For the first floor framing on the wood framed deck atop the foundation, when pre-sheathing walls before raising, . . .
Do you overhang the bottom a couple inches so when the wall is raised that bottom lip of sheathing can nail to the rimjoist? Makes it more work to use the sheathing panels as an aid in squaring the wallframes.
Or do you just fit it and nail it flush to the bottom edge of the bottom plate?
Replies
I don't do framing on a regular basis anymore, but what I did opt is a combination of both. Use the corner sheets the square the wall flush with thee bottom plate, then hang the others down to tie/lap the band joist.
it's a bit fussy filling in the staggered sheets pcs. needed to sheathe everything, but I feel you get the best of both methods.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Watch out for the edges, it's really fast out there...
IMO--Sheathing panels are not an aid to squaring the wall frame before standing it up. Square it using your tape measure and diagonals, spike it to the deck, install the sheathing, and then nail on the ply. Who says plywood is square? You get one sheet that moved in the trimming saw and you're sunk.
Out here in the seismic zones we like our sheathing to span building assemblies, to tie them together, providing shear and holddown. On my house the first course of ply runs from the mudsill, up over about 24" of ponywall framing, over the rim joist, and onto the studs. The walls are nicely tied to the mudsill. Yes... this calls for a bunch of horizontal blocking.
Anyway, how'd this end up in the biz folder?
David, if I lived in a seismic zone and I neede the sheathing to extend from the plates to the foundation, I'd order longer lengths of plys. I'd want 20' sheets for two story applications and 10' sheets for one story walls.
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. According to him I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
Is there really such a thing as 20' sheets? Or did you leave off the smiley face?
Matt
There is such a thing..... although I've never seen one and really don't look forward to working with one!
Yes Dirsh...but we rarely see anything longer than 8'ers. I have worked with4'x 16' Lousianna Pacific exterior siding products. We were installing them vertically inside two story porch areas. I've also worked with 9' thermoply or fiber inpregnated sheathing.
Of course 3/8" x 10' exterior ply is standard stuff too, as well as 4 x 10 exterior sidings (stucco, T 111, etc).
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. According to him I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
First floor walls...... plywood overhangs the bottom plate of the wall to lap the rim joist and the double sills. Ties everything together nice. Personally, there's no way I'd rely on a sheet of plywood to square up my framing.... way too much variation. Takes about 2 minutes to pull a tape and square up a wall.... unless the thing's gotta move a mile and yer framing with yer eyes shut. Just my 2 cents.
I'll add..we did tape our walls, not use the ply as a guide.
The first Co. I framed with used the stupid metal rack braces let in a kerf, and sheathed ENTIRELY with 1/2" foilfaced foam..I thought it was OK till, someone cut a hole witha knife and thru the Vinyl siding, and sheetrock, unlocked the door, and ripped off the Gc's tools inside.When I went out on my own later..I always made sure the sheathing around any opening and corners was solid..even tho' at that time, the foam was SOP.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Watch out for the edges, it's really fast out there...
Diesel, I've pulled out my tape ten thousand times to square up a wall, but I've also relied on the osb to square up about a thousand walls. I've never noticed any difference. It all depends upon the installer...which has been me. When I'm mentally down, I'd mess up the squaring process with a ten million dollar laser....when I'm on, I have built 32' chimney chases relying strictly on the osb and had them standing perfectly plumb and square.
I didn't pull my tape out even once to square up the last table boogerin' job...and no one reported any walls out of plumb.
Let's debate how much the walls could actually be wrong...and the ensuing fix. If they managed to get 1/4" out of plumb by using a defective ply, what would be the fix? Personally, I tap the bottom out 1/8" and bring the top in 1/8". That's not something I would lose any sleep over on a rough frame because every stud in the stack has more variance than that.
blue
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. According to him I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
Like I said Blue..... "Personally I wouldn't rely on.......". Doesn't take enough time to square with a tape to concern me. If it were two minutes vs. two seconds.... maybe I'd consider it. Besides, it's not very often at all that I'm lining up my sheets with the plate of a wall as all our sheathing laps other platforms. It's just what works for me..... I am still allowed to have my own opinion, right?
I am still allowed to have my own opinion, right?
Umm..no!
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. According to him I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
bummer!
Actually, Huber makes Advantech up to 32' panels in 1/2". I think on comecial framing it would be the cat's meow. Who knows if there are order minimums though?
Gene, here in Michigan, I've never seen any sheathing overlapping onto the rimjoist. We always end the sheathing flush with the bottom of the plate. We really don't have any earthquake issues, so I suppose the need to tie the walls to the foundation is a moot point since gravity is acctually pretty effective at keeping the walls planted.
blue
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. According to him I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!