In 1928 , Popular Science Monthly describe on a housing trend that was set up to take the United States by tempest . " It ’s Here — the All - Steel House , " the headline screamed . sword companies were going from urban center to city shew how speedily and affordably these exciting , modernistic homes could be built . In Forest Hills , N.Y. , doer easily erected the entire shape of one of these new " modular " home in three hours and 50 mo . Any budget deficits induce by the gamy price ofsteelwere zeroed out by reductions in labor price , make these homes unbelievably attractive to the American midway class .
World War II put the brakes on the fledging modular steel - skeleton home industry , however . blade was requisition for use in the war , leaving a famine of raw materials for private use . Once the war was over , however , steel frame homes once again found their niche in the marketplace . Major architects recognized the benefits of blade expression . Frank Lloyd Wright used steel to border some of his famous Usonian theater in the forties . Some of these , such as The Buehler theatre in Orinda , Calif. , are now on the National Register of Historic Buildings .
Today , steel framing is stock in the commercial building industry , and more and more residential buildings are also being constructed with steel frames . blade studs have several crucial advantages over wood . They ’re relatively lightweight and are 100 percent recyclable . Unlike wood , sword studs wo n’t bow , bend , reduce or warp . They ’re impervious to mould and dirt ball damage , and they’refire - resistant . Moreover , according to Atlanta contractor Jeff Lupton of Lupton Design + Build , work up with steel studhorse has become more affordable in recent year .
So why are n’t all home decorators celebrating brand ? Read on to observe out .
How Steel Studs Are Changing the way We Decorate
Watch enough rest home improvement goggle box and you may walk away with the impression that it ’s a snap to advert your own kitchen locker or bulwark - mount your own plasm television receiver . Even the most tentative do - it - yourselfers rarely shy off from jobs like hang a towel bar . Unfortunately , DIY chores that are a breeze with wood stud become a mo more challenging when steel framing is involved .
For one thing , blade is much more dense than woodwind ; so special equipment is necessary to exercise through it . Furthermore , drilling through metal will occasionally produce modest spark , creating a risk of fire . Many contractors apprise maneuver clean-cut of exercise through sword stud poker at all , if you could help it .
somewhat lightweight point can be anchored straight off into drywall without drilling through the macho-man at all . There are a variety of backbone made specifically for securing detail indrywall . Winged charge card anchorsare cheap and much less probable to pull out than regular ribbed charge card lynchpin . Threaded drywall anchorsare even stronger ; many bluster up to 50 pounds of holding power per anchorman . For bigger jobs , like attaching mirrors or shelving , room decorator often usestrap toggle switch anchors , which are range to hold up to 80 hammering [ source : DIYlife.com ] .
The downside to drywall anchors is that no matter how sturdy they may be , drywall itself is a soft textile . Front - heavy items like towel bars or shelving tend to pull out over time . In society to pay heed particular that need more support , it is potential to drill through alloy studhorse . Ti or cobalt drill second are best suited for drill through alloy . Once you ’ve drilled your pilot holes , you ’ll want to use atoggle boltto safely secure heavy items to the metallic element rivet . Alternately , you could cut start the dry wall , secure small sections of wood between the brand studs and then confiscate very big item to the Ellen Price Wood .
sword macho-man have lots of advantages over Grant Wood framing , but rest - of - decorating is not one of them . With the right shaft , however , it ’s potential to hang your pictures , mirrors , shelves and even televisions on walls constructed with blade he-man .
