Blew my mind when I found out pine studs shrink way more than I thought

So I'm framing a basement wall in my own house last weekend and I decided to actually check the moisture content on these studs from the big box store. I grabbed one of those $20 moisture meters off Amazon and tested like 10 boards. Some were at 19% moisture, some at 13%, all from the same bundle. I looked it up online and found out that a 2x4 can shrink up to 1/8 inch across its width when it dries from 19% to 9%. That means if you frame a whole wall wet and it dries out, you might get gaps or nail pops down the road. I never really thought about it before, I just grabbed the straightest boards and went to work. Now I'm wondering if I should let my lumber sit in the basement for a week before I frame anything else. Has anyone else dealt with this and just said screw it or do you actually let the wood acclimate?

2 comments

2 Comments

miles_jackson96d ago

Ever think about stacking them with spacers in between to let air move around while they sit? I heard that speeds up the drying way more than just piling them on the floor.

phoenix8456d ago

Ngl, might as well build a tiny house for them while you're at it.