Wood versus steel studs.
As quality lumber becomes more expensive and harder to find, we're finding that more and more builders are framing their homes with steel. Both load bearing and non-load bearing steel studs are already used extensively in commercial construction.
Much of the wood we have now is warped and soft. Often with wood studs when you look down the wall it waves back and forth. With steel they are deadly straight and accurate. You pull a string across them and they are exact. With interior steel studs you get flatter and cheaper walls."
While interior steel studs work quite well, there are still problems with them for exterior walls. Structural steel studs for exterior walls provide poor insulating values. In Minnesota, cold transferring through the steel presents heating and moisture condensation problems.
How do you install it?
You install steel framing much like conventional wood framing. A basic system consists of galvanized C-shaped studs, joists and channels. You use the channels at the top and bottom of the walls, similar to plates. The studs fit into the channels, held in place with self-tapping screws. Punched holes in studs allow for electrical wiring and plumbing. Steel studs come in gauges, from 14 to 26 .
Common studs come in five widths: 1 5/8", 2", 3 5/8", 4" and 6".
Steel studs don't warp, split or burn and building with steel is fast. Another advantage of steel is the clear spans it can breach. Steel trusses when used on the main floor allow for 20' and 30' column-free spans in the basement. The greatest advantage is the floor's strength. An ordinary wood floor has about 40 lb. bearing load at legal deflection. Steel carries a 127-lb load at legal deflection.
