taylor305•3d agoTop Commenter

Talked to a framer about lumber quality and it clicked why some walls feel flimsy

I was grabbing material at the local supplier in Bakersfield and got to talking with an older framer who's been doing this for 30 years. He pointed out that the 2x4s we get now are nothing like what they used to be, said they're cut smaller and drier now. He showed me a batch where half the boards had huge knots or were bowed. That's when it hit me why some new builds I've seen have walls that move when you push on them. It's not just the framing technique, it's the lumber itself being junk. We're relying on stuff that barely meets code to hold up a whole house. Has anyone else noticed more callbacks for walls being wavy in newer construction?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_elizabeth3d ago

Gotta push back a little here. I've been pouring foundations in Bakersfield for 15 years and I've seen the same lumber you're talking about. Knottier, sure, drier, yes. But a wall that moves when you push on it? That's not the wood. That's sloppy nailing and missing shear panels. I had a build last year where the framer wanted to blame the lumber for wavy walls. I checked his nailing pattern. Guy was spacing his 16d nails 24 inches apart on the double top plate. That's not the 2x4s fault. Code minimum lumber plus bad work equals wavy walls.

loganburns2d ago

Code minimum lumber plus bad work equals wavy walls." That's EXACTLY it. I've seen guys blame the wood when they're out there dry nailing everything and skipping the glue. Last week I watched a crew toe-nail jack studs with 8d nails. You could push the whole rough opening sideways. Not the wood's fault at all.