Steel frame construction has been an industry-proven building method in high-rise and low-rise commercial and industrial markets. Steel has become the dominant building material for the following reasons:

• Steel has a higher strength-to-weight ratio than other common building materials.

• It's produced in strict accordance with national standards and isn't subject to regional inconsistencies as are other building materials.

• Steel won't warp, creep, rot, or be damaged by termites.

• It won't contribute fuel to the spread of a fire.

Yes, I've used steel studs, but not in the residential market. I used them when I built a retail outlet inside a shopping mall under construction. I wasn't an expert on steel studs, but I basically had to use them to meet the fire code requirements for interior construction in the mall. However, even though it was my first time, it really didn't take long to understand the system.

I do remember several of the difficulties I encountered with steel framing on that job site. First, because the ceilings were so high in the mall, I had a hard time securing the top plate for one of the partition walls. Then, right smack in the middle of the wall, there was a metal-framed door. Even though we installed ⁵/₈-inch wallboard on both sides of the wall, it didn't have a solid feel when I closed the door. In the bathroom, I struggled to hang the upper cabinet. The metal screws I used just wouldn't hold in those metal studs. It seemed as though there just wasn't enough meat to the stud.

I can't really say I had a bad experience. Rather, it was that I didn't have enough time to learn how to work with these unfamiliar materials. I think that if I could have used wood around the door openings, for a double plate, and in the bathroom where the cabinet was to be installed, I would have had fewer problems. I know now that some experience handling the product would have really helped. Since that time, techniques and products have changed and there are new fasteners on the market especially designed to work with light-gauge steel.

One fastener I'd like to bring to your attention is the EverTite screw from Metaltite, distributed by GRABBER Construction Products. This unique self-driller, self-tapper is designed to resist the forces of bending, vibration, expansion, and contraction and installs easily with a standard 0-2,500 rpm screw gun. Its patented features ensure easy installation and superior holding power. It's designed for use in light-gauge metal, plastics, wood, fiberglass, and combinations of all of these materials. Figure 4-5, showing an enlarged cross section of a Metaltite screw joining two pieces of light-gauge steel, demonstrates how the screw pulls metal into the recess under the head to provide superior holding power. The company claims the EverTite screw is ". . . so stress-resistant it is unlikely to 'back out' under any circumstance."

Photo Courtesy of: Metaltite Corporation, Inc.

Figure 4-5: EverTite Screw

Would I use steel again? Yes I would, mainly because many of the steel products currently on the market are so user-friendly. Steel is durable (no shrinking, warping, or swelling), lightweight, insect resistant, uniform in design, noncombustible, stable in price, and – for the most part – less expensive than wood. Because it's lightweight, however, it damages more easily than wood during handling and installation.

In the steel vs. wood debate, how does using steel affect our environment? Even though the steel contains a large amount of recycled material, the raw materials aren't renewable resources like wood. And because it takes more energy to produce steel initially, the environmental benefits aren't as high as I'd like. But a typical 2000-square foot wood-framed house takes 40 to 50 trees, about an acre's worth. With steel framing, it takes about the equivalent of six scrapped cars.

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