How To Frame With Metal Studs- For Home Renovations

This article is going to deal with the how and why of metal stud framing for your home renovation project, it will deal primarily with the finishing of your home basement but the techniques can be applied almost anywhere. I first became familiar with steel stud framing years ago while working in high rise construction installing drywall.  At first I hated it mainly because my experience was with home residential construction where the standard was 2x4 wood studs. But before long I started to love working with steel studs and later on when I left high rise construction and started to finish basements in new and used homes I took my new found love for steel studs with me. But unlike many who use metal studs I came to develop a combination of steel and wood combined, mainly because  many of my customers wanted to save some money and have some fun by hanging and trimming the doors and baseboard trim themselves and they were not familiar with how to fasten the frames and trim to the steel and wanted to use wood, so I needed to come up with a system that was user friendly for the average home owner. The out come was a combination of wood and metal stud framing 90% steel with just enough wood studs use in the right places to allow the home owner complete control in finishing his project.

First we are going to consider some of the benefits in using steel for framing your basement:

1. You don't need power saws to cut your studs
2. They can be installed quicker than wood
3. They do not rot or warp
4. they are bug proof
5. No variation in size and they are completely straight
6. They do not shrink or split
7. They are lighter and easier than wood to handle
8. They are flame retardant
9. They are economic 
10. They are easy to take apart      

Steel stud framing installs very  much the same as wood studs with 16 inch centers for your insulation if you are framing your walls with metal studs the main differences are that  you use self tapping screws these are referred to as zip screws, and are about a 1/2 inch in length and some drywall screws 1 1/4 inch long. You will need a cordless drill,and a Phillip bit for your screws,some hand clamps for holding your studs in place while you fasten them and of course a good pair of metal snips for cutting, you can use a power saw if you have the right metal blade. Also because this method requires some wood studs you will need a saw to cut them but no nails are required and you will need a ram set gun a hand held one works great and are inexpensive to buy or rent also shots and pins these are to fasten down your 2x4 floor track. In the following posts I will deal with the procedures to use in framing your project in steel studs.

Note: As you start to use metal studs you may notice that they seem flimsy and not as sturdy as you thought but steel studs are designed to work in conjunction with drywall, so do not be overly concerned the finished job will be just fine.