# 4x4 vs two 2x4 for stud



## yunwhale (Aug 14, 2017)

I am building a shower room. The shower door should be attached to a sturdy stud. Should I use one 4x4 or two 2x4? What is the disadvantage of 4x4?


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

A double stud is standard for any door. 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 is fine if you want.


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## XSleeper (Sep 23, 2007)

4x4s often like to check, twist, and crack. Not that 2x4s dont, but imo i would rather pick out 2 straight 2x4s. 4x4s also are sometimes not as dry as a 2x4. They are imo, a poor choice for framing. And not all 4x4s are created equal, it depends what part of the tree they were cut from. Heartwood, centercut, riftsawn, quartersawn.

2x4s are more often dry and dimensionally stable. I would never use a 4x4 for interior framing, but i know some guys do...


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## jlhaslip (Dec 31, 2009)

The disadvantage is that the 4 x 4 is more likely to twist/warp and may affect the finish wall and/or the drywall/tile attached to it.

Use the double 2 x 4.

When I pre-assemble door framing, for example, I select two studs (1 King and 1 Jack) with similar crowns and stack them so one is crowned up and the other is crowned down.

Start nailing at the bottom to join them, making certain the length and edges are aligned. 
Start the nails about 4 inches from the bottom to reduce splitting. 
Move up along the length to the next nailing point and align the edges before nailing. 
As you work towards the top of the studs, the opposite crowns will straighten themselves and the finished double 2 x 4 will be awfully close to perfectly straight.
At some point, you might need to toenail one edge to the other to pull them together. Do it as required.

I typically use 2 nails every 16 inches, but that is known to be excessive, according to the code, which is viewed as a minimum, so extra nails don't hurt anything.

Also, angle the nails so that they don't stick through the double and angle them in the direction which the load will be applied. For example if nailing a Jack to a stud, angle the nails towards the bottom of the Jack.


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