Framing Studs: Steel vs Wood
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of the Build Show, the host explores the differences between wood and steel studs in construction. Wood studs are prevalent in residential builds due to their ease of use and renewability, despite imperfections like lack of straightness. Steel studs, favored in commercial construction for their fire resistance and straightness, suffer from thermal conductivity issues that reduce insulation effectiveness. The video discusses strategies to mitigate these issues, such as using exterior insulation and proper masonry anchors, and emphasizes the importance of choosing the right assembly for energy efficiency and code compliance.
Takeaways
- 🏗️ Most residential builds in America use wood studs due to their long history of use and benefits such as renewability and ease of cutting.
- 🔩 Commercial construction predominantly uses steel studs for their standard sizes, straightness, and fire resistance properties.
- 🔥 Steel studs are fireproof and won't catch fire, making them ideal for commercial applications where fire safety is critical.
- 🌡️ Steel studs are highly conductive, which can lead to thermal bridging and reduced insulation effectiveness compared to wood studs.
- 🌲 Wood studs are a renewable resource, with well-managed forests allowing for rapid renewal of materials.
- 🛠️ Wood is easier to work with for residential construction due to its lightweight and availability, despite its imperfections like not being perfectly straight.
- ❄️ Exterior insulation is crucial when using steel studs to mitigate heat transfer and condensation risks, especially in cold climates.
- 📊 The effective R-value of a wall assembly with steel studs can be significantly lower than with wood studs, even with the same insulation material.
- 🧱 The use of exterior insulation, such as Rockwool Comfort Board, can greatly enhance the thermal performance of both wood and steel stud walls.
- 🛑 Proper installation of masonry veneer anchors is essential to avoid creating points of water or air infiltration in walls, especially with steel studs.
Q & A
Why are steel studs predominantly used in commercial construction?
-Steel studs are predominantly used in commercial construction because they offer standard sizes, consistent straightness, no rot or warping issues, and most importantly, they are fireproof, which is a critical factor in commercial buildings.
What are the benefits of using wood studs in residential construction?
-Wood studs are beneficial in residential construction due to their ease of cutting, availability, structural strength, lower cost compared to steel studs, and their renewability as a natural resource.
How does the heat conductivity of steel studs affect insulation performance?
-The high heat conductivity of steel studs can significantly reduce the insulation performance of a wall assembly. Even with high R-value insulation, the effective R-value can be less than half due to thermal bridging, where heat is conducted through the metal studs.
What is the role of exterior insulation in improving the thermal performance of steel stud walls?
-Exterior insulation, such as mineral wool, plays a crucial role in improving the thermal performance of steel stud walls by acting as a 'sweater' for the building, reducing thermal bridging and increasing the overall R-value of the wall assembly.
Why might wood studs be a better choice for residential construction despite their imperfections?
-Wood studs might be a better choice for residential construction because they have insulating properties, reducing the risk of condensation and thermal bridging. They also have a higher R-value per inch compared to steel studs, which are almost zero due to their conductivity.
What is the significance of the study conducted by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation on steel stud residential construction?
-The study conducted by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation found that residential houses built with steel studs had issues with moisture, mildew, and corrosion due to thermal bridging, highlighting the importance of proper insulation and moisture management in such constructions.
How does the Proo AR-Guard system contribute to the performance of commercial buildings?
-The Proo AR-Guard system contributes to the performance of commercial buildings by providing a continuous membrane that acts like a rubberized bedliner, offering a water and air barrier, which is crucial for the building's envelope performance.
What is the purpose of the Thermal Grip MVA masonry veneer anchor in construction?
-The Thermal Grip MVA masonry veneer anchor is used to securely fasten masonry veneers to the studs, whether they are steel or wood. It ensures a tight seal against water and air infiltration, especially when used with exterior insulation.
Why is it important to avoid missing studs when installing masonry veneer anchors?
-Missing studs when installing masonry veneer anchors can create holes in the gypsum sheathing, which can lead to water or air infiltration. It's crucial to accurately mark and hit the studs to maintain the building envelope's integrity.
What assembly values can be achieved by using exterior insulation on both wood and steel stud walls?
-Using exterior insulation can significantly improve the R-value of both wood and steel stud walls. For a 2x6 wood-framed wall, the overall wall value can reach 22.7, while for a 2x6 steel stud wall, it can increase to 14.4, effectively doubling the R-value with just an inch and a half of exterior insulation.
Outlines
🏗️ Wood vs Steel Studs: An Overview
The video script introduces a comparison between wood and steel studs, two common materials used in construction. It highlights that wood studs are prevalent in residential construction due to their benefits, such as renewability and ease of use, despite their imperfections like not being perfectly straight. Steel studs, on the other hand, are favored in commercial construction for their standard sizes, straightness, and fire-resistant properties. The script sets the stage for a detailed exploration of the differences and applications of each material.
🔥 Fire Resistance and Conductivity
This section delves into the fireproof nature of steel studs, demonstrating their ability to withstand direct flame without catching fire, a critical feature for commercial buildings. It contrasts this with wood studs, which can ignite and burn. Additionally, the script discusses the high thermal conductivity of steel, which can lead to heat transfer through the material, potentially affecting the insulation performance. The example of a thermal camera is used to visually demonstrate the heat retention on steel versus the self-extinguishing nature of wood.
🏡 Residential Construction Challenges
The script addresses the challenges of using steel studs in residential construction, focusing on the issue of thermal bridging, which significantly reduces the R-value of insulation when used with steel studs. It references a study by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation that examined the long-term performance of steel stud construction in residential homes, revealing issues with moisture and condensation due to the cold surface of the metal. The discussion emphasizes the need for careful consideration of construction materials in relation to climate and building science.
🧱 Exterior Insulation and Masonry Anchors
The final part of the script discusses strategies to mitigate the thermal bridging issue in steel stud construction, particularly the use of exterior insulation like Rockwool's Comfort board. It explains how this insulation acts as a 'sweater' for the building, improving its energy efficiency. The script also introduces the Proo Thermal Grip MVA masonry veneer anchor, a product designed to secure masonry to studs without compromising the insulation's effectiveness. The importance of proper installation and the avoidance of gaps in the insulation are emphasized to ensure the building's energy performance and moisture management.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Wood Studs
💡Steel Studs
💡Thermal Bridging
💡R-Value
💡Fireproof
💡Condensation
💡Exterior Insulation
💡Rock Wool
💡Thermal Grip MVA
💡Proo AR Guard
Highlights
Wood studs are traditionally used in residential construction due to their benefits and long history in the U.S.
Steel studs are almost always used in commercial construction for their standard sizes, straightness, and fireproof properties.
One of the main reasons for steel studs' prevalence in commercial construction is their fire resistance, as demonstrated by the torch test.
Wood is easier to cut and find, with lumber yards widely available across the U.S., and is typically less expensive than steel studs.
Wood is a renewable resource, with well-managed forests providing a rapid supply of wood studs every 20 years.
Steel studs are highly conductive, which can lead to thermal bridging and reduced insulation effectiveness compared to wood studs.
A study by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation found that residential houses built with steel studs had issues with moisture and condensation.
Exterior insulation, such as Rockwool's Comfort Board, can mitigate the thermal bridging effect in steel stud construction.
The Masonry Veneer Association discusses the risks of condensation in steel stud construction and the importance of proper insulation.
Proo's Thermal Grip MVA masonry veneer anchor is a two-piece tie designed for attaching masonry to both steel and wood studs.
Rockwool's effective R-value chart shows that adding exterior insulation can significantly increase the overall R-value of a wall assembly.
For a 2x6 wood-framed wall with exterior mineral wool insulation, the overall wall R-value can reach 22.7.
For a 2x6 steel stud wall with exterior mineral wool insulation, the overall R-value can double from 7.1 to 14.4 with just an inch and a half of exterior insulation.
Builders should consider assembly choices carefully, ensuring low risk and compliance with local building codes, especially when using steel studs.
Exterior insulation is becoming increasingly required in building codes across North America for both commercial and residential construction.
Transcripts
all right guys today's build show we're
going to take a deep dive into wood
studs versus steel studs now if you've
been in the business for any length of
time you realize that most residential
job sites most builds are made from wood
we've been using wood in America for a
long time and wood has a lot of benefits
of course one downside is uh the wood's
not always perfectly straight but steel
studs if you're a commercial Builder
this is your wall system you know you
almost never see wood on Commercial jobs
you see these roll formed u-shaped ready
to accept the
drywall very different properties very
different materials let's take a bit of
a deep dive on today's build show and
the differences and why you might use
one versus the other today's build show
wood versus steel studs sponsored by
proo let's get
going
okay so let's start with steel you know
commercial jobs as I said they almost
never have Wood Construction it's almost
always steel construction and there's a
lot to like when it comes to Steel
standard sizes and other words just like
you know typical Lumber you can get what
we call pre-cuts Made For Your Standard
wall Heights they're always straight
there's no rot issues there's no bow and
warping you're never pulling on off and
siding down it to see if it's going to
be nice and straight for you but one of
the big reasons it's used in commercial
construction is this right here
fireproof right I can run this torch on
this steel stud all day long and it's
not going to catch fire at some point it
may get hot enough to melt but it's not
going to be a source of fire and that's
one huge reason you see it in commercial
construction all the time now wood on
the other hand when we uh frame houses
we do need to be a little bit particular
when we're using our wood because wood
has some downsides like it's not always
perfectly straight uh it's certainly
heavy you can get
splinters um however it is extremely
easy to cut it's also really easy to
find there's lumber yards all over the
us that you can get these uh it is
structural it's typically less expensive
than steel studs and of course one of
the big reasons I like it it is God's
material right here it is renewable
those trees grow incredibly quickly
every 20 years a well-managed forest is
cut we're able to get these rapidly
renewing wood studs and so I'm a huge
fan of wood and one big reason why you
see this in residential construction
besides of course the history is that
it's structural you can get structural
steel but most of the time when you see
steel studs in commercial buildings it's
in a nonstructural application where
it's only holding drywall on one side or
the other
but why are we not using steel studs
more in residential construction if you
were to ask me I think there's one big
reason and it kind of goes back to one
of the big benefits we talked about so
check this out line it up one two 3 four
five 5 seconds and look how hot that
steel gets of course it's going to get
hot right cuz we just heated it up
but look as I run my Fleer camera back
all the way to the back side of the stud
oh I can feel that that's hot back there
let's see if I can actually show you a
value on the back side of that it looks
like it's gone up about I don't know 15
maybe even 20° in just 5 Seconds of
putting that on there now of course you
know what's going to happen to the wood
if I do this but let's let's have some
fun anyways 5 seconds on the wood one
2 3 four
5 oh interesting it's self extinguished
I didn't even have to use my little
water bottle so that's good so you can
see where the where the fire was it's
still hot here but now you could you of
course know what's going to happen I
touched the backs side of that and
nothing it's totally fine back here this
one I can still feel that heat on the
back side of my hand it's still pretty I
can touch it it's under
100° but it's not far off it's in the
upper 90s here whereas this wood stud at
the face it's still hot but back here
where my hand is I'm fine I'm not I'm
not feeling that heat at all here's the
deal steel studs highly conductive steel
right we make wires from steel we make
frying pans from steel it's meant to
conduct heat it conducts heat really
well wood on the other hand does not
conduct heat very well we would never
make a frying pan or try and run the
electrical wiring in our house out of
wood in fact wood has a pretty common
rated R value of roughly one per inch R1
per inch so this 2x4 stud inside your
stud wall is giving about an R4 for
insulation value this steel stud if I
can touch it is still pretty hot almost
zero not quite zero but almost zero
because it's very conductive I found a
really great example of this online on
the website building enclosures online
and Daniel Overbay has this great um uh
illustration here which says look if we
used an r19 bat
insulation uh it would be rated r19 but
if we were to put that bat insulation
inside a stud cavity with 2x6 metal
studs on 16in on Center the actual
effective r value of that wall would
only be R 7.1 so way less than half
the rated value whereas that same bad
insulation r19 rated if we put in a 2x6
wood stud cavity we're going to have an
effective r value of 16 which means that
in residential construction wood is a
great choice and if we're going to use
steel studs we have to take a couple of
other precautions let's go back to the
studio and we're going to break this
down a little bit further I'll see you
back there okay y'all we did a mockup to
try and break this down a little bit
further for you so typical res
residential construction 2x4 often in
the south in fact I built my house with
2x4 construction usually some type of
wood sheathing I'm a big fan of Zip
system sheathing commercial construction
though we talked about this earlier in
the video you know most commercial
construction around North America is
this Steel studing on the exterior of
the building and it's not structural
steel usually that building is held up
by some type of platform uh construction
where you've got uh reinforced concrete
decks being held by Steel and then
you'll see often on the outside of that
the sheathing is a uh gypsum sheathing
it leads to a fire rating for a rated
assembly and then a great option for
adding both an air and a water Bearer on
top of that is this proo AR guard system
you've seen me do some videos on this on
residential but it's all over the
commercial world and really that's where
it came from I've kind of uh encouraged
residential builders to steal that
detail because this acts like a
rubberized kind of like a bedliner on
the outside of that building and you can
see as it goes on it forms a continuous
membrane so we really like that but back
to the point we were making earlier that
steel studs are highly conductive so
that even if I use my rock wol bats in
here I'm still going to have a pretty
big disadvantage for all that thermal
transfer they call that thermal bridging
at each one of these studs which is
going to negate the high r value of the
cavity such that the wall assembly's
overall rating is less than half what
the assembly rating would be if it was
just the bats now the masonry veneer
Association has a really interesting
article on this because apparently it
was pretty common uh in the 80s and 90s
to actually build residential houses
with this type of construction and in
fact there was a study done by the
Canadian mortgage Housing Association
which my Northern friends probably know
all about American builders don't know
much about them but they did a really
interesting study and I'll link to that
in the description below that the
masonry advisory council did a summary
on as they were talking about this type
of construction and they said this study
was houses that were residential houses
built with this type of construction 2x6
depth rather than 2x4 depth like my
mockup shows and they said the study was
done over a 7-year period with this type
of construction and they monitored the
inside of the wall cavities with
thermocouples relative humidity sensors
moisture sensors and pressure Taps and
then four years after they started the
study they opened up the wall to see how
it was performing and they said the
results are startling building paper on
the outside now they weren't using uh
this proo ARG guard they were using
building paper building paper and
exterior gypson board were very wet with
significant amounts of mildew minor
corrosion of the building frame and
fiber glass bat insulation that was very
wet now here's the deal here's the
reason it's not just an energy transfer
that we're worried about when we use
this we have a risk of condensation and
that's what was happening on those
Canadian houses that were built with
this type of construction was real cold
outside that cold was transferring
through and the inside metal just like
you saw my hand earlier getting hot the
inside metal here was really cold and a
cold surface can be a condensation risk
especially in a cold climate in the
winter we have breathing we have cooking
we have showering we have humidity
inside our houses and if any of that air
leaks into this wall cavity it's really
easy to find a cold condensing surface
if this was your construction type the
same can be true with Wood Construction
but because wood is an insulator and has
an R value like I said earlier of about
R1 per inch that there's a little bit
less of a reduction in that risk not
totally though but that's where this
comes in that I wanted to talk about
specifically here and this is how we
mitigate the risk of that condensation
and all that BTU transfer by thinking
about exterior insulation now if you've
saw my uh my house my videos that I've
made a lot used a lot of this product
this is called rock wool rockwool is a
mineral wool insulation and they make it
for both cavities like you see that R15
bat that's made for the interior of a
2x4 wall but they make this product
called Comfort board it's an exterior
insulation
it'd be akin to putting a sweater on in
the winter time rather than stuffing
insulation in between your ribs you get
more benefit from putting a sweater on
the outside if it's cold outside than
you do trying to stuff insulation in
between your ribs and that's what this
comfortb is going to do to our wall
assemblies on both wood framing and
especially in steel framing and these
days with codes changing almost
everywhere in North America and when you
see these steel studs on exterior uh
commercial buildings you're going to see
some type of exterior insulation uh and
you're also seeing a lot of rock wool
that's getting uh High adoption rates in
the states however there is a bit of a
trick to this because now when I fasten
this to either my metal studs or my wood
studs I need to think about that process
because I'm I'm going to have to Anchor
whatever cladding is on the outside now
you've seen me do a a lot of rain
screens where I've got some type of
baton that I'm screwing on and screwing
through into the studs but it's very
typical in commercial buildings and
certainly residential buildings to have
masonry on the outside to have brick to
have stone rock whatever masonry on the
outside and proo sells this really cool
product this is called the thermal grip
MVA masonry veneer anchor it's going to
come in two pieces to your job site this
piece right here is going to have a
washer on it already and you'll see that
this washer has some tongs some kind of
grips on it so it'll actually grip
through into that insulation and then
this is actually the masonry anchor that
is going to go on this tie after it's
been screwed in and this is going to go
in the courses of masonry so in between
your Brick Layers where you're mortaring
it on that's going to go in there and
what's cool about this is when we anchor
this into a stud whether it's a steel
stud or a wood stud this can actually
vary in its location of where it's going
to sit in that mortar joint now these
come in various sizes and they're what's
commonly called a two-piece tie where
you've got this little piece right here
this little orange uh anchor that's kind
of Arrow shaped is particularly cool
because when this anchors in and by the
way you're going to get them in all
kinds of sizes I just have four or five
of their sizes here in the table you'll
see that the shaft varies in length
depending on the exterior insulation
thickness when this shaft penetrates
into the gypsum sheathing on the outside
and especially when we've got this proo
AR guard sheathing on here you're going
to see the tip of that shaft actually
penetrate into the gypsum sheathing a
little bit before it stops and that's
pushing against that fluid applied
weather Bearer that we talked about that
kind of rubberized coating in the
outside of the building which is going
to form a nice tight water and air
gasket on the outside of this anchor and
what's cool about these is this is an
all-in-one solution the Mason just
screws these into each of the studs
drops that on and we're done one thing
you do want to note though if you miss a
stud leave it in that's really a big
problem if you start screwing in holes
and leaving those holes cuz now we've
got a place where water or air can get
into that uh cavity because we've made a
hole in the gypsum so if somehow you
didn't mark those correctly and you find
that this driller uh tip right here is
just spinning and is not didn't actually
purchase don't put another one in leave
that one in and move on and put put
another one on that's a really good tip
here guys I think we've uh covered the
most of it I do want to end with some
assembly values for you which I think
are really interesting here by the way
rockwool has an effective r value chart
on their website that you can put in a
bunch of uh assemblies and of course I
made a 2x4 mockup but let's just say
this is a 2x6 mockup use your
imagination if this is a wood-framed 2x6
wall 16in on Center studs and we added
that inch and a half of exterior mineral
wool insulation now we go from that
Comfort bat in the cavity which would be
R23 and roughly R six on the outside for
that exterior instulation to an overall
wall value of
22.7 that's huge that's really really
good number so that exterior blanket
that exterior sweater makes a big
difference for the building now check it
out the same thing but let's say it's a
2x6 metal frame steel stud building if
we use Comfort bat inside the cavity
which is R2 4 but then we put an inch
and a half of mineral wool on the
outside now the whole assembly r value
is
14.4 in effect we've doubled the R value
from before when we only had cavity
insulation you saw that I think it was
7.1 uh on that chart before now we've
gone up to 14.4 so only an inch and a
half of the exterior insulation we've
doubled the overall R value of the
assembly and that's a really big deal
guys lots more information about the
these masonry anchors in particular on
the prco website everything we talked
about today with products I'll put a
link in the description below but if
you're a builder out there thinking
about steel studs versus metal studs
think carefully about the assemblies
make sure that you're choosing an
assembly that's going to be lowrisk and
make sure you're also meeting your codes
for wherever you're building locally
because I suspect almost everywhere
you're building in North America if
you're building with steel you're going
to need some exterior instulation and
almost everywhere in the states these
days too except from maybe a few places
in climate zone 1 2 or three is
requiring exterior insallation as well
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