Anyone know anywhere that carries steel studs for interior wall framing? I need some place that sells by the piece not the pallet. I could try to bum a few off the place that did our basement if I have to.
I got mine at home depot for my basement. I only bought how many I needed, but since I can’t measure for shit, I had to go back and buy 2 more.
yup, and if you buy too many at the depot you can always bring them back… I overpurchased for my basement and they gladly took back the extras (I used steel furring strips rather than studs along the walls)
Nice. I didn’t think they stocked them - I must have gotten confused with Lowe’s. And I just happen to be going there today anyway. Thanks guys.
why do you guys prefer the steel to wood studs?
if i remember correctly, they are substantially more expensive.
the steel may rust, but it won’t rot like wood in a damp enivornment. Even if a basement is dry, the concrete is like a hard sponge and will transfer the moisture to the wood over a period of time. You can lay some form of vapor barrier to prevent, but will never competely avoid it in a basement, and since you can’t see the wood studs (majority of the time) you have no idea if/when this happens. When I tore down the paneling from our basement, the first mistake I noticed was that it was touching the cement floor. Over the last 40 years it pulled the moisture up from the floor and the bottom of the wood had started to rot, and was moldy (yellow/green not black) in a few places. The wood furring strips they had used were actually moist to touch in a few places, even though the walls were dry and we never had moisture/water issues.
I like steel because they are always straight. I hate standing at home deopt for 5 hours looking at every damn 2x4 to find the straight ones. I also like how easy they are to install. I have one of those 22 caliber nail gun things and it made it very fast and easy. I laid down the botton piece, nailed it down. Put up the top piece on the ceiling and screwed it up. The studs then fit in the channels that are premarked at 16", it is really simple. The studs have precut holes for the wires so that made the eletrical piece of it a lot easier.
I will never use a wood stud again, unless I really have to.
Exactly. For framing non-load bearing walls there is no quicker, easier, or straighter way to go.
Home Depot didn’t stock the size I need, so I’m back to square one.
just visit your local construction site at 3am
that sucks
Hip to be square
Busy beaver in Mt. Pleasant used to have them, but that looks like a bit of drive for you.
Only half an hour, I’ll give them a call.
No luck. They said to try 84 lumber.
For future reference, I found them at Irwin Builders. They carry Dietrich products.
Thanks for the help.
Reviving an old thread. When you used the studs did you drywall over top? I just tore off some drywall that a contractor had thrown up on the opposite side of the finished basement (it was a crappy job), and probably a third of the screws hadn’t dimpled the paper and wouldn’t go in any further because the studs were stripped. Did you have similar problems? They used the sheet metal screws with the drill points.