Steel Studs In Bulkhead

DSB_Const

I have primarily stuck to residential construction with a few small commercial jobs. I have been asked to take on a fairly large project to partition and install drywall in a commercial building using metal studding. I have used metal studding on vertical walls in the past but most of the residential framing here is wood. One area of the building has several bulkheads and different ceiling levels that the owner wants drywall on, requiring both vertical and horizontal run steel studding. The tracks for the vertical build downs can be fastened directly to the concrete slab between floors. My question is, what is the best way to fasten the horizontal studs to the vertical. Should a track be fastened to the vertical studs or screw the horizontal studs directly to the vertical?

Canook

Using tracks will make the job look more professional and will make it easy on you if you have to fire-block your vertical wall at horizontal wall's elevation height.(and the tracks provide more nailing for your drywall). But but screwing a stud to another stud works as well...your choice.

Mud Master

I would use track for the bulkheads, it is what I have always done. If you would need blocking for one reason or another, it is much better. Also, it is more professional to install a 25 gauge track to the bottom of the bulkhead than to install a 25 gauge stud. They will also sit inside each other alot better.

Plus, when it comes time to hang, the installation will go alot smoother because everything will be in thier correct place.

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consolidatedbui

You should always make the screws have the stress in a shear fashion opposed to a tensile fashion