Wood vs. Steel Studs?
I am a builder who lives in Hawaii and have done all my framing with wood. I am considering framing my next project in steel studs. It seems logical to go to steel as all the framing lumber here must be pressure treated and is nasty to work with. Also, even the treated lumber here eventually has termite infestations and dry rot problems as the climate is very humid and wet.
Are any tips you can give to a novice at steel stud construction? Can you frame with steel studs 24″ on center? Are there any existing Fine Homebuilding articles on steel stud framing?
Replies
You bring to the boards an interresting subject . Ive done a lot of steel framing in commercial. If the material was readily available, I would use it for different applications . Of course we prefer wood to frame with , but now you are talking treated lumber vs steel. Seems to me that steel would be cheaper. I dont have the knowledge to transfer wood to steel in homes totally. My question to your problem is wood trimmers and plates would still be needed to construct a high end home with wood trim . The more trim the more problem . I see metal studs used in apartments more inviting, or a home with a lot of drywall returns instead of trim. They make metal trim screws but this would be a slow process compared to our air nailers. I guess what Im thinking is that if the home had a lot of trim like the high end homes do, the cost would over shadow the physical worth of the building. Wood the public pay more for a steel home of the high end ? I typically see it more in a simple home , or a commercial residence . But hey, Im here to learn more ! Maybe you can add to what Ive said , or you will get some better hits from people doing it . Wouldnt you have to go to metal stairs ? I would be very interrested in your questions as well. I know you can think of issues your self .
Tim Mooney
Check out JLC at http://www.jlconline.com - they have published a number of articles on the subject over the years.
There are also a number of books on residential light gauge steel framing. You can go to http://www.amazon.com and check out these titles and their links should lead you to a number of others. I have the Hacker book and it is pretty good. None of them are cheap, however:
Residential Steel Design and Construction: Energy Efficiency, Cost Savings, Code Compliance by John H. Hacker, et al
Residential Steel Framing Handbook by Robert Scharff
Residential Steel Framing Construction Guide by E. N. Lorre
Graystroke,
Don't forget that steel will rust in a damp enviroment. Other than that, I don't see any problem.
As for 24" spacing, I suppose steel studs behave the sa°me as ordinary wood studs - after all they are a substitute.
There are a lot of tricks with steel. For instance, you can cut the flanges and bend the web 45° and use it as a brace.
The steel framers always seem to carry three pairs of ViceGrip "C" clamps [6R or 9DR]. Get the plain tip, not the swivel pads, as the pads tend to get in your way. I would recommend ofset aviation snips for cutting. You snip the flanges, bend 90° and then snip the web. The offset means the green or red handles don't get in the way.
Please remove, file, brind, turn-over or blunt any sharp exposed edges.
Line up all the holes in the studs. Otherwise, you will violate every Code in the book, your house will fall down and your electricians and plumbers won't be happy.
-Peter
Sir, I may be crazy, but you're drund and tommorow you're gonna have a hangover and I won't. So there!
We know some folks that build with metal studs in Tahiti - same problems: heat, humidity, mold, termites, etc. They spray the studs with a wax coating (same stuff the USN uses apparently) to inhibit rust before sheathing..
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Made me think, kind of a side issue to steel studs, but have you seen the thing about USAF testing the use of spray-in bed liner on the back of exterior wall panels for blast protection? The test photo I saw looked pretty cool. They blasted two panels with what was some measure of dynamite at x distance and the regular framed and sheathed panel was splinters, I mean toothpicks, but the sprayed one stayed mostly intact. It has something to do with spreading the force and it preventing a catastrophic failure at any one point which prevents total structural failure. Why would we care? Would be a 'nice to do' for the inside of the room that contains the water heater. Had one of those blow a town over when I lived in Pine Bluff, AR and someone got hurt as I recall. I was a kid, but it looked like what I figure a hand granade or RPG would have done to the house. I think it was in White Hall, AR. There were folks that just drove out to drive by slow and see what happened. (we were one family that did) That happen much anymore?
Seems to me that if enough water is passing through the weather envelope of the structure to have standing water in the track, then if lumber was used you would probably end up with dry rot.
Not exactly, I did some consulting on a project that was testing the spray-in bed-liner to strengthen walls in hurricane zones. Not sure of all the details, they were talking about fixing the walls in a bunch of schools in Dade county so that could be used as public shelters.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Check out http://www.metalhomes.com and there was an issue with an article on steel framing for homes. I'd tell you which one, but my mags are back in the bedroom with the sleeping wife...
We wouldnt want to wake her up! Cuts down on Breaktime !
Tim Mooney
A few years back we wee considering using metal studs in a large project as opposed to concrete block back-up to brick veneer. We had heard real horror stories about failure of the building envelope to prevent rain water from migrating to the inside. The worst included the photo's of the bottom track standing full of water and the bottom of several studs rusting completely away.
We had lengthy discussions with the design team about sheathings, flashings, caulks, brick and mortar permeability and on and on. We convinced ourselves that with care we could prevent that from happening. We made the decision to go with heavier guage studs and extra steps to maintain the integrity of the building envelope. We have not yet regretted that decision but the day after we cast the dice, Engineering News Record published an article outlining a Corp of Engineers decision to never again use metal stud back-up to brick veneer. I think the article included a photo showing water standing in the bottom track with the studs eaten away.
A word of caution---You can predict the variables that will affect your structure and you can prepare and plan for every drop of water that will invade the envelope but you will wind up with a complex system with pieces, parts and steps that the subs must follow to the letter.
I think I've just had an epiphany!---If water in the bottom track is a concern, for residential construction, would it be too far out of line to put down a treated plate and then use Simpson anchors to screwed to the metal studs. No bottom track--I'd still be extra cautious about wraps and flashings regardless of veneer.
Would drilling a couple of weep holes in the bottom track have helped you sleep nights? Or is there some reason not to do that?Andy Engel, The Accidental Moderator
ANDY, The problem with that is that the bottom track is not set in mastic or caulk and it is, at least in theory, behind the thru -wall flashing. Any water that would leak out of the track would not migrate to the outside but rather soak back into the space. I think the issue here is not to manage it after it got to the track but instead to prevent it from ever getting there. What I'm asking though is that if a residential contractor would like to use metal studs for all the right reasons but not have to take more precautionary steps than he typically would in wood construction, if the sympton is water in the track, is it acceptable to screw a metal Simpson bracket to the bottom of the stud and screw or nail that to a treated plate?
FORGET ALL THIS!!! I just discussed this with an engineer friend who knows where of he speaks.. He's never seen water in a track in his twenty years of structural design. Regardless, he says that preparing the building envelope is the critical issue. Oh, he also says that the idea of a stud to plate connection is cheesy. You would appreciate his honesty but I won't repeat what he said about how the Corps does things.
It seems to me like water in the bottom track is a sympton, not a cause. Treat the original problem and you should be ok.Jon Blakemore
True, but I like the idea at least of the weep holes. Located in a place where water would be visible or the fact they were draining could be noticed would be even better.
Gray
Heres a tip....I use to think I could save $$$and time using metal studs but when one goes to shoot screws into the dry wall a real lot of times the metal bends and the screws dont go in right....Also...moldings......bummer! Trim screws also sux to work with.....kinda doesnt pay in my mind so something I developed is to use metal sole plates and top plates and use wood studs in them...The job goes really fast that way....I mostly do basements that way.
Be well
Namaste
Andy
It's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Andy, did you ever see the Far Side cartoon where the foreground shows a bunch of cavemen sitting around a fire cooking chunks of meat held in their hands? On their faces are a variety of pained expressions, as their knuckles singe along with the drumsticks and lizards they're cooking. In the background is a lone caveman, wearing glasses, cooking his chunk of meat on a stick. The caption goes something like, "Hey, look what Zog do."
Metal tracks, wood studs, "Hey, look what AndyC do."
Andy Engel, The Accidental Moderator
".... as the climate is very humid and wet."
One problem with steel construction over wood or masonry, from an indoor air quality/humidy/mold perspective is that it has less moisture capacity. If humidity and other small amounts of moisture enter a structure that can absorb it and then release it as wood and masonry structures can (masonry is much better), no problem. There is a constant absorbing/drying cycle going on. Moisture will get in. It can be asborbed and then released or it can "wet" the structure, the insulation, live in other soft materials like carpet, drapery, bedding, etc.. That is when trouble (and the mold) starts. Ventilation, therefore, becomes critical in a steel structure.