to install a fastener. I assume this won’t affect strength (the bars aren’t that long) and helps keep the cost down. Most metal studs are made from sheet steel that is cold-formed into shapes and sizes that are similar to what builders are accustomed to in dimensional lumber (2×4, 2×6, 2×8, 2×10, 2×12 and so forth). Metal is prone to warp and twist as well. It’s lighter than wood and takes up half the space of lumber because of its hollowed shape. The issue of hanging doors and cabinets is easily remedied by using wood backing as is done with wood studs and on large cabinet walls, I use MDO plywood with the joints tapered by a mini grinder and primed so drywall mud will adhere to the joints. In the end, my desire to have a safe house that lasted for a very long time won out. Likewise, wood burns and metal does not. These may not be issues with heavier gauge steel, but I have not had any experience with it thus far. Joe Sainz (Google+) is a union carpenter with experience in concrete construction, landscaping, carpentry and electrical mechanics. “Can I hang a 150 lb boxing bag from the ceiling that has metal studs?”. Great article with great comments from good guys by the sound of it. So, use at least a 1x6 header screwed into the studs, and then lag your track into that header to make sure the door doesn't find it's way onto your head someday. I think a lot of us would feel like a house was colder being built from steel, and not just because of the material’s energy transfer. Overall I’m in favor of some metal framing, but I can see where having the hybrid house could work so much better. I especially like the multiple comparisons of steel vs wood. Locate several studs and measure between them to confirm they have typical wall stud spacing of 16 or 24 inches. It would be worth the effort and extra cost to go with steel. At about 1,000º can have catastrophic failure. Many fasteners and hangers used to hang heavy objects, such as large pictures, mirrors, shelves and television mounting systems, need to be anchored in studs because the wall alone isn't strong enough to support the weight. the edges. Thanks for the article. Good article still because its a good way to bring up different options in our industry. . Recalibrate the stud finder if necessary. This is the center of the stud. Warranty callbacks are minimized because steel does not shrink, split or warp. Talk about a pain in the a$$! Some homes have steel studs, which require specialty fasteners, such as toggle bolts, to support heavy items. I think that is where it shines. I’ve used them for fire places and bulkheads. I’m building small/tiny homes so weight is a major consideration. Metal studs come in light weights and heavy weights. Steel also costs more to build right (exterior rigid insulation) and utilities cost more (if you don’t use exterior insulation, even then, who is going to put 8″+ of rigid foam on the outside?). They gave us a discount because we were willing to build a smaller structure. Click here to WIN PRIZES from our sponsors Bosch, Blaklader, SKIL and more. Man was this ever a interesting read! Can’t change the strength of wood. Second, it does not hold the sheet metal screws very well. Prices and availability of products and services are subject to change without notice. As far as cost comparisons, depends on too many variables to compare appples & oranges & the market fluctuates drastically. Drywall or lath (for plaster walls) attaches to the edge of the studs. Errors will be corrected where discovered, and Lowe's reserves the right to revoke any stated offer and to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions including after an order has been submitted. The solution for us was to build a smaller house than originally planned for the same cost. It’s also not in the car company’s best interest to build a car that lasts a lifetime. The stuff that we use for interior partitions is much lighter though, and that’s why it doesn’t seem as strong. Insects and Fire: Carpenter ants and termites can severely damage wood construction, but steer clear of metal. You may be able to find a stud or confirm the suspected location of a stud by tapping the wall with your knuckles or a hammer. The fine thread drywall screw will work on the thin, metal studs while the self-drilling type is necessary for the heavier studs. Working in NYC,wood studs are not code although I have often used wood to block framing for KD bucks.Heavier gauge metal can also be cut with a sawzall with a bi-metal blade. Buy all the lowest priced materials from each place & save thousands…..people make all this stuff way to hard & then blame something else, Your email address will not be published. Think of all of the remodel jobs that have to be done because of wood rot, fire or termite damage. Would it be possible to use metal for all the framing to significantly reduce the weight? -Timber requires plywood @ 6/12 fastening pattern, similar to CFS (depends on sheathing). Also metal is a very industry oriented metal a common person can not mine the ore, separate it, melt it, and cast it. Construction screws intended for fastening drywall sheets to studs. Basically trees are grown for the lumber industry common Douglas fir grows in 20 years and is cut to build houses. For a construction note, Timber framing should have almost as many clips as CFS, if detailed properly and not at an opening. No experience, but I was wondering the exact same thing… Any helpful alternatives here / ways around the issue? All in all – I’m a wood guy myself. Find metal studs at Lowe's today. I will have to do a stacked crown because of the steel studs. We don’t use drywall…we use plywood for both interior and exterior walls…with the right tools set up they don’t strip and we are almost as fast as a nail gun. personally i hate steel framing.. for a few reasons.. yes you can install foam on the outside to create a thermal break however.. when time comes to hang finished product off it its a nightmare more often than not.. you have to use self tapping screws which take wayy longer than a nail gun.. also in light gauge steel more often than not the stud will strip out and hte screw wont hold in it.. with wood screw it and walk away. I’ve never looked into the environmental info about the steel studs that I use – I’ll check into that sometime, but it’s not the typical conversation that we look for on here. I’ve got to look into this more. skil saw and and many steal pro blades. You have to used a grinder or a chop saw. Wear gloves, though, to protect the hands from sharp edges, and clean up any small pieces that end up on the floor. I’ve laid open my knuckle from a steel cut once before, and WOW does it slice! Man I love this topic and can go on for a long time. I’ll tell you what, us wood guys will race you steel guys and if we don’t smoke u 4 to 1 I’ll quite. Mark the location on painters tape. Run strips of painters tape along the length of a wall to simplify marking multiple stud locations. You can find studs with an electronic stud finder, or you can try to find them manually. Strength: The strength and ductility of structural cold-formed steel (CFS) framing, along with the holding power of CFS connections, make it ideal for construction in high-wind and seismic zones such as the U. S. eastern seaboard, the Gulf Coast states, California and Hawaii. Who wants their hard work to go up in flames? A man can see a tree and put a visual conception to it and cut it down, dry it, mill it, and build it. Trim running along the top or bottom of your walls may have fasteners that secure it to the studs. The steel would cost me more and take longer to put together but it was lighter weight and would be easier for my wife and I to handle. Do you have any tips for finding a stud supplier in his area? Estimate stud locations by looking at the wall. They use components that have a reasonable life span at a reasonable cost to the consumer so that they stay competitive with other car companies. Use finish screws and adhesive for baseboard and crown moldings. I don’t know what steel goes for at a salvage yard, but you can’t get money back for wood cutoffs. I do take small issue with one of the advantages it listed. Just finished a project where we used structural steel (18 & 16 gauge) to frame a house. For more information on using metal studs is the Builder’s Guide to Steel Frame Construction from the Steel Framing Alliance. Our utilities have also been much lower than we anticipated. What are your thoughts? What’s wrong with a wood building designed right, won’t it last forever too? Yes steel does rust just those two homes were very well engineered. The idea of speed being one of the prime factors makes me wonder if the time saved, rushing with a nail gun, wouldn’t make me spend more time during the inspection process. until I read this amazing page. Also we won’t need a saw or a nail gun. I’m thinking about using metal studs to build an ice shanty because of the light weight of metal vs. wood on the ice. Some stud finders detect the presence of live, unshielded electrical wires. And any electric pollution. You can hang anything off metal studs you have to double up on your studs and go with heavier gauge of studs and flat strap Metal I been hanging 90″ tv for the last 2 years no complaints yet and about the corners everybody that frames with metal studs knows allways go with 20 gauge studs and make a hard corner metal is the future wood is out. long pants and ST shoes. Hanging an object on a wall can be a simple project. According to the Steel Framing Alliance, more than 40 percent of commercial structures are now built with metal studs and nearly 500,000 homes have been built with steel framing over the past decade. I am the home owner and the contractor. I have used metal studs inside a house but never for the exterior framing . On Mondays I used to cut rafters for 10 homes. I guess I will disagree about the strength of wood vs steel – Given equal weights – steel is much stronger. The Rubbermaid telescoping 48” clothing bar (two 4ft. The metal framing certainly looks more impressive . Required fields are marked *. The great thing about wood other than it’s beauty, feel, strength, and availability is it’s timelessness as a building material there is more information about woodworking than any other material. Holding a light near the wall as you look along it can help you find the imperfections. That way you get less issues with drywall on the ceiling or the sag while the ease of hanging stuff and adding trim to wood studs? You are correct in the bulkheads Jeff. After all, I’m a carpenter ask a metal guy to build a little green house for your window sill and you’ll get a spot welded aluminum or steel structure. Pound for pound wood is stronger than steal. However, from my own experience, installation of metal light gauge studs has few drawbacks. Love your long term thinking being in Louisiana I plan steel home, thanks for confirming all my ideals! In China there is no EPA! You bring up some good points about hanging finished product and maintenance. If I were doing this with wood. Items such as ducts, electrical wires and water pipes may be in the walls in your work area. Blocking and nailers for trim work take a lot of time however. Steel wins. I don’t mind working with it, but I prefer wood. The back porch of my house has a metal roof and no matter how much I try I can never send text messages from that part of the house because of the steel roof . This makes for easier transporting and storage. Turn off the power to the outlet or switch if you plan to remove the cover and look for the stud. The fasteners give you a good estimate of the center of the studs. I have rebuilt my house with metal studs by constructing the new over the existing house and throwing the old roof out of th upstairs window and remodeling inside. Never had a 2×4 kink on me . But that’s it. I made an edit to the article about using a chop saw for cutting metal studs in bulk. It should be 1-1/2 inches from the first mark. It works great for inside commercial buildings for partitions to hand drywall from. Cut metal studs with aviation snips, which means no sawdust. Cutting it is a pain but you generally order it cut to length. It works great for prefab homes. Wood moulds and rots but if it is a small leak it is well consolidated with wood. The MDO ply paints exactly like drywall and one does not need to constantly search for studs in which to screw the cabinets. The weight difference be When it comes to studs, instead of automatically buying wood, consider metal for non-load bearing walls. If you can locate the edge of the stud the box attaches to, measure out 3/4 of an inch to locate the center of the stud. Ask a wood guy, you’ll end up with a nice looking and feeling wooden house… The stud finder indicates if it's calibrated or if you need to move it and try again. It went really well. And ours will be square, plumb, and true! Easier to heat and cool a smaller house. I also wanted the security of knowing that it would be termite, fire and mold resistant. Move it back toward this mark from the opposite direction. It has been interesting reading Dirty’s responses. You may wonder, how far apart are studs in my home? One side of the electrical box for an outlet or a switch typically attaches to a stud. An electronic wall stud finder can also detect metal in a wall. People strip out hinge screws because they don’t use tools correctly or apply least bit of forethought. The metal industry ruins landscapes and water reservoirs you get everything from acid rain to horrible smells. Although I don’t know enough about either product to make a truly informed decision. I am a residential & commercial framer. Looks nice but I am still a little unsure. The biggest argument that I hear from contractors in this discussion is that steel costs them more. The cost is the only thing that keeps me from using these right now in our work. I don’t feel it goes together any faster just because it is lighter. in a wood wall you just fix the corner bead. Can I hang a 150 lb boxing bag from the ceiling that has metal studs? Full arm protection, ear protection ,safety glasses, full face shield. http://amfsteel.com/. However, all of the walls will be load bearing/exterior and support the rafters. They also are attached with screws, so moving studs is simple if you make a mistake. Skin sliced open from just brushing against a cut end, never happened with wood. 16ga. Think of the effect too if most of the houses that carpenters built lasted 150+ years and needed significantly fewer repairs. Metal is better everything on the las Vegas strip is metal studs in every casino and the hotel and wood suck it bows and rots and you can’t do fancy and creative stuff like metal studs. As the owner of a home that I plan to retire in and pass to my children, I wanted a structure that was going to last for a very long time. Wood will flex and pop back. Hold the stud finder against the wall and move it along the surface at the installation height of the fastener. When considering a power tool purchase how often do you visit the manufacturer's website before making a purchase? I recently built a deck with 14 and 16 gauge 2×12 equivalents. Thanks for the comment Mike. If you want to confirm the presence of a stud, you can drive a small finish nail into the wall at the suspected location. The typical light gauge studs that are sold/used strip out so easy that hanging anything on the wall is just about impossible without the stud being filled with a 2×3, which not only eliminates the need for the metal at all, but can mean ripping open the wall to make such modifications. Consumers that don’t know any better or are just looking for a temporary house, really don’t care and lean towards the cheaper option of wood. You'll base this on the installation height of the fastener(s) you use to secure the object you're hanging. When you suspect you've found a stud, locate multiple points on it to confirm that it runs vertically. When it comes to studs, instead of automatically buying wood, consider metal for non-load bearing walls. Several of the manual methods below are helpful if you have lath/plaster walls. I think they’re a fine solution for interior walls here. I am looking to build a workshop for my small equipment business, about 30’x 40′ and had always assumed building in wood…. While nails and screws in wood studs will attract a magnet, steel studs will have a stronger attraction along the entire height of the stud. Let me start out by saying what the Steel Framing Alliance won’t! The biggest issue I find with metal studs is making sure your drywall hangers understand sequence for screwing off the drywall. We have used them in several comercial projects and on a few interior walls in homes, especially in kitchens and baths to acheive a foor flat wall for cabinets and countertops to fit against. As far as steal won’t burn,,, wow really! Nice strait walls for tiling… I love it and build with it much more often than steel. And in my limited experience with metal framing, if you kink it, it’s basically ruined. The steel that is used for CFS (cold formed steel) comes from strip mining fields in China where everyone in the villages down stream from the fields is dieing from the chemicals they use in the mining and they let flow down stream. I think everyone here made good points but remember it’s not all or nothing. I am building a tiny home on an RV frame. According to the Steel Framing Alliance, more than 40 percent of commercial structures are now built with metal studs and nearly 500,000 homes have been built with steel framing over the past decade. We use metal 2×6 on exterior walls and roof. Being in Canada I think it would be difficult to get enough insulation in place in exterior walls to overcome the cold passing through. I am getting ready to apply crown molding to the entire house. Man I could go on a long time here but think I’ll wait to get some feed back to continue. Accessorize with the vivid hues of Groupon’s gemstone and pearl jewelry, including freshwater pearl necklaces, birthstone bracelets, rings, and earrings. It’s the same with almost all companies. would metal studs support 30′ trusses? Please research this for yourself. A link,,http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130618073519AAuMeND and another ,,,http://www.appalachianwood.org/utilization.htm As far as burn failure. This would be a 7′ by 12′ simple rectangle. Any thoughts? I would go up to a bigger component, maybe a 2×10 instead of a 2×6. Even a lighter door creates a lot of dynamic load. Viance has a 30-year history of innovation and continues to develop environmentally advanced solutions that improve the performance and durability of … Unlikely the holes in the track are going to align with your studs, and you need studs for a heavy door. Does anyone else have similar experience? The center of any adjacent studs should be 16w(40.6 cm) or 24w(61 cm) from this mark. I really had to consider the different aspects of wood vs steel on many fronts. There is no faster wat b to frame them than with steel studs . I won’t realize any benefit to a higher resale value down the line but maybe my great-grandchildren will. You just have to make it bigger and pile more on. on the newer buildings the steel stud framers installed ” steel strapping” on the studs which is nothing more than 3″ strips of metal flat stock to which cabinets get screwed to.. even still ive found the screws just strip the stuff out.. not only that you still have to line rough openings with wood to fasten windows to and nail door jambs too which means your still carrying a circ saw to frame.. id rather just have the saw. I understand this. They are completely different in framing methods. As far load bearing and nonload bearing, for residential homes CFS is used maybe not what they sell at the big box but they use 18ga. Any time you are screwing something together vs. nailing it, it will take longer. They're always spaced either 16 or 24 inches on-center (measured from center to center) along the wall and run between the floor and ceiling. Link to Lowe's Home Improvement Home Page, Step 1: Assess the Wall for Stud Locations. Whatever method you use for locating studs, make sure you find studs rather than objects such as pipes or conduit. Pingback: How To Build Bulkheads With Steel Studs | information. I have used steel framing before in commercial work. Locate several points along the suspected stud and locate adjacent studs as described above. The consumer gets a product that isn’t the safest thing on the road and won’t typically last more than 6-8 years but it is reasonable affordable. I don’t know if we still do. Wood which has the same weight-to-strength ratio of steel or aluminum and in many cases more as some studies of Balsa wood being stronger than steel in pound per pound studies. You also may enjoy significant discounts on risk insurance for steel framed structures. The steal hits a temp. It's less effective on lath/plaster walls, but some have a metal-scanning feature that may locate the nails securing the lath to the studs. To do it right and make sure it's stable and safe, you may need to know how to find a stud that can anchor it. Consumers really drive the market anyway. On the other hand when cutting wood rafter all I needed was safety glasses. Do your homework, watch the market, get bids, do a little bit of haggling. Never happened with wood. Is there a certain gauge I need for exterior walls? If you use a hammer to look for studs, cover the head to prevent damaging the wall. Being in Texas, the fact that it is much stronger in high wind situations was also a great feature. Interesting article!! Steal has it’s place. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Just to clarify: the Thumb and Hammer article that is extensively quoted by the author refers to the light gauge metal framing sold by building centers (such as Home Depot and Lowes) that can only be used for non-load bearing walls. Yes being a wood guy I still like wood but metal has its advantages too , unless most of your work now is fixing homes that havent been properly maintained and rotten wood is $$$ in your pocket. Prices, Promotions, styles, and availability may vary. From doing mostly commercial carpentry and using almost exclusively metal studs it really is a time saver. Roofing screws Screws designed to be used in metal roofing applications and are available in a variety of colors. pieces) is $10.74 at Lowe’s, so almost half And steel rots/rusts quick I have done alot of repairs in commercial sites where the water runs along base plate the entire wall is just loose.

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