RE: [GBlist] ? Metal studs ? Formaldehyde

["Ralph Bicknese" <ralph.bicknese@christnerinc.com>]

If you have a Home Depot in the area they are supposedly using FSC lumber.  You might ask their store manager about that. Green at Work magazine did an article on it about a year ago and you can probably find it on their on line archives at http://www.greenatworkmag.com/.

 

The steel in metal studs contains recycled content. Steel production in itself is not very green. If you use metal studs for exterior walls be aware that without providing a good thermal break between the stud and outside temperatures the insulating value of the wall will be greatly compromised.  The effective r-value of an otherwise R-20 can be as low as R-6 without a good thermal break. Gypsum or wood sheathing is not sufficient thermal break.  Rigid insulation sheathing is a help and there are special clips that can be used to seperate sheathing from the stud.  A 1/8 " thick closed cell foam isolation strip (gasket) can also be used.

 

Cheers,

Ralph Bicknese

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve [mailto:bpearl@rcn.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2002 1:11 PM
To: GreenBuilding@crest.org
Subject: [GBlist] ? Metal studs ? Formaldehyde

Green Building friends

 

I've had a tough time finding a local source of FSC framing (interior) lumber.  Local yards have not been very friendly and actually hostile and antagonistic to the idea that responsibly harvested lumber is a good thing, and that I'd need to order 30,000 board feet. Yikes!  Its a smallish job and we'd need only a few hundred 'sticks'. 

 

So, metal studs have been mentioned on this list before, but I must have missed the comments/questions about the relative 'greenness' of metal studs.  Anyone familiar with the issue?  Do metal studs present other problems for carpenters and builders? (no water/humidity considerations, all above grade)

 

Also,  how about low formaldehyde plywood or an alternative, cost conscious sheet material for a sub-floor?  I'm going to assume that FSC plywood will be prohibitively expensive, so a non-FSC, regular plywood is what I'd be looking for.

 

Thanks for any info you've got!

 

Steve in Phila.