Replies

1. 
   DLightbourn | Feb 15, 2003 01:44pm | #1

   Good morning Jay,

   Georgia Pacific has a primer in the installation of their metal stud products:-

   http://www.gp.com/metals/pdf/071207.pdf

   I hope this helps.

2. 
   dgarrison409 | Feb 15, 2003 01:50pm | #2

   I don't think that the way the studs face in the run of the wall really matters. We like to see the flat side facing toward door openings so that we can screw off our door bucks.

   Here is a link to the USG construction manual. Pretty good info on metal framing.

   http://www.usg.com/Expert_Advice/const_handbook.asp?vChapter=Chapter_2&menu=

3. 
   DaveRicheson | Feb 15, 2003 06:04pm | #3

   Both links above are good. One thing I did not see in either link, or maybe I just missed it, was which direction to hang the board. I don't mean horizontal or vertical. You need to hang the board so that your break  lands on the closed side of the stud. Landing on the open side causes problems when you try to screw down the edge of the board. The open side of the stud tends to roll away from the screw.  by having a sheet already screwed to the closed side, the other half of the stud is stiffened enough to prevent it from rolling away from the screws.

4. 
   BobKovacs | Feb 15, 2003 09:39pm | #4

   Jay-

   Dave's entirely right.  It really doesn't matter which way the studs "face", but when it comes time to drywall, setting the board that hits the "closed" side first is definitely the way to go.  Based on this, if you can remember to do it, orient the studs so when you start with a full sheet, you hit the closed side first.  For me, I layout right to left most of the time, and hang board the same way, so I start on the right end, and keep the studs with the closed side to the right.  Of course, if you forget, you can alsways start hanging in the opposite direction- you just may have to rip your first sheet if it isn't a full 48" board.

   If y ou spend much time on commercial sites, you also notice a few other things that are usualy done:

   1. Drywall is almost always stood vertically rather than railroaded as in residential.  This eliminates butt joints completely on all but the tallest walls.

   2.  The boards usually are run through a "T" intesection, and then the last stud of the intersection wall is slapped up against the board (hence the term "slap stud").  This eliminates two cuts and two studs.  YOu just have to remember to hold the tracks back from the through-wall to allow the drywall to pass.

   Hope that helped,

   Bob

1. 
   DaveRicheson | Feb 16, 2003 01:41am | #6

   Sounds like we went to different schools together.

1. 
   pm22 | Feb 16, 2003 02:39am | #7

   Good points above. I would just like to add -- make sure all the holes line up. This makes it easier for the poor plumbers and electricians.

   --Peter

   Fascists are like concrete -- all mixed up and hard set.

2. 
   Zano | Feb 17, 2003 03:14am | #11

   1. Drywall is almost always stood vertically rather than railroaded as in residential.  This eliminates butt joints completely on all but the tallest walls.

   True, but this leads to obnoxious vertical seams as the tapered edge between the boards is often lost especially on light gauge studs.  Also, one board is higher than the other and they are not flat even using a 12" finishing knife.  This problem then is more evident in glossy and eggsshell paints as opposed to running the boards horizontally (on non-fore rated walls). There is s term for this but it escapes me at this moment.

   If the walls and ceilings allow for a 12 footer on non-fire rated walls, we always run them horizontally.

1. 
   BobKovacs | Feb 17, 2003 04:09am | #12

   Zano-

   I agree that the seams in commercial work are often not the most attractive things in the world.  Seems like it's just "acceptable" in that type of work, and if the architect wants anything better, he specs a Level 5 finish.  I stood the boards when I finished my basement last year, and didn't have a problem with the joints.  I took a little extra time with them and feathered them out a little wider than I may have otherwise, but they still took less work than I've found myself having to put into butt joints.  I'm not a pro taper by any means, but I hold my own in small reno jobs (up to 40-50 boards), and I'd prefer the extra work on the stood up tapered joints to the butt joints any day.

   Bob

1. 
   Zano | Feb 17, 2003 05:25pm | #13

   Bob,

   Butt joints are damm ugly but there have been many discussions here on eliminating them and making them flat, so that's the way that I go.  Did a church job about 1 1/2 years ago, main sanctuary 50 feet high and the architect wanted us to stand them up to minimize the number of butt joints.  So I did two samples for him while he went to a meeting and then he was amazed and allowed us to install them horizontally.  The ceiling about 200' x 120' was then semi-gloss painted and the church saved $7,000.00 on popcorn on the ceiling.  Unless it's a UL rated fire wall, I always go horizontal using techcniques discussed here and then no more ugly vertical seams either!  Even when it's UL rated, I try to have the architect permit horizontal - sometimes they go along.

5. 
   RichMast | Feb 15, 2003 11:46pm | #5

   Another tip on layout is that we always used to leave every third stud loose do the drywallers could line it up exactly on the edge of the sheet.  It's a whole lot easier than trying to get the layout perfect.   The drywallers would screw in the stud as they went along.

   Hope this helps.  Rich.

1. 
   BobKovacs | Feb 16, 2003 05:02am | #8

   Rich-

   Why screw ANY of the studs in?  Most of the guys around here leave them all lose, or crimp them just to keep 'em from falling over.  Let the drywall screws hould them in place.....

   Personally, I screw mine on at least one side at the bottom (since most of the time I can't get to the back anyway when framing in front of basement walls).  I let the tops float, cut about 1/2" short in the track to allow the floor joist to deflect without cracking the rock.  IF the floor above is REALLY bouncy like some of the old houses around here, I'l use long-leg track (2 1/2" flanges) and cut the stud an inch short. 

   That's one time saver with metal- get a cutoff saw and cut 10 studs to length at a time- stick the bundling in the track, and spread ' em down the wall.  Try doing that with wood when the joist are dipping up and down...lol.

   Bob

6. 
   ponytl | Feb 16, 2003 05:58am | #9

   we've never really worried where the drywall landed... like someone said move a stud  or add one large side flat to the drywall as you go....

   any one else crimp instead of screw the studs to the track?

7. 
   philm | Feb 16, 2003 04:45pm | #10

   When laying out metal studs you should keep the throats facing your

   layout,then run your sheetrock the same way.The seam of the sheetrock

   should land on the open side of the stud so that it does'nt roll out

   causing a bump in the wall.The other thing to remember is the studs

    are only 1,14" wide on the flange,so it is easy to creep on your centers,

   just keep checking them.