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Basic Cutting Tips
To cut individual studs and tracks, use straight-cut aviation snips (Photo 1). If you need to cut dozens of studs and tracks quickly, use a circular saw fitted with a toothless (Carborundum) metal-cutting blade ($7). When cutting individual studs or tracks with a circular saw, cut on the closed (or “web”) side and support the piece tightly on sawhorses. Protect yourself from the showering sparks, acrid smoke and deafening noise by wearing safety glasses, a dust mask, long sleeves and hearing protection.Wall-Building Techniques
The best technique for framing steel walls is to first
fasten the floor and ceiling tracks and then install the studs one at a
time.
On the floor, lay out and mark the location of the wall, fasten the steel track (Photo 2), and then locate the position of the ceiling track using a plumb bob or a level held against a steel stud. On a finished ceiling where the track runs perpendicular to the joists, fasten the track to the underlying joists with 1-1/2 in. self-tapping drywall screws. If the track runs parallel to the joists, fasten the track to the ceiling with drywall anchors.
Buying Steel Studs
Steel studs are sold in a variety of
widths (comparable to dimensional lumber sizes), lengths and gauges (the lower
the gauge number, the thicker the steel). You anchor them top and bottom to
steel track (of matching width), which only comes in 10-ft. lengths. Use
1/2-in. No. 8 pan-head screws.
Most home centers and lumberyards carry only the most popular 3-5/8 in. wide (comparable to 2x4 lumber) 25-gauge steel studs in 8-, 9-, 10- and 12-ft. lengths, along with all the fasteners. These light-weight studs are designed for framing interior, non-weight-bearing walls (walls that don’t support floors or the roof). If you can’t find steel studs at your home center or lumberyard, check with suppliers that cater to builders (look in the Yellow Pages under “Dry Wall Equipment and Supplies”). These suppliers will have a wide range of widths and gauges for framing everything from non-weight-bearing perimeter walls in existing basements (1-5/8 in. wide) to load-bearing exterior walls (up to 5-1/2 in. wide).
Other Wall-Framing Tips-
After marking the positions of all studs on the ceiling and floor tracks, carefully measure the exact height for each stud. This ensures a proper fit by compensating for a sloping ceiling or floor.
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Cut the studs to a height that provides a tight contact to both the top and the bottom of the tracks. Gaps larger than 1/16 in. at either end are too great because they transfer the bearing weight of a wall onto the screws.
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When you’re marking the height and width of door openings, allow an extra 1-1/2 in. for the height and 3 in. for the width to accommodate the 2x4 wood bucks you’ll add for nailing the door frame and wood trim (Photo 4). Connect the wood buck to the metal framing by turning the solid webs of the king studs toward the rough opening and fastening the wood to the metal with 1-1/4 in. drywall screws.
Running Electrical Lines
Home centers and electrical suppliers carry the special
electrical boxes and parts used with steel framing. Because electrical boxes
attached to steel studs can flex when electrical cords are plugged and
unplugged, electricians attach the boxes to wood blocking with 1-1/2 in.
self-tapping drywall screws.
Installing Drywall and Wood
Trim
If your steel stud wall seems flimsy, keep in mind that it
gains full rigidity once drywall or sheathing is applied. Hang drywall or
sheathing using 1-1/4 in. self-tapping drywall screws spaced every 8 in. along
edges (where two sheets meet on a stud) and 12 in. on center
elsewhere.
The flange on a steel stud is flexible and may deflect when you’re trying to pierce it with a drywall screw, especially when two panel edges meet on a single stud. To prevent this, secure the first panel to the open side of the stud (the one that’s opposite the web)—to give it rigidity—and then hang the second panel. Grip the back of the stud flange near the screw connection point with your fingers (to give it support) and then drive the screw.
Don’t try nailing trim into steel studs. It will not hold. Instead, use specially designed trim screws for the job (Photo 6). When countersunk, their small heads are easy to conceal with putty.
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