The Finish Line

EIFS in the South

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0400

I moved to Florida a few years ago. Construction is different down here.

The Finish Line: Know Your EIFS

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:03:00 -0500

When EIFS was first introduced to the North American market, there were a lot of questions about its strength.

The Finish Line: Right Solutions for the Right Problems

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:49:00 -0400

EIFS is like any other building material in the sense that it is well-suited for some uses and not for others. This column is a compilation of my thoughts about where EIFS works well and where it does not, including some unusual specialty uses.

The Finish Line: Building Walls in the Land Down Under

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:13:00 -0400

Every American I know wants to visit Australia. It’s sometimes called “The Land of Milk and Honey” and it is. Next to Canada, Australia is more like the U.S. than any other country I can think of.

The Finish Line: EIFS Inspection

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 08:34:00 -0400

No doubt you are aware that the quality of EIFS is very dependent on the contractor. One way to ensure quality is to monitor the process of installing the EIFS as it is being installed.

The Finish Line: A (Faux) Monument for the Ages

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:56:00 -0400

Everyone’s heard of Stonehenge in England-the weird stone blocks in the middle of a field. But who has heard of Foamhenge in Virginia? It is a full size replica of the real Stonehenge made of EIFS. Who could dream up a cooler name?

The Finish Line: Design Features

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 09:07:00 -0400

There are lots of small details and design features about EIFS that can help create a better-completed EIFS project. This month’s column is a list of many known-and not-so-well-known-design features that you should be aware of.

The Finish Line: Keep it Dry Part 2

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:11:00 -0400

In the May column “Keep it Dry,” I talked about issues to be dealt with when using EIFS that incorporate a water resistive barrier. WRBs are most often used in the increasingly common EIFS with drainage. Most of the discussion in that article was about various design aspects.

The Finish Line: Keep it Dry

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:53:00 -0400

In EIFS, water resistive barriers are a layer between the EIFS substrate and the EIFS insulation. They are most commonly used in EIFS with drainage wall assemblies. They are an additional layer within the wall cladding system and present some unique issues that are worth knowing about. Here are some of the issues.

The Finish Line: Sealants

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 09:31:00 -0400

Because EIFS are a jointless type of wall cladding that can be installed over a huge wall area without joints at all, it’s clear that the only way for water to get behind the EIFS is somewhere at the edge of the EIFS. This penetration is most often at windows, openings and flashings.

The Finish Line: EPS Vs. Polyisocyanurate Insulation

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:53:00 -0500

Expanded polystyrene insulation and polyisocyanurate foam polyiso are the two main insulation types used in EIFS in North America. Overseas, many other types of insulation are used to make EIFS, such a mineral wool and “glass foam.”

The Finish Line: Beefing Up EIFS

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 09:09:00 -0500

I often get calls from people wanting to “beef up” the performance of their EIFS walls. There are some things you can do to improve performance and this month’s column has a potpourri of strategies for common problems.

The Finish Line: Inspecting Eifs

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 14:38:00 -0500

There is work underway to develop a standardized protocol for inspecting EIFS as it is being installed. This work is being done by the ASTM technical society.

The Finish Line: Adhesives vs. Mechanical Fasteners

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:46:00 -0500

When I do technical seminars about EIFS, one of the most frequent questions is, “Should I use adhesives or mechanical fasteners (screws plus washers), or even both, to attach the foam insulation to the wall?” The answer depends on a number of factors, and sometimes you have no choice about which to use.

The Finish Line: Firestopping

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 11:02:00 -0400

Firestopping is an especially important topic for EIFS, due to the system’s unique multi-layered form of cladding construction.

The Finish Line: Foam Shapes Revisited

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:07:00 -0400

One of the most popular design features of EIFS is its ability to mimic other materials. This includes being a stone, concrete or stucco look-alike. This feature of EIFS is widely used for many reasons, including its attractive appearance, light weight and low cost.

The Finish Line: Eco-Friendliness of EIFS

Sat, 01 May 2010 13:06:00 -0400

If you spend any time working with specifiers, end-users, designers and contractors who are involved with EIFS, you’ll find out right away that the environmental friendliness (“eco-friendliness”) of EIFS is a hot topic.

The Finish Line: Types of EIFS

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:22:00 -0400

In North America, EIFS is pretty much a single type of design, namely expanded polystyrene insulation adhesively attached to the supporting wall, and a thin, synthetic, two-layer, glass fiber mesh-reinforced coating system.

The Finish Line: Earthquakes and EIFS

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:48:00 -0500

The recent devastating earthquake in Haiti has focused attention on many things about that country, including politics, economics, its history and culture, and many other poignant topics, not the least of which is the safety and design of buildings there.

The Finish Line: Drainage Efficiency

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:07:00 -0500

The origin of the EIFS with drainage goes back to the 1990s. The idea of adding drainage came about due to a rash of water intrusion problems on houses in the southeast. Water had gotten behind the EIFS and ruined the supporting wood structure, causing a flurry of lawsuits and repairs, and sparking the interest of building code officials.

The Finish Line: FAQ's About EIFS Part 1

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:10:00 -0400

This is the first of a two-part series about common EIFS questions. My Web site www.eifs.com generates a lot of e-mail and phone inquiries. Usually they are basic questions from people looking to learn more about EIFS. Over the last 30 years of working with EIFS I’ve seen or heard of almost anything that can be done with EIFS.

The Finish Line: Floor Line Joints

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:11:00 -0500

In multi-story wood frame residential construction, the various floor levels are usually constructed as a series of platforms, one at a time, on top of each other. The horizontal framing at the floor line has its grain running parallel to the ground.

The Finish Line: Cleaning EIFS

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:21:00 -0500

An EIFS finish coat is a textured, paint-like material. It’s usually made with acrylic resins or a blend of acrylic resins and other resins, such as silicones. The hardness of the coating and its textured surface make it susceptible to getting dirty.

The Finish Line: Backwrapping vs. Edgewrapping

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:56:00 -0500

There are two basic ways of terminating the edge of an EIFS. One is by using the EIFS materials themselves, and the other is using some type of non-EIFS trim product, such as preformed plastic or metal pieces.

The Finish Line: All About Rust

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:47:00 -0400

Large rust stain streaks can be created by an almost invisibly small piece of iron, located in the EIFS finish. They can become amazingly big and very noticeable. In the midst of a huge blank EIFS wall, such streaks can really standout, which can result in irate building owners who want you to redo the whole façade. That level of repair is hardly necessary and the following information on rust streaks on EIFS can help you fix the problem and keep the owner calm.

The Finish Line: A Case Study: What is Causing This?

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:23:00 -0400

For a change of pace, I’ve decided to periodically write about contracting and field issues, including case studies of interesting projects. The idea is to offer insights that will help readers deal with aspects of EIFS in their work.

The Finish Line: Changing Stucco to EIFS

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 11:51:00 -0400

This month’s column gives you a checklist of things to keep in mind if someone wants an alternate price or prefers the other cladding. This list will be handy if you are working with a designer or owner who needs guidance when making a switch.

The Finish Line: Cast Stone and EIFS

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 10:48:00 -0400

Lately I’ve been working with some cast stone products and have found that product to be a good complement to EIFS in terms of dealing with the damage-susceptible edges of EIFS. This month’s column gives some examples of how cast stone can be used with EIFS.

The Finish Line: Katrina One Year After

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0500

First, you can go to New Orleans right now and have a good time, at least in the popular tourist areas, which look like nothing ever happened. But if you drive a little way from those restored areas, it's a different story. There are blocks and blocks of abandoned single-story houses and there are shopping areas that look fine, except a lot are not open. These buildings are in the areas that were flooded and stayed submerged.

The finish line: Attachment of Signs

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0400

Over the years, I've had a number of companies as clients that make and install signs. Most of the signs are used for commercial applications (stores and hotels) and they are usually made of metal and plastic but occasionally they'll even make one out of EIFS. Either way, they sometimes ask me how to attach their signs to EIFS walls. If you've ever purchased a custom sign, they are not cheap, so it's not a dumb question. Here are some guidelines on how to deal with signs. These notes relate to design considerations, as well as installation issues.