Making a Case for Steel

By Scott Kelly

THE INDUSTRY there seem to be enough topics of debate and divisiveness; tape vs. no tape, this brand vs. that brand, open corners vs. mitered corners, and the list goes on. Steel versus wood framing is another of those debates.

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Yet, whether you’ve just built your first deck (unlikely if you’re reading this) or hundreds of decks, you’ve already taken the first steps toward building a steel frame.

Coast to coast and whether you build in America, Canada, the United Kingdom or Australia, you are at least a partial steel frame builder. Do you use post bases? What about joist hangers? How about lag screws, nails or structural screws? Of course, you have, they are essential components to building any deck and they are all made from steel. Sure, in marine environments the word stainless might come before steel, but it’s still steel, just a different grade.

When you get right down to it, nearly every deck and every deck builder is staking their reputation and their clients safety on steel. Even the popular aluminum railings are fastened together with stainless steel screws and the bases are anchored to the deck with steel screws.

From fasteners to I-beams, bridges to the boats that sail underneath, the world is built with and relies on steel. It is the most recycled material on the planet, which is a selling point to the ever-growing consumer base concerned with sustainability.

Steel has decades worth of field data that shows that it works. In my years of building and in talks with countless other builders, I’ve never heard of someone asking to get their joist hangers repaired because their wood frame was still in great shape. Every builder and even most clients know about the “c’s” of wood; it has crowns, cupping, checking and cracks, all things that are eliminated with steel. Then there is combustibility, an obvious advantage of steel, and with the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) codes already in place in parts of California, Colorado, Texas and other states, the movement toward Class A fire-rated framing is well underway.

The awareness of steel as a framing material is on the rise as well. When I first went exclusively with steel six years ago, every sales call involved educating the client and selling them on the value of steel.

Now, nearly every potential lead finds me because of steel. Others are seeing similar results. Leif Wirtanen, owner of Cascade Fence and Deck, Vancouver, WA., told me, “We are getting people who reach out to us because we offer steel and I have no doubt that if we spent more time marketing and educating the consumer on steel, we could sell a lot more of it.”

I reached out to Blair Budlong, DecksDirect.com, Minneapolis, MN., who shared that in 2022, steel framing sales increased 126% vs. 2021. Budlong also mentioned that most of those sales were direct to consumer or one-off sales to contractors just trying steel—a good indicator of increased consumer awareness. DecksDirect.com also saw a 22% increase in sales for steel fasteners. “I would estimate that the national category moved closer to the 22% number,” Budlong said.

Steel is a differentiator; offering and presenting it to potential clients can set you apart from competition and position you as a real expert in your field. It also opens doors to educate the consumer providing you a chance to build rapport and value with clients.

“Chuck in a Truck” isn’t going to present that option. Steel can also put you in a position to educate and build rapport with inspectors who are unfamiliar with it—that rapport can pay huge dividends.

I know of other builders who argue the merits of steel, and I know plenty of builders who want to switch or at least try steel, but feel the cost difference is too great.

Let’s be honest, a steel joist is going to cost more than a treated joist, and, for some reason, a selftapping screw in a hidden fastener costs more than a wood screw in the same fastener. You unfortunately can’t just fire nails into steel joists and beams. So, it’s an obvious win for wood right? Perhaps, but here’s a few things I’d invite you to consider.

Every good builder I know grades their lumber ahead of framing, they also incur the time expense and inconvenience of separating and returning culled lumber. Then after the framing is done, they plane down the high spots, or “make an educated guess” as to how much the lumber will shrink. The labor cost and guesswork are both eliminated with steel. And if you are in the joist-taping camp, this also can be eliminated, saving you labor and material costs. Finally, while not required, I inquired with every lumber treater I could and they all recommended sealing end cuts. Others and I do this with steel as well, and, personally, a quick shot of touch-up paint on a steel cut beats the mess and smell of treating wood end cuts.

With all that factored in, a 12x12 minimum code deck is still going to get built for less with treated than with steel, but I think it’s safe to assume that many Deck Specialist readers are building more than 12x12 minimum code decks. That’s where the “c” of capability comes into play. For larger decks with larger spans, current steel joists on the market will span the equivalent or greater of a 2x12 treated joist, bringing the cost difference much closer.

The 2021 IRC span tables only go up to 70 psf, a number which can easily exceeded by things like firepits, outdoor kitchens and hot tubs. Steel manufacturers have engineering and code compliance reports for up to 200 psf, saving the cost of engineering a treated joist to support the same loads.

There are savings to be had in foundation costs as well, as 2021 Evolution Deck Specialist of the Year winner Philip Purdy, StoneCroft Construction, Colorado Springs, CO., points out, “A quick look at span charts shows that you have reduced piers on beam spans. That alone is an understated value, especially if you have a view.”

Another overlooked “c” I invite you to consider is cosmetics, with the powder-coated aesthetic available with steel, posts and beams can, and often are, left exposed. The look is not only clean and modern, it serves to cut a considerable amount of cost by eliminating the material and labor costs of things such as rim board fascia and column wraps.

“So how do I sell it?”

I get asked this question frequently. Ironically, the best advice I can give is to not sell it based on the merits I just mentioned. When I first switched exclusively to steel, I would go over all the benefits of steel that mattered to me as a builder. I would watch as the potential clients’ eyes glazed over with disinterest. I had to learn to speak to what potential clients could understand. I’ve found a few universal things to communicate.

The turning point was when one potential client expressed concern about their composite decking getting “wavy.” That was when I finally connected the dots. Clients understand pretty; they understand “wavy” deck boards. When I could explain to them that their deck boards were “wavy” because they followed the contours, i.e., the crowns of the framing below, and that steel starts flat and stays flat— meaning their nice new deck boards would stay flat—

I started speaking their language and closes came much easier.

Clients also know about and often place value in a warranty. A steel frame can carry a warranty that in most cases matches the decking warranty, truly giving them a lifetime deck.

Clients understand return on investment. As Garth Hystad of Colorado-based Masterpiece Outdoor Living said, “It doesn’t matter if it’s been 10 days or 10 years, a steel frame deck will look good and hold its value for many years to come, making it one of the best outdoor investments for your return and enjoyment.”

Clients also understand what is easily recognizable. Every season, I come across jobs where the wood has completely rotted away while the joist hangers and other hardware still look almost new. I will invariably turn to the client, point to the hardware, and say, “Doesn’t it make more sense to just build the whole thing out of that?” I don’t close every job, but nobody has ever argued with me either. DS