I have to help a friend install some french doors in his basement. He’s built it with steel studs. Seeing as these doors are heavy I was wondering if I should put two wooden studs as liners on the framing. Or perhaps consider installing a layer of 1/2 in. plywood on the hinge side of the wall, I just don’t want these things to be flimsy. I’ve never really used steel studs, I’ve seen it done but it is hard to imagine it being strong. Do I need to take any special precautions. I’m going to be elected to do all of the trim and doors in this house, is there any tricks to dealing with it. I was planning to use polyurethane glue and angle my nails away from each other, does that sound o.k. I am open to suggestions Thanks. Nick
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If the drywall isn't up yet install wood studs for the door's frame. They fit right in the steel track and then you can install doors as normal. For trim I like to take scrap 2x with a dab of pl and place one next to each stud. It sounds time consuming but do a few at the end of each day. When it comes time to install baseboards I really appreciate it. Installing stubborn trim on steel studs without backing is a pain if you want the same results as wood framing.
Chuck
Make your steel stud RO 3" wider and 1 1/2" higher, and buck (liner) it with 2x4 material.
Wood 2x4's may not fit into the steel stud tracks anymore. In the Northwest, all we can buy in steel is 3 5/8". Although some places still have ancient 3 1/2" studs in stock
So I'm assuming the extra plywood would be overkill. I was actually thinking to make the opening wide enough to allow me 3 in. per side of the door, just for the extra meat. If you think it will hold o.k. with just an 1 1/2 in. buck I will do that. As far as blocking for baseboard, I've seen guys using what appeared to be two layers of plywood long enough to fit in the stud cavity, with a kerf in the one side to accept the edge of the steel stud, I would prefer that but I like what you were saying about the blocking with pl. Do you ever use those little trim screws?
I use those trim screws only when I have to. They hold great but create a fairly large hole with a slight mushroom effect. Very noticeable in stain grade trim and a lot of filling for paint grade. If you don't have blocking I first would glue and shoot the trim with a nail angling each way like you mentioned before. Most of the time this holds just fine. Use the trim screws as necessary to suck in some trouble spots. If you can use MDF this method works great.
Chuck