Metal studs vs wood furring in basements - which is actually faster?

I did a job last month in Denver where the homeowner wanted a fully finished basement, and I ended up arguing with the GC about using metal studs instead of wood furring against the concrete... he said metal is always faster to hang. I had to adjust my fastener pattern twice as much though, and the rust risk near the floor had me worried. Has anyone else found one approach clearly beats the other for speed on a standard basement ceiling?

2 comments

2 Comments

miles_roberts2217d ago

I poured concrete in basements for 5 years before switching to framing, and I gotta say wood furring beats metal every time on speed if you use a laser and pre-cut strips. My Denver job with the 2x3 furring strips on 2 foot centers took me about 4 hours for a 30x40 ceiling, while I've seen metal guys take 6 hours easy with all that screw adjustment and track layout. The rust issue with metal near the floor is real too, I've pulled out green corrosion on a 2-year-old install that had a little moisture wicking through the slab. Plus wood gives you a softer feel when you're driving fasteners and you don't have to worry about hitting some weird dimple from a concrete bump that throws your whole line off.

terry_mitchell17d ago

Saw a building science article the other day about how wood furring actually helps with thermal bridging in basements more than metal does. @miles_roberts22 that rust thing is wild though, never thought about moisture wicking through the slab like that.