Stud framing and external walls

[kebwi]

If I want to build a short wall around my oven, what is the right material for this? It has to be weather proof, at least to some degree. I will facade it with something (ledgestone would be nice), but it is nevertheless fairly exposed. How does one begin something like this? I don't even know what material to make the wall out of. Framing with studs (metal I guess since that's what everyone else on FB uses), seems fairly rational, but the wall itself is less clear to me.

Thanks.

[jmhepworth]

Re: Stud framing and external walls

I framed with metal, and covered it with hardibacker, the stuff normally used to lay tile on. I plan to face it in artificial stone next spring. The metal isn't bad to work with. Get a metal cutting blade for the circular saw and some tin snips. Make sure you wear hearing and eye protection, as well as gloves.

[mfiore]

Re: Stud framing and external walls

I did the same as Joe. Put 1/2" cement board on the metal framing. You can use whatever brand is available locally (Hardibacker, Durock, etc). I used Hardibacker. The stone veneer applied directly to this with mortar. Look at the specific installation instructions for your stone. Some can adhere directly to the cement board, some require metal lathe and a scratch coat of mortar on top of the cement board.

[fxpose]

Re: Stud framing and external walls

It may be overkill, but perhaps you can use cement blocks. You seem to have plenty of perimeter space, including insulation, to use 8x6x16 blocks.

[cynon767]

Re: Stud framing and external walls

It may be overkill, but perhaps you can use cement blocks. You seem to have plenty of perimeter space, including insulation, to use 8x6x16 blocks.

Or even narrow 8x4x16 blocks, if your local supply has them. Or brick, for that matter, if you wanted to go with something that didn't need a stone veneer finish.

But yes, as far as wall materials to go with the steel stud approach, one of the various concrete boards are the usual around here. I used Hardiebacker 500; it scores and snaps pretty easily and cleanly, and it cut relatively easily (if slowly) to the curved shape I was using by making repeated cuts with a utility knife.

[kebwi]

Re: Stud framing and external walls

Let me explain my goal here. I'm less concerned about the external characteristics at this point in the game...although clearly that should be taken into account so I don't head in a direction to prevents a final appearance I would like. Like I said, I would like to do a ledgestone round "building" with some sort of roof (I like the idea of a conical copper roof, but it might be too expensive).

Anyway, that has nothing to do with my asking about wall material. That has to do with my insulation. I don't have blanket insulation, instead I have loose fill. It's the same stuff, but not a blanket. It will be pretty easy for me to drape it over the top of the dome, but it seems to me like it might be fairly difficult to wrap it around the vertical sidewalls at the bottom in such a way that it stays up (maybe I can encase it in chickenwire, I don't know).

So my idea is to build an external wall with a few inches of space to the dome, fill the space with loose vermiculite up to where the dome starts to curve, then coat the dome from that point up with the loose ceramic fiber.

So, assuming such a plan makes any sense in the first place...I'm trying to learn how to build this external wall, which will ultimately serve multiple purposes (supporting the roof-frame, providing a backing for the ledgstone, etc)...but also w.r.t. the insulation, to provide a cavity that I can fill with vermiculite.

Thoughts on all of this?

Thanks.

[cynon767]

Re: Stud framing and external walls

Unless you spring for curved track, the steel studs will be pretty hard to make match a round building.

Low walls was kind of what I had visualized from your first post. That's basically why I went the route I did as well- to put a low wall around the outside which would allow for a vertical wall section lower than the full-height gabled roof structure. The plans call for a gabled house to have its walls built up to the height of the top of the dome; I didn't want all that height and visual mass, so I built low walls and filled/covered with perlicrete, which I shaped to match the roofline rather than filling loose and needing the containment of full-height walls.

I basically adapted the FB igloo-style enclosure, using expanded metal diamond lath as a base for a heavy coat of fiber-reinforced stucco over the perlicrete, essentially forming ferrocement walls. I built a steel stud chimney chase at the front of the oven, with short extensions back along the walls to anchor the lath. It seems pretty stout, and like the igloo structures, self-supporting. My walls are very angular, but using the same method, you could fairly easily get a round structure with short vertical walls. That was one of the designs I was contemplating, actually.

If you wanted something a little more solid, I'd go the masonry route. You could look for smallish concrete blocks, something like an 8x4x8, narrow enough to go around a curve relatively smoothly. Alternately, brick. You already will have a good deal of experience making curved wall sections by that point. Half-bricks can make pretty smooth curves, I'm told. Or, you could look for curved concrete blocks, but those might be hard to find in exactly the right size/shape.