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Shoutout to the guy who told me to check my lumber moisture before framing
Honestly, I used to just grab whatever 2x4s were on top at the lumberyard in Denver. Then an old contractor at my local yard told me to always test the moisture content first. Turns out, anything over 19% will warp like crazy after a week, and I found that stat on the building code website. Has anyone else gotten burned by wet lumber before?
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val_taylor6d ago
Isn't that the truth? I had a whole stack of studs twist up on me a few years back and I ended up having to brace them all with blocking just to get the walls straight. It's one of those things you don't think about until you're kicking yourself later.
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barbara42917d ago
Tbh, I kind of disagree with that 19% rule. A buddy of mine in Denver runs a framing crew and he says their moisture meter consistently reads 22-24% on kiln dried stuff from big box stores, and their frames are still standing fine after 10 years. Honestly, people make too big a deal about this if you're just doing standard interior walls. If you're building a deck or something exposed, sure, check it, but for studs that dry out inside? Not worth the hassle.
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