Are the holes in your secondary framing not lining up? If so, don’t fret. It’s a common problem with an easy fix. But let’s start by walking through secondary framing.

Secondary framing helps support the wall and roof panels of a metal building. It consists of purlins and girts, which create the skeleton of the building by attaching to rafters and columns. Purlins are the members in the roof. Girts are the members in the wall. And both purlins and girts have holes punched through the web. It’s these holes that might give you a headache when they don’t line up properly.

So to avoid a misalignment problem with your connection holes, when putting those members together, make sure to alternate the direction of the laps. One of the two has to flip over 180 degrees in order to “nest” within the other. By turning them in opposite directions, they will lap together.

Here’s how it looks when attempting to lap the same flange width. Notice that the holes do not align and that it needs to be flipped.

A small, triangle shaped hole punched near the end on each secondary member indicates the direction of the large flange. The larger flange fits over the smaller flange.

If you try to force fit the two members together, the holes will not line up and you’ll end up nesting equal flanges that will result in a gap between the two flanges—and you don’t want that gap. So don’t force anything. Flip your members around until they line up properly, and then you’re off and running.

So that’s my Quick Fix for the week! Have questions? Comments? Want more details? Just send me a comment below, and stay tuned for more quick fixes to keep your job on schedule, on budget, and on the move.