Hey, getting ready to build my office and showroom inside our new warehouse building.
Comfortable with wood, but considering steel framing. Pros, cons to making the switch. Never worked with steel studs before. Price? Speed? PIA FACTORS? Things to look out for? THANKS!
Got a bunch of them sitting in storage if you decide to go this way.
Could probably cut you a deal.
All new,from a tag sale at Const.Co.
I'll do an inventory if you're interested.
Eh I was gonna have the guys build all the racks out of wood, but the low price of used pallet racks made me say forget it. I gotta get something together soon, we have a huge floor space thats starting to become an obstacle course of random material piles.
here in Connecticut metal is about 3 x $ of wood, although I like working with it alot. I can carry 20 metal studs easy would not be able to do that with wood. It is easy to cut, I use them mainly in basements due to moisture. I had thought you couldnt build a loadbearing wall from metal.
Not sure what the previous post meant by structural.
There are different guages of metal framing componants rated for different purposes. In the early 80s I built a medical facility entirely of metal framing to save on the cost of fire code compliance issues. I think it was a US Gypsum system.
Once you get the hang of metal studs, especially for partition walls, you most likely won't go back to wood. Been using them every chance I can for years, faster and more accurate, and no worries about warping or bowing, and my electrician loves them. Very little drilling for the wiring. As others have said, there are several guages, like lighter 25 guage for general non-loadbearing partition walls to down to 14 guage for structural framing.
There ae some specialized tools that make steel framing go even faster, but it still can be worked with the tools you probably already have.
I've found I can go way faster with a nail gun and wood then I can tinkering with a screw gun and metal. Maybe it's because I'm not used to metal, but I don't know, the Hatachi framer shoots eight nails a second, I'd like to see someone with a screw gun go that fast.
True, and if wood had a cool track system that it popped into it would be just dandy. I find that steel goes faster, its far lighter, faster to place and magnetic levels stick to it. Unfortunatly its about 3 times the price at the moment.
When wood was more expensive my father renovated his house and did it as cheaply as possible...non-structural walls were metal structural were wood.
What I love about metal is its STRAIGHT, and if you only want a few pieces you don't have to spend half an hour sorting through crap wood at the lumber yard.
I onece installed a rack with a smoked glass door flush with a wall. I looked at the door and saw that it was half an inch out top and bottom. I though WTF my door is bent? so I put on a 4 foot level, door was perfect crown of the stud caused the bow. Bottom line is if you want a straight beautiful rot resistant, termite proof wall that doesn't drive the automation installer nuts trying to figure out why his $650 door arrived bent then use metal!
For interior non load bearing walls steel is the way to go.Faster and easier IMO.Around here tenant improvements are pretty much done with steel exclusively..
Metal is something new to me. I have been using it for the past two years building five plex housing units for the Nunavut government and I would have to say they are really nice. Me and my helper can frame the entire intirior of a 900sqft two bed one bath appartment in 9 hrs including coffee breaks. Once you get the hang of them it is really easy. I will post some pics soon. We are using 16gu. Structural members for the intirior as it is a public housing complex. we are even using 5/8 Abuse Ressistant drywall on everything. This place is a tank of a building. Get this, the fire walls seperating each unit is it's own 2x6 wall with a 1 1/2 space in between each wall. We are using Roxul insulation so that is two layers of R22 plus one layer of R7 so a total of R51 on the fire walls, R40 in the ceiling and floors and R29 on extirior walls. This is one of the most expensive buildings I have ever seen for cost of matirials, for the size of the place.
Just finished framing out a 1200sgft basement with 16 gauge metal studs. 8ft studs were $2.05 each. 10ft track was $2.45.
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