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Three Things You Need To Consider When Choosing Which Type Of Material You Want Your Wall Frames Made Out Of

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Wall frames make up a large amount of your entire home's structure and therefore can determine a lot about its longevity, how well it ages and how it behaves in certain environments. When it comes to wall frames, there are two major types of material: steel and timber. Both have their own benefits and negatives, but to decide which one you want, you should consider how they each react to different problems. Here is a quick breakdown of how each type of material responds to three of the most important issues that it could face in the future.

Insulation

How your home reacts to the summer heat or the winter cold is very important to determine before you build it. Wood is a very good insulator and can easily be adjusted to allow for more insulation materials between the wall frames. Steel, on the other hand, as a metal is a pretty good conductor i.e. the opposite of what you want. It is also harder to adjust the width of, due to manufacturing constraints, so you may not be able to get as much insulation as you would like in between your walls. In this case, wood is the clear victor for your home wall frames.

Longevity

Most people build a home to last, and so knowing how well the internal structures hold up is very important. Your wall frames make up a large part of this internal network, and that is why many people choose steel. Steel frames are naturally stronger than wood, and they also are immune to issues such as termites or rot. While they can rust, this is generally not an issue because the exterior of your home is waterproof and internal leaks do not have the strength or volume to affect steel wall frames. If you want a housing frame that will last decades with no maintenance requirements, steel comes out ahead.

Adaptability

When building a home you will often run into issues onsite. From getting too much material, or too little, to major problems like some materials being too wide while others are too thin. These are common occurrences when it comes to timber especially, but the good news for that is you can easily adjust these mistakes with only a few tools. On the other hand, steel wall frames are all pre-fabricated and non-adjustable once created, but they have a far lower rate of mistakes than timber. This makes it a bit of a mixed bag, with timber products easier to fix but steel products having fewer mistakes requiring a solution. 

For more information about wall frames and which you should choose, reach out to a professional. 


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