For Some, Steel's the One When dead-flat walls are imperative, look to steel as a solid option.When dead-flat walls are imperative, look to steel as a solid option.

Since I was a kid, I've enjoyed the pleasures of working with wood. I like its feel, its smell. If you're like me, though, you're tired of dealing with bowed or twisted studs. Light-gauge steel framing may solve these problems, particularly on small, fussy jobs.

Light-gauge steel framing won't suit every remodeling need, but when dead-flat walls are necessary--for hanging kitchen cabinets or for high-moisture rooms where a crooked stud can ruin wall-to-wall tile work--steel framing can preserve your craftsmanship. Working alone or need to lug materials up three flights? Steel framing's light weight eases handling.

While steel use in production home walls and floors is edging up, no steel framing statistics are available to show the use of light-gauge steel in remodeling. Anecdotally, it's known remodelers are resistant. Why? Because there are trade offs. Steel is stronger than wood and 24-inch stud spacing is common, but working with steel is slower. Labor costs of 25 percent to 50 percent more than usual wouldn't be uncommon on a steel-framed job, depending on its size and detailing. On smaller jobs, labor costs are due to higher setup costs. The materials typically are cheaper--steel studs sell for 15 percent less than wood, but a mis-cut renders a piece useless, and that mistake, added up, can be costly. If you make no mistakes, you save money.

Because steel framing either fits or it doesn't, avoiding those costly mis-cuts is key. Jeff Loughead of BDC Development in Pismo Beach, Calif., brings in commercial framers. They're used to working with the materials, with chop saws and screw guns. He uses a hybrid building system: steel framing for walls and wood I-joists for floors, because when walked on, they sound better underfoot.

Bootstrap engineering won't work with light-gauge steel framing. You'll need the guidebook, Prescriptive Method, put out by the NAHB Research Center (www.nahbrc.org) which contains span tables, construction details, and fastening schedules. It's considered the de facto resource for light-gauge steel framing practices. Deviating from these guidelines may alarm local code enforcement officers.

Confronted with this possibility, Jon Henderlong of Generation Homes in Valparaiso, Ind., developed an engineer-stamped series of alternative details and gave them to local code officials. These pre-approved details allow him to get projects started without separate engineer stamps for each new set of drawings.

If you make the jump to steel framing, don't throw away your woodworking tools. You'll want to wrap steel-framed door openings with 2x4s to provide solid nailing for door trim. Also, to hang kitchen cabinets, you'll need to screw plywood strips to the studs before installing drywall. If you frame a roof with steel, 2x-stock nailed to steel rafter tails will ease fascia and soffit trimming. Keep in mind, too, you'll be picking up new tools and skills, because most light-gauge steel components are assembled with screws.

Unless they're working on a big addition, remodelers will continue to prefer conventional wood framing. But metal can "steel the show," often with greater profit because of fewer callbacks, especially on fussy jobs where wood framing could rack a tile job or move cabinets out of alignment.

--Lee McGinley, CR, a Big 50 remodeler, has written for The Journal of Light Construction. He lives in Addison, Vt.