Shop Wall Bracing

[m2machine]

I will be having a shop built on my property on Whidbey Island using
standard 2x6 stud 16" O.C. construction. Braced wall panels in the
corners will be built to comply with local code requirements, but I
have been thinking of additional bracing for extra strength given local
wind loads and possible seismic events. Wood frame construction books
discuss wooden let-in bracing and steel straps, and one text said that
steel straps are less effective due to possible buckling. Would there
be any benefit in additional bracing or is this a waste of time/money??

 

[tbasc]

Plywood or OSB sheathing provides bracing equal to or greater than
either let-in wood or steel strap bracing.
TB

 

[Bob Morrison]

In a previous post (e-mail address removed) wrote...

I will be having a shop built on my property on Whidbey Island using
standard 2x6 stud 16" O.C. construction. Braced wall panels in the
corners will be built to comply with local code requirements, but I
have been thinking of additional bracing for extra strength given local
wind loads and possible seismic events. Wood frame construction books
discuss wooden let-in bracing and steel straps, and one text said that
steel straps are less effective due to possible buckling. Would there
be any benefit in additional bracing or is this a waste of time/money??

It's probably easier to simply sheet the entire wall instead of just
installing the brace wall panels.

--
Bob Morrison, PE, SE
R L Morrison Engineering Co
Structural & Civil Engineering
Poulsbo WA
bob at rlmorrisonengr dot com

 

[HerHusband]

I will be having a shop built on my property on Whidbey Island using

standard 2x6 stud 16" O.C. construction. Braced wall panels in the
corners will be built to comply with local code requirements, but I
have been thinking of additional bracing for extra strength given local
wind loads and possible seismic events. Wood frame construction books
discuss wooden let-in bracing and steel straps, and one text said that
steel straps are less effective due to possible buckling. Would there
be any benefit in additional bracing or is this a waste of time/money??

For the external walls, the plywood sheathing should provide plenty of
strength. Just be sure to nail every 6" around the edges, and 12" OC in the
center of the panel. If you really want to go crazy, apply construction
adhesive to the studs before nailing on the plywood.

Of course, there's no reason you couldn't let-in a diagonal wood brace
before nailing on the sheathing, but I don't know that I would offer much,
if any, additional strength.

You might want to ask an engineer if thicker sheathing (i.e. 5/8" thick
instead of 1/2" thick) would add additional strength. I ended up using
5/8" sheathing just to get the 9' length I needed, but I don't know if the
wall is any stronger because of it.

If you have any "interior" walls in your shop, you probably won't be
sheathing those. So, you can add additional strength by installing let-in
bracing in the interior walls. I did this when I framed my own house,
though in my case it was mostly to keep the walls square when I was framing
everything up.

Also, be sure to tie the various building components together. Bolt the
sill plates to the foundation with large washers. Lap the sheathing over
the floor joists and/or sill plate and nail the sheathing to the sill
plate. Lap a second top plate across the joints of the first top plate, and
make sure the sheathing overlaps and nails into that as well. When the
trusses or rafters go on, install metal hurricane clips at every rafter.

Anthony

 

[Wayne Whitney]

You might want to ask an engineer if thicker sheathing (i.e. 5/8"
thick instead of 1/2" thick) would add additional strength. I ended
up using 5/8" sheathing just to get the 9' length I needed, but I
don't know if the wall is any stronger because of it.

I'm not an engineer, but I believe that for the usual construction
details on a braced wall panel using plywood, the limiting factor in
shear strength is the nailing pattern. So unless you use an
extraordinary nailing pattern, the extra strength of the 5/8" pywood
over 1/2" plywood is not useful.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[m2machine]

Thanks for all of your replies. I failed to add in my original post
that the siding will be 7/16 SmartSide panels nailed directly to the
2x6 studs. There is no separate sheathing. That's part of my concern
and interest in adding some strength.

 

[Wayne Whitney]

Thanks for all of your replies. I failed to add in my original post
that the siding will be 7/16 SmartSide panels nailed directly to the
2x6 studs. There is no separate sheathing. That's part of my
concern and interest in adding some strength.

You could sheath the interior side of the walls with 1/2" structural
rated plywood, this would provide shear strength (with the proper
nailing pattern) and would facilitate mounting things on the walls in
your shop.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[m2machine]

You could sheath the interior side of the walls with 1/2" structural
rated plywood, this would provide shear strength (with the proper
nailing pattern) and would facilitate mounting things on the walls in
your shop.

Cheers, Wayne

Thanks Wayne. I hadn't really considered anything but drywall for cost
reasons, but the more I think about your idea, the more I like it. I
know CDX plywood is usually used for sheathing. Do you know the shear
strength of Shop or AC ply??

 

[Wayne Whitney]

Thanks Wayne. I hadn't really considered anything but drywall for
cost reasons, but the more I think about your idea, the more I like
it. I know CDX plywood is usually used for sheathing. Do you know
the shear strength of Shop or AC ply??

This is really beyond the scope of my knowledge. However here are my
comments: what really matters is the shear strength of the completed
wall assembly. Obviously that is comprised of studs, nails and
plywood. My understanding is that for typical shear wall construction
(1/2" struct 1 CDX with 8d nails at 4"/12"), the nails are the
limiting factor. So a small reduction of the shear strength of the
plywood in such an assembly would not reduce the strength of the
overall assembly. But you really need to ask someone else.

BTW, the fire code may require drywall over the plywood on the
interior, but even if it does not, it would be a good idea for fire
containment. A workshop certainly has plenty of combustibles and
possible sources of ignition.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Bob Morrison]

In a previous post (e-mail address removed) wrote...

Thanks for all of your replies. I failed to add in my original post
that the siding will be 7/16 SmartSide panels nailed directly to the
2x6 studs. There is no separate sheathing. That's part of my concern
and interest in adding some strength.

Why not sheath the wall on the outside with 7/16" OSB then apply the
"Smartside" over the top of it?

--
Bob Morrison, PE, SE
R L Morrison Engineering Co
Structural & Civil Engineering
Poulsbo WA
bob at rlmorrisonengr dot com

 

[abRokeNegRo]

BTW, the fire code may require drywall over the plywood on the
interior, but even if it does not, it would be a good idea for fire
containment. A workshop certainly has plenty of combustibles and
possible sources of ignition.

Cheers, Wayne

sounds like a death trap to me