Framing basement wood vs steel stud

6/2/2017 at 10:40:42 AM

Hi,

I always use wood studs for framing basement's. I do however use steel studs the inch and five eighths ones to do all ceiling bulkheads it's faster straighter and easier. Concerning price per square foot. Really does depend on the framing project at hand. Steel studs for walls are for commercial use only tell your client. If they insist on using steel studs for their basement walls tell them they're going to have to upgrade from Romex Wire to komex which is four times as much money.

Good luck.

Jeff from all in renovations.

6/2/2017 at 1:19:45 PM

Hello Ahmad

I can't provide any particular information regarding pricing for installations, but I can say that steel studs in basement renovations is very common for the last 10 years or so.

All the GCs that I work with tell me that steel is easier to work with because it is straighter, assembles faster and they do not have to take additional precautions to prevent mold.

From an electrical perspective, you are allowed to use Romex in steel studs provided the Licensed Electrical Contractor (LEC) is using the proper grommets and boxes for steel studs. I am an old school electrician and although I am aware that Romex is code compliant, I still prefer to use armoured cable (BX).

Also BX is not 4 times the cost compared to Romex. It is about 50% more expensive, Romex is about $1 per metre and BX is about $1.50 a metre. I agree that installation will take a bit longer and the steel stud boxes are slightly more but the overall cost is not that much greater then a Romex install if done properly.

Just a reminder, that you cannot do the electrical work, it must be completed by an LEC and must be inspected by the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA).

John Kuehnl-Cadwell

Master Electrician

Datawise Solutions Inc