Lumber at Lowe's and Home Depot

[Matt Furjanic]

For all the construction projects around here (tiered vegetable garden and workshop) we have been buying QUITE a bit of dimensional lumber from HD and Lowe's, and I pick the wood myself.

I reject 1/3 of what I go through.

We just placed an order for more vegetable garden stuff AND a privacy fence for the entire property, all to be delivered after this weekend's classes. I told the Customer Service woman that it would be very wise for them to call us the day before so I could pick the fence panels prior to loading for the delivery. She looked a bit askance until I told her I was gonna pick one way or the other, and better at the store the day before than in the driveway and sending 1/3 of it back...

I have another Q. Why were 2x4x8s I bought the other day NOT 8' long?

I understand that we long ago got ripped off on their not being 2x4s, but these things were 7'9".

We worked around it, but then we don't do anything right that way (we truly are NOT carpenters or cabinet builders or joiners!).

How on earth do contractors work with this length???

Those are meant to be 7' 9" or 93" by design. These are cut short to allow the other three inches of a top and bottom wall plate added to make an 8' high wall. This enables the builder to make an 8' high wall without trimming the studs to 93". Either the store had these labeled wrong or possibly you did not notice they were marked 93"

[fergy]

You bought 93" 2x4s, not 96". There are usually two piles. The 93's are pre-trimmed for use as studs, resulting in a 96" height between sill and header when framing out a wall.


Oops, didn't see the second page of post. Matt beat me to it.

[Flootsie]

Thanks! I had noticed that the numbers added up. These were sold, though, as 8' so I couldn't make it work...even in a world where 2x4s aren't!

[Jim Wallace]

Milissa,

You bought studs, not 8' 2x4's. Studs are pre-trimmed to allow for the width of the top and bottom plates (2 each at 11/2" = 3") when building a wall.

Jim

[Pop Golden]

Hi what you bought was not a 2X4X8 , but a standard stud 2X4X7'9". This is the standard lumber for home walls. This keeps contractors from having to cut studs. At 16" on center a house needs a lot of 'em.

Bill "Pop" Golden

[thsb]

I remember having the same issue one time. The 93" boards are for framing 8 foot walls, with a top plate and a bottom plate making them 8 feet total. I think they often have 96 inch 2*4 as well that are the same price or a couple pennies more or less, but they often are a little harder to find (i.e. in the aisle and not on the end cap).

[thsb]

ok. just saw everyone's same response on the 2nd page.

but it is the first time that i had an answer to something posted here!

[jobelenus]

Most, if not all, Lowe's sheet goods come from China _ (I work there)_ Remember that cash is king with these places and if you'll buy it, they'll gladly sell crap. I purchased some track lighting for my booth at a craft fair recently and I had to go through 18 track heads to get 12 that worked - all made in our landlord's country.....

[Mad Scientist]

For all the construction projects around here (tiered vegetable garden and workshop) we have been buying QUITE a bit of dimensional lumber from HD and Lowe's, and I pick the wood myself.

I reject 1/3 of what I go through.

We just placed an order for more vegetable garden stuff AND a privacy fence for the entire property, all to be delivered after this weekend's classes. I told the Customer Service woman that it would be very wise for them to call us the day before so I could pick the fence panels prior to loading for the delivery. She looked a bit askance until I told her I was gonna pick one way or the other, and better at the store the day before than in the driveway and sending 1/3 of it back...

I have another Q. Why were 2x4x8s I bought the other day NOT 8' long?

I understand that we long ago got ripped off on their not being 2x4s, but these things were 7'9".

We worked around it, but then we don't do anything right that way (we truly are NOT carpenters or cabinet builders or joiners!).

How on earth do contractors work with this length???

Just an FYI,

The 7'9" was pre-cut studs, made specifically for walls with 8' ceilings. If you take two 1½" thick 2x4s for a top plate and bottom plate and put the pre-cut studs between, you have an 8' wall for a room with 8' ceiling. 8' ceilings was the residential standard for years in the building industry. Now only spec homes seem to have 8' ceilings, so even through builders use less of them then they once did, BORGS and other builder's supply centers still carries them. If you ask for the cheapest 2x4, you'll get pre-cut studs.

[DaveD]

Just a minor point. There are typically two top plates so the wall is really 8'-1-1/2" high before dry walling the ceiling. Then with 5/8 or 1/2" drywall it comes down to Bout 8'-1". Add floor covering and you get to just about 8'

[BarryH]

What you purchased is a wall stud for an 8' ceiling. When you add the 1 1/2 inch thick bottom and top plates it adds up to 8'. This is a convenience for contractors.

[Phil S]

Precut studs are not all the same length!! If you buy precuts from a big box you get 93" - if you buy from a real lumber yard the precuts are 92 5/8" That will really screw you up if you mix the two.

92 5/8" studs have been the standard stud size for at least 30 years. The reason is homes are 99% built with one bottom plate and two top plates. That is 4 1/2" + 92 5/8" = 97 1/8" you want that extra 1 1/8 because you will install the ceiling drywall first and that is either 1/2 or 5/8 and that will allow you to install two sheets of drywall on the walls and have the right gap at the floor.

Enter the big box and suddenly we have 93" precuts that all I know to do with is cut 3/8" off

[FlyingRon]

It has always bothered me that 2x4's are not two anythings by four anythings.

Here you've got your choice of real 8 footers or the 93-inchers.

[Jeff Mills]

Precut studs are not all the same length!! If you buy precuts from a big box you get 93" - if you buy from a real lumber yard the precuts are 92 5/8" That will really screw you up if you mix the two.

92 5/8" studs have been the standard stud size for at least 30 years. The reason is homes are 99% built with one bottom plate and two top plates. That is 4 1/2" + 92 5/8" = 97 1/8" you want that extra 1 1/8 because you will install the ceiling drywall first and that is either 1/2 or 5/8 and that will allow you to install two sheets of drywall on the walls and have the right gap at the floor.

Enter the big box and suddenly we have 93" precuts that all I know to do with is cut 3/8" off

Amen Brother... If your gonna use precut studs it's best to buy all at once and out of the same bunk from the same manufacture. Even way back in the 80's when I delivered lumber for Wicks Lumber we had this problem. I had to train the bunkers (guys who bundle, strap and load the trucks) to get all the precuts from the same bunk. After having problems with one of the bunkers, mixing 92 & 5/8's in with 93's - the yard manager had me me take the bunker to a job site to switch out 93's with 92 & 5/8 - The manager told me to have him load every 93" stick on the truck and replace it one for one with 92 & 5/8's this was for a 3 story apartment building so there were lots of sticks. Even after all that work, he still didn't learn his lesson and loaded a mix of 92 & 5/8 and 93's on my truck. The yard manager noticed it and fired him on the spot. I guess some people are just dumb and you really cant fix dumb...

[Jeff Mills]

It has always bothered me that 2x4's are not two anythings by four anythings.

Here you've got your choice of real 8 footers or the 93-inchers.

They are cut 2X4 off the log... after air drying they are run through machines to plane them down to 1 1/2 x 3 1/2 - what's the real kicker is 2 x 8's and above are actual to the 1/4" in width instead of 1/2 like 2 x 6 and below. It's because flat sawn lumber shrinks more in width then it does in thickness once it dries. So the wider the board the more you loose after it's dried and dressed. Quarter Sawn lumber is just the opposite it looses more in thickness than it does in width - respectively speaking...