Steel or wood studs for spray foam basement
Andrei Sosnovsky| Posted inEnergy Efficiency and Durabilityon
My client wants 4″ of closed cell spray foam installed in stud cavities in his basement. Location – Toronto, Canada.
What studs should be used to frame foundation walls with – steel or wood?
The debate is that 2×4 is taking 1.1/2″ of space that could have been filled with foam if steel studs were used instead since they are only about 1/16″ thick.
Your input will much appreciated.
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Replies
According to an ORNL report, wood studs might degrade a wall's thermal performance by 10%, while steel studs can degrade it by 55%.
There is no more effective thermal bridge than steel framing.
Wow! 55% ??? I guess this dilema is solved.
Thank you very much for your response.