I’va got a basement remodel coming up, and i’m considering using steel studs. Looking for some feedback. My concern is how you go about fastening wooden door jambs and casings. Do you frame the opening bigger in steel and pad out with wood studs? Also the current issue of FHB magazine featured an article about a sound-proof sheetrock. Wondering if anyone has used it. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Have a great day!
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Steel works well in basements, less worry of permanent damage should there be a moisture problem. Like anything else they take some getting used to. It's easy (but loud) to gang cut them still wrapped on a chopsaw with a metal blade. A good pair of snips will be handy. As far a fastening, I'd go with flat washer head screws. The hex heads and button heads will mess how the sheetrock lays and this can be a real pain when it comes time to trim doors and windows, sometimes baseboard as well. I would leave door and window RO wide and pack them in with 2x wood, it makes life easier down the road. Screw the 2x to the metal with self tapping 2" square drive or square-x drives, philips suck. When shooting trim, use adhesive and 15 gauge nails, the nails will hold long enough for the glue to set and will usually penetrate the steel studs (they're 22 gauge I think). I even had luck shooting 18 ga trim nails if they're not too long. I usually use drywall adhesive to cut down on screws, with drywall and trim, the screw tends to "jack" what you're screwing away until the screw bites through the steel. This can be a pain so I use as few screws as I can.
Screw the steel to the wood, not the other way around. It's easier, holds better. Assemble your door openings b/4 you infill the studs.
You can also switch to wood only at that location, no metal studs there either side. They screw to the track well front and back. This'll make using the standard prehung jamb fit. Mtl studs are 3-5/8's.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Steel is the way to go in a basement. you can get 1 5/8" track and stud for boxing around mechanicals without looking too bulky.
You're on the right track as far as using wood trimmer studs.
Steel studs work well in a basement. I like the 1 5/8", 20 gauge studs. Check out the Building Science website for info about using foam panels on the walls before you put up the studs. They recommend than you use foamboard under the bottom plate/track as a thermal break because of the high heat conduction with steel studs leading to possible moisture issues and ghosting with the studs. Unless you build the steel walls on the ground and raise them (not likely), you'll have difficulty fastening the back of the studs to the top and bottom plates/tracks. It will significantly stiffen the wall assembly if you squirt a few shots of expanding foam between the exterior foundation wall and the back of each stud.
Ditto what the others said about attaching 2X wood to the framing openings.
Billy
Edited 7/23/2005 6:40 pm ET by Billy