If you’re hanging anything heavy, you’ll want to plan for blocking.
I hear you on the straightness—metal studs really do save a lot of headaches compared to lumber that’s “wrestling with bowed wood.” I’ve specified them for a few commercial interiors, and the consistency is a game changer. That said, I still prefer wood for small residential jobs, just for the feel and flexibility. Blocking for heavy items is definitely something to plan ahead for with metal, otherwise you’re improvising later.
I totally get where you’re coming from on the straightness issue—wrestling with bowed lumber is no joke. Metal studs really do seem like a dream in that regard. Still, there’s something about working with wood that just feels right to me, even if it means a few more headaches. Planning for blocking ahead of time is one thing I wish I’d paid more attention to on my own build... ended up retrofitting some spots after drywall, which wasn’t ideal. But honestly, learning as you go is half the fun, right?
Title: Struggling To Keep Walls Straight When Building With Lumber
Totally hear you on the “feels right” part of working with wood, but I’m not so sure learning as you go is always half the fun... sometimes it’s just half the headache, ha. I’ve been burned by that “I’ll figure out blocking later” mentality more times than I care to admit. Last time, I thought I could just squeeze in some extra bracing after the fact—ended up with a wavy wall and a lot of cursing under my breath while fishing for studs behind drywall.
Honestly, I’ve started getting picky at the lumber yard and spending way too long sighting down every board. It’s tedious, but it’s saved me a bunch of grief. Metal studs do solve the straightness issue, but then you’re dealing with other stuff—like running electrical, which isn’t quite as straightforward as with wood.
Anyway, maybe it’s just me, but sometimes I wonder if we romanticize wood a bit too much... especially after sanding down yet another high spot.
- Been there with the wavy walls—“I’ll fix it later” always comes back to bite.
- I’ve found that, yeah, picking straighter studs at the yard is a pain, but it’s way less painful than trying to wrestle a banana board into a straight line after it’s nailed up.
- Blocking early is huge. Learned that the hard way after chasing drywallers around with extra 2x4s.
- Metal studs are tempting, but honestly, running wires through those can turn into a whole other headache.
- Wood’s great... until you get that one stud that twists like a pretzel overnight. Sometimes I think we just like the smell of sawdust more than the reality of working with it.
Honestly, I get the pain with metal studs and wires, but if you use those plastic bushings and plan your runs before you start, it’s not as bad as folks make it sound. Plus, straight walls every time—no twisted lumber surprises. Just takes a bit of getting used to.
