Metal or Wood Studded Wall Partition

Hello:

I am planning to have a wall partition (approximately 12 ft long) added in my basement and do not know whether I should use metallic studs or woodedn studs. This is the first wall to be added in an unfinished, unheated basement. There is no water seepage in the basement, but sometimes does become damp (during humid summer weather).

The wall shall be the background for an added toilet and shower stall, so it shall be covered with water proofing cement board. Eventually shall be tiled over.

Can anybody describe the advantages/disadvantages, incluiding cost comparison, for each type of material?

Regards, de ~ Vince ~

Reply to
Vince
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Metal doesn't burn, wood is more rigid. Metal is usually cheaper but I wouldn't think there would be much difference in cost for a wall that size. If you are going to tile the whole thing you certainly want rigid...maybe even studs closer than normal and/or cross bracing.

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Reply to
dadiOH

Use treated wood for the bottom plates if you go with wood. If any moisture gets on the floor and seeps into the bottom plate, they won't rot and will resist mold. For a shower, I would almost use all treated wood on the uprights and top plates for extra precaution. Don't forget the fan for ventilation!

Reply to
Mike

Vince,

I've never used the metal studs, but I am seriously considering them for my basement remodeling sometime soon (I hope). The advantages that I've heard include:

1) Slightly less expensive. 2) Lighter and easier to handle. 3) Cutouts (knockouts) for running wires are already there (but you will need plastic inserts to line the cutouts so that wires don't get cut by the metal edges) 4) Can be put up with a cordless screwdriver, which can be much easier and quicker for the average homeowner. I've got many cordless screwdrivers and I've also got a pretty hefty compressed air driven nail gun, so I can go either way on this issue. But the cordless screwdriver is probably easier, safer and less noisy. Safety is a concern since my teenage son will be working on my project. 5) Uniform, non-warped studs. You don't have to pick through a lumber yard's stack of 2x4 lumber to find a few straight ones. And you'll probably get straighter walls. 6) Greater structural strength. But this isn't really very important for a non-load bearing wall. 7) Metal studs are probably a hell of a lot easier to locate with a stud finder.

Disadvantages:

1) Rust. You can't protect the plate as you can with lumber, where you can opt for treated lumber on the floor. However, I believe that there are some metal studs which have wood inserts on the ends which make it possible to nail these studs to standard or treated lumber plates. I believe that the metal plates that are often used with metal studs are called tracks. Those rust in damp basements. 2) Less support for hanging items. Traditional wood is better if you are going to be hanging items from the walls via the studs. 3) Metal studs are more conductive to heat and this reduces insulation values. 4) Need to learn some new construction techniques. 5) May need to acquire some new tools for working with the metal studs.

Once again, I emphasize that I've never worked with the metal studs and the comments above are the impressions that I have picked up as I have been considering how to do my basement. I am still undecided, so I'm going to follow this thread with interest.

Good luck, Gideon

I am planning to have a wall partition (approximately 12 ft long) added in my basement and do not know whether I should use metallic studs or woodedn studs. This is the first wall to be added in an unfinished, unheated basement. There is no water seepage in the basement, but sometimes does become damp (during humid summer weather).

The wall shall be the background for an added toilet and shower stall, so it shall be covered with water proofing cement board. Eventually shall be tiled over.

Can anybody describe the advantages/disadvantages, incluiding cost comparison, for each type of material?

Regards, de ~ Vince ~

Reply to
Gideon

Over the years, I've put some partition walls in fairly wet basements with metal studs. I think they are superior to wood in most respects, especially after you get some experience with them. A damp floor is a problem for any material that "wicks", and that includes treated wood. The answer for metal tracks is to mount them on shims/risers rather than directly to the floor. I've used aluminum square tube or pieces of aluminum plate (1/8" or so), whatever was available. By using metal risers, there is no wicking action at all. Your drywall should be shimmed at least 1/2" off the floor as well. And by the way, a metal wall with drywall on both sides is more solid than a wood wall. Bill

Reply to
bill a

Not any I've had. Been 15 year since I had any though...

Reply to
dadiOH

During my remodel, I put up one wall with metal studs.

At the time I thought it better beacuse they were cheaper, lighter & straighter.

Later, after mounting base, a chair rail & cabinets to the wall, I wish I'd used wood. Only because I needed different fasteners for that wall.

Reply to
3rd eye

I am not planning to cover the opposite side of this wall partition. This wall partition is primarily just so there is something behind the toilet bowl. I would use concrete board covering on just the one side of the wall partition.

We are going to gut and redo our upstairs (and only) bathroom soon; therefore, a toilet downstairs will allow some relief, while work upstairs is being done.

The opposite side of the wall partition most likely shall remain without wall covering. The furnace is located within five or six feet, and the clothes washer and dryer are within two feet of the planned wall partition.

As I had mentioned, the basement is unfinshed/unheated at this time. When the time comes, additional walls and door will be added along with a heat source to complete a bathroom with shower stall. A medicine cabinet would be hung from this wall, also.

At least. this is what is planned to be.

Regards, de ~ Vince ~

Reply to
Vince

I build my own home (finished a year and a half ago) and used steel studs for almost all partition walls. We will be finishing part or all of the basement over next winter and will be using steel mostly.

I always recommend using wood at the bottom as you will likely want to install baseboard and something to nail into is ideal. We used 1x4 beneath all the bottom track which works well, but 2x4 would be a little better.

Also, we used a wood 2x4 on each side of each doorway (all the way from bottom track to top track) and a 2x4 across the header (non-load-bearing walls do not need a load-bearing lintel with jack studs to support it). This provided a good nailing surface for door jamb and trim.

In the basement though, I will be using 2x4 pressure treated as it will be on the concrete. As a secondary precaution, I will be putting a coating of foundation sealer on the concrete where the partition walls will go.

Our utility room (furnace, water heater, and HRV) will likely have wood stud walls around it because I do not plan on finishing the inside of this room. Steel stud walls gain a substantial part of their strength and regidity due to the drywall installed on BOTH sides. So, if you are not planning on drywalling both sides of a wall, use wood studs.

When we build the house, steel studs were about 35% less expensive than wood. Currently though, they are about 5% more expensive. YMMV!

Steel is very easy to work with -- just be sure to wear gloves! A person can work quite efficiently alone with them, especially if you have a magnetic level. Steel also does not conduct sound (especially low frequencies) as well as wood, so if you want to sound proof or sound deaden a wall, the studs provide most of the function as installing resilient channel on wood studs, thus lowering the cost further.

The non-warping feature of steel is great, especially if you use it to frame a soffit to box in something. Often, when done with wood, lighter lumber (2x2s, 1x2s, and 1x3s are used) and these can be a pain when you have to install drywall to them. Steel goes up fast and holds its shape quite well.

Another great advantage of the steel studs came to realization when we were bringing in the drywall. We had one tight spot where we had to move through a partition with 12' sheets and undoing the screws of two studs and sliding them out of the way made life easy.

Reply to
Calvin Henry-Cotnam

FWIW, I'd recommend using something non-metallic as the shims, if you're in a damp/humid area. Or at least separating the spacer from the bottom plate with a plastic gasket cut from a bottle. Using dis-similar metal just invites galvanic corrosion.

Reply to
Goedjn

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