Purlins for interior steel

[bowhuntr311]

Hey all,

Im in the process of getting a materials list together for finishing my shop. I plan on doing vertical steel liner panel inside my shop and was wondering what size board i need for purlins. My shop is stick built 2x6 16oc.

Thanks.

 

[Marctrees]

Best thing is take a photo of a typical wall to make sure we understand your situation.

Could be 1x, could be 2x, need more info from you. Marc

 

[Marctrees]

Based on your post only, you COULD maybe get by with NO purlins, if you are OK with screws going through differing dimensions of your panels, (ribs, no ribs), but probably the conventional answer will be 1x4 is certainly sufficient supported by 16" OC backing, if I understand your question. Marc

 

[bowhuntr311]

10foot in height? 40ft in length

 

[FANTM58]

most metal sheeting for that is 36" wide, so im not sure how thats goung to work out.
have you considered running your panel horizonal ?

 

[Marctrees]

Well the seams w the "stitch screws" will effectively never fall on the studs, but they don't have to extend into the wood anyway.

Although certainly being supported by horizontal members is best .

Convention is to fasten to purlins, girts, or firring strips, which is probably what the OP should do.

I'm just sayin, I dunno, are they NECESSARY on a wall ????? Marc

 

[mister honey]

I ripped 3/4 inch plywood into 2-1/2 inch wide strips for the purlins in my shop, then shimmed at each 2x4 stud as required to compensate for any waviness in the wall construction.

I ran a 3/4 x 5 inch wide strip around the walls at the height of the electric outlets. A router & template was used to cut the holes for the boxes and the cutouts were spaced to fall between a pair of minor ribs in each panel.

All the purlins were attached with screws. The space between the steel panels and stud faces was used to run the wiring as the vapor barrier & insulation was not cut or compromised to accommodate the outlet boxes.

Mike

 

[sberry]

Could just screw it to the studs. You could hit all flats on a stud with a common pole barn sheet. What is a girt anyway but to hook the flat of a sheet to every so often. It wont strengthen the wall.

 

[bowhuntr311]

I did consider running the steel horizontal until my mind instantly went into OCD mode and I thought about all the dust lying on the tops of the ribs, I think that would bug me far more than the hassle of purlins and how IM gonna hang my cabinets. Same with just screwing the steel to where a stud is...If the pattern doesnt match pretty close it'll probably drive me to insanity.

I ripped 3/4 inch plywood into 2-1/2 inch wide strips for the purlins in my shop, then shimmed at each 2x4 stud as required to compensate for any waviness in the wall construction.

I ran a 3/4 x 5 inch wide strip around the walls at the height of the electric outlets. A router & template was used to cut the holes for the boxes and the cutouts were spaced to fall between a pair of minor ribs in each panel.

All the purlins were attached with screws. The space between the steel panels and stud faces was used to run the wiring as the vapor barrier & insulation was not cut or compromised to accommodate the outlet boxes.

^^^This was the info I was looking for. My plan is to figure out my purlins and adjust my outlets so they land in the flats of the steel and also to hold them to accommodate the purlin and steel depth. Which shouldnt be much at all.

 

[rburke65]

Well then you are goingto need some kind of furring strip whether it's a 1"x4" or rip plywood, 2"x4".

 

[bullnerd]

You could probably get away with it as long as you have something top and bottom that is horizontal to screw to. Then just screw wherever its over a stud. Someone said the seam doesn't have to be over a stud, true, I did see that in the instructions when doing my ceiling.

But, the natural tendency of this stuff is to curl away from the rib/paint/good side. So it may look a little wavy towards the middle of the wall if you don't get it just right.

Plus, if your ocd, the non-uniform screw pattern will drive you nuts.

Id lay some 1x, if you don't have to match the thickness of something that's already there, they would be plenty strong.

Just my op.

 

[bowhuntr311]

So at what spacing do I put them? Right at the very top, bottom, middle? or How many rows do i need?

 

[sberry]

Different cases for different places. On the outside of a building 2 ft, here a couple would be plenty if you screw it top and bottom. Every 1/3 stud will be on a seam, the sheet is 37 1/2 wide with 36 coverage. It would land the other 2 studs on a flat. Common pole barn steel is 9 inch ribs. Steel building steel has larger ribs on ft centers normally. As was mentioned a bit would depend on how fussy a guy is. Probably not terribly here as he is going to use sheet, hang a couple pieces and see how it goes?
Some of the sheet work in mine is bad, we were in a hurry with helpers but its not noticeable especially with a little age. You will have the place filled and covered. The sheet is there to keep dust out, provide a little fire resistance possibly, really decorative and a curtain wall for the most part.

 

[bullnerd]

So at what spacing do I put them? Right at the very top, bottom, middle? or How many rows do i need?

Probably wouldn't hurt to ask the manufacturer of whatever brand panels you get.

My ceiling spans 4' without any trouble, and is very rigid.

 

[Marctrees]

I'm just thinkin on a 10' wall, total of 4 horizontal fur strips spaced evenly, sounds nice and supportive for me.

I would just buy 1x4, even though not cheap, but if you check around, prices on stuff suitable for your application vary wildly.

For 16"oc like you got, get 8' ones to minimize cutting.

Bottom strip 1 1/2 " above slab, use 2X spacer on slab for quick positioning, bang nail, done.

Topmost one on top plate, no positioning measuring needed.

Middle two rows, cut story poles from 1x2 stock and nail.

If two workers, two story poles.f one, tack a nail for a support at one end, position and nail other end, go back to nail first end, pull support nail. Done.

Great opportunity to get your Lady out there to work with you, in her Duke's and heels, hardhat.

O, and we need photos.

I would use a nailgun w ?10d? nails to putem up quick, definately not screws for that, would take way longer.

Borrow a nail gun if you need to, screws will really waste time, and no advantage here.

And ya, I usually pick screws over nails.

Just thoughts. Marc

 

[bullnerd]

"Dukes" - ha!

 

[mister honey]

I did consider running the steel horizontal until my mind instantly went into OCD mode and I thought about all the dust lying on the tops of the ribs, I think that would bug me far more than the hassle of purlins and how IM gonna hang my cabinets. Same with just screwing the steel to where a stud is...If the pattern doesnt match pretty close it'll probably drive me to insanity.






^^^This was the info I was looking for. My plan is to figure out my purlins and adjust my outlets so they land in the flats of the steel and also to hold them to accommodate the purlin and steel depth. Which shouldnt be much at all.

bowhuntr311, since we share the OCD gene…

This photo is a portion of the long wall in my shop. The lower wainscot is dark brown and +/- 36 inches high. The upper wall is almond and the ceiling panels are bright white (FYI: my steel supplier is a local roll their own type place and offered both white and bright white panels.)



I liked the look of the fancy round window in the front (street side) wall and after much measuring and layout work with a laser level, a rib bisects the center of the window. Also, the ribs in the wainscot, upper walls and ceiling panels are in alignment on both long walls and are square to the length of the building.

The wainscot went in first, then I used the laser lever to locate the electrical box router jig onto the 5 inch wide purlins and in line with two minor ribs. The centerline of each cutout was marked on the floor with masking tape. After the upper wall panels were mounted, I drilled a hole at each box location and used a nibbler to match cut openings in the steel panels. All the electrical boxes are the “old work” type that slip through the openings and clamp the panels to the face of the purlins.

Morton Buildings has the BEST mounting screws… hardened stainless steel with Torx drive sockets and color matched heads with rubber washers.

I also used the ¾ inch x 2-1/2 inch plywood purlins mounted perpendicular to the scissor trusses on 24 inch centers except where the T8 fluorescent light fixtures would mount. In those four rows I used 4 inch wide plywood. If you can find good 1x4 material in your area, use it. I chose ¾ inch plywood as it is flat and consistent.

Lastly, I bought a good 6 foot level with aluminum edges to shim all the wall and ceiling purlins because I HATE wavy walls! I was a lot of work, but at each stud and rafter, the purlins were in alignment within 1/16 inch. The steel panels went up easily and look great!

A drywall lift with carpet scraps for padding is a big help in hanging the ceiling panels and lights!

Mike