rgTHOMASTM  

ARCHITECTURAL  CONSULTANT

 America's EIFS* Expert - OUR 30TH YEAR 

Product Development and Market Development Services,
Building Defect Investigation Services, and Expert Witness Services for...

EIFS*, Stucco, Syntentic Stucco, Wall Systems, Windows,
 Curtainwall, Framing, Sealants, Sheathing, and Coatings.

*Exterior Insulation & Finish Systems (also known as "Dryvit®"** and "synthetic stucco".)

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OVERVIEW  WHAT IS EIFS?  LINKS
WHAT'S NEWS  OPINION/EDITORIAL  CONTACT  TERMS OF USE OF THIS WEBSITE

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Need an EIFS inspector? Click on 'LINKS' above and go to EDI group.
Need an EIFS contractor? Click on 'LINKS' above and go to AWCI group.
EIFS producers and distributors? Click on 'LINKS' above and go to Major Manufacturers.

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EIFS MINI-FACT OF THE DAY: DID YOU KNOW?.....

EIFS is a "Green" product (eco-friendly)?
EIFS is THE most energy efficient way to insulate exterior building walls.
By putting the insulation on the outside of the wall, the energy stored within the wall structure
and within the building's interior, is kept at a more nearly constant temperature,
thereby requiring less energy to keep the building at the right temperature - year 'round.
Traditional insulating techniques, that place the insulation within the wall or on the inside
of the wall - rather than outside the wall - are not as efficient.

 

 

 OVERVIEW        Home/Main Menu

Robert Thomas is a technical and marketing consultant. He has 30+ years experience and specializes in exterior wall systems, such as:

  • Product development - new wall system designs
  • Market research studies and advice on market entry strategies
  • Building defect investigations and building condition assessments
  • Expert witness in building defect cases
  • Inspections of wall systems as-being installed, and also inspections on completed projects
  • Testing programs
  • Building code approvals
  • Technical writing (magazine articles, advertisements, specifications, etc.).
  • Speaker: Accomplished and dynamic speaker at conventions, meetings, symposia, etc.

30+ years of experience with EIFS, and wall/roof systems: 

  • EIFS Industry: Former Manager of Technical Services for Dryvit Systems, Inc. (the leading EIFS producer).
  • Worldwide Expertise: Extensive in-country experience in overseas markets, including Europe, Pacific Rim, South America, Mid East, and Africa.
  • Testing and Standards: Chairman for 15+ years of the US national technical committee on EIFS (ASTM) E06.58. Chairman of several international wall system symposia.
  • Author: Of the 6 leading books on wall systems.
  • Expert Witness: Sought affect expert for litigation support. Frequently quoted, and speaks at industry and professional meetings.
  • Writer: For 10+ years has been writing a monthly column in Walls & Ceilings magazine (the leading independent journal for exterior and interior wall/ceiling systems). Countless articles in other professional magazines.

Services

  • Product Development: Product design; testing; specifications; technical literature; drawings.
  • Market Development: Market research; building code approvals; fire testing; extensive overseas experience in Asia, Pacific Rim, Europe and Africa/Mid East.
  • Pre-Construction Services: Review of project drawings and specifications; design of construction details; quality assurance programs; etc.
  • Litigation Support and Building Defect Analysis: Expert witness; on-site investigations; expert opinions; technical advice, etc.
  • Inspections: During the selling process, for buyer or seller, of for lenders and insurance companies. Assessments of condition of building walls - commercial and residential.
  • On-Site Investigations of Building Problems: Wind damage and structural problems; water leaks; water vapor (condensation + mold/mildew) problems; aesthetic problems (appearance issues); quality assurance.

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      WHAT'S EIFS?     Home/Main Menu

    EIFS ("Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems", aka "synthetic stucco") is an exterior building wall product and is a system of materials. EIFS provides insulation, weatherproofing and a finished surface in a single integrated product. There are various types of EIFS and several ways of installing it, but EIFS is usually applied onto the outside face of exterior building walls, in a series of steps, by professional plasterers, using hand tools. The installation steps are:

  • Insulation. Attach rigid foam insulation boards (white, in drawing above) to the building wall (gray, above) using an adhesive or mechanical anchors or both.
  • Base Coat. Apply a paste-like adhesive (blue, above) to the insulation, using a trowel, and embed fiberglass reinforcing mesh into the wet adhesive.
  • Finish Coat. Apply a colored, textured surface finish (yellow, above) to the dry adhesive layer (blue, above).

    • There are several types of EIFS, including the traditional barrier type, and the newer EIFS with Drainage type. The above description is of the simplest type - a barrier EIFS.

    There are also a number of wall claddings that are not EIFS but that look a lot like EIFS (and vice versa), such as:

  • Portland cement exterior plaster, also known as stucco, is not EIFS. Stucco has been around for centuries and consists of Portland cement+sand+water, and is applied in a series of layers to a total thickness of about 1/2" to 3/4". Stucco is hard and brittle, provides no insulation, and requires "through-joints" (joints that go all the way through the stucco, known as "control joints") every 150 square feet. Also - and this is important -  there are various forms of "stucco", some of which are thinner and use synthetic materials, and are also often called synthetic stucco. These "stucco" products contain no insulation and hence also are not EIFS. Confused? It gets better - sometimes the EIFS finish coat (see above) is used as the "top coat" on such stucco products. Such claddings are sometimes still called "EIFS" when they are, in fact, "stucco". Thus, even though such walls "look like" "EIFS", they are "stucco", and the "top coat" - the EIFS finish - should be considered to be a "paint" or coating.
  • DAFS (Direct Applied Finish Systems, or sometimes called Direct Exterior Finish Systems - or 'DEFS'). If you take the insulation layer out of an EIFS and apply the EIFS coatings directly to a substrate, you have what is sometimes called a Direct-Applied Finish System  or DAFS.  Since DAFS have no insulation, they are also not EIFS either, although the use of an EIFS finish product on a DAFS makes a DAFS look a lot like an EIFS (hence the confusion).

    • Many colors and surface textures are available with EIFS. EIFS can also be made into carved or contoured "shapes", which give a wall a decorative effect and "shape".

    EIFS does not support the building, but rather is a cladding, like brick or siding. EIFS is very lightweight, has excellent insulation characteristics, and is moderately priced.

    EIFS can be used on many types of buildings, including homes, apartments, condos, offices, shopping centers, malls, high rise buildings, stores, hospitals, hotels, resorts, casinos, stadiums, government buildings, military installations, and many more. It is simply an exceptionally versatile and attractive product, and hence its popularity.

    EIFS can be used on new buildings and on existing buildings. EIFS can also be prefabricated in a factory as ready-to-install wall panels that incorporate an integral metal frame. The completed panels can then be truck to the site, lifted with a crane, and welded to the building's structural frame.

    EIFS can be attached to concrete, brick, masonry, plywood, Oriented Strand Board ("OSB"), various types of gypsum-based sheathings, and cement board.

    EIFS now accounts for about 10% of the new wall exterior wall construction in the USA. EIFS was developed in Europe after World War II and was first successfully commercialized in North America in the 1960's.

    Additional information about EIFS is available from the website you are now looking at, in the form of free downloads; click here.

     

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      In the EIFS industry, a "foam shape" is a name given to a piece(s) of foam plastic thermal insulation board that is covered with a thin coating system. The coating system gives the outside surface color, texture, and shape. The coating system may be traditional EIFS or some non-EIFS look-alike variant. The purpose of foam shapes is to enhance the appearance of a wall - thus foam shapes are decorative in nature, and are used mostly for "looks" and not for their insulation value. Foam shapes usually protrude from the wall, and take the appearance of stone, logos, decorative bands, signage, lintels, sills and so on. 

      Normally when an EIFS wall is installed, most of wall is composed of a single basic EIFS product. Foam shapes are usually made of the same EIFS product as the 'base' EIFS material, and thus would perform like the "base" EIFS product (of which most of the wall is composed). In addition to their use with EIFS, foam shapes can also be used on non-EIFS walls such as stucco, concrete and block. This gives the intended aesthetic appearance, but sometimes these foam shapes are not "real EIFS" but are a hybrid product, even though they look like EIFS. Read on...

      Sometimes these non-EIFS hybrid foam shapes are integrated with 'real EIFS". and thus become part of the whole cladding system. The use of non-EIFS foam shapes in conjunction with "real EIFS" is not condoned by EIFS producers, as they have no control over the performance and compatibility of such hybrid wall claddings with their own products. In particular, foam shapes sometimes use base coats that are not reinforced with heat resistant materials like fiberglass, and thus they perform differently in fire situations than does real EIFS. This is what was reported as having occurred at the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in February of 2008.

      The use of non-EIFS foam shapes should be based on the same code compliance criteria as EIFS, and such non-EIFS foam shapes should be tested to confirm their code compliant performance. If a substitution of non-EIFS foam shapes is being proposed on a project you are involved with (perhaps due to a cost saving), check to see that the proposed non-EIFS foam shape is recognized as code compliant by the building codes. This check can be done by looking up "foam plastic" in the International Code Council's ("ICC") building codes website, and by reading about which products are the approved ones. This information is available as a series of free downloads of ICC Evaluation Services ("ICC-ES") technical reports (called "Evaluation Reports") listed on the ICC-ES website.

       

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      New EIMA Executive Director. EIMA has announced David Johnston as the new Executive Director of EIMA. David comes from BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) and has extensive experience in regulatory technical matters, and also in trade association operations. He will be working out of AWCI's offices outside of Washington, DC in Virginia (where he lives now), and will assume his duties the first week of July.

      Standards for EIFS. ASTM, is starting work to develop a specification of foam shapes (see OP-ED piece about foam shapes, above), and also for guidelines for how to inspect EIFS as it is being  installed. Both these new standards will be discussed in terms of the response received to the first draft of these proposed new documents, at the next meeting of ASTM's EIFS committee (chaired by Mr. Thomas), in Atlanta in October. Details of the scope and status of these in-process documents (and others) can be found on ASTM's website by looking at the activities of the Technical Committee E06.58.

      "The Mostest EIFS  Projects". Keep an eye open for the July 2009 issue of Walls and Ceilings magazine. That issue has the first part of a 2-part article of the 'mostest" EIFS  projects": the biggest, the most bizarre, and so on. Fun reading - written by Rob Thomas. You'll be amazed at what can be done with EIFS.

      "Toxic Drywall". There has recently been some media coverage and technical work done on this potentially big 'problem'. The problem involves drywall (gypsum wall board), imported from China, emitting gases that can supposedly cause health problems and corrosion. Although EIFS, when applied over stud framing, normally does has drywall on the interior side, the drywall is not an EIFS product and the problem is unrelated to EIFS - EIFS does sometimes use certain gypsum-based sheathing as its substrate, but the type of gypsum sheathing used is not the type of gypsum board involved. This problem has the potential for being a big deal, as there are reports of tens of thousand of affected houses, especially in Florida.

      "TEC" (H.B. Fuller - 'HBF') Discontinues EIFS Business. The 'TEC' brand of EIFS, (one of many products lines within the large H. B. Fuller parent company), is now no longer active in the EIFS industry. Comment: TEC has been one of the smaller national players in the EIFS business for decades, and has thousands of completed EIFS projects. But over the years people have wondered why they were in the business at all - perhaps because it was easy from HBF to make the EIFS products - as HBF makes a wide range of similar products  (see LINKS, above, for details about H. B. Fuller in general). If you are involved with products that use TEC's EIFS, I suggest you contact HBF for further details.

      EIMA - AWCI Integration (click to see EIMA press release): Please also see directly below the posting in the 'What's News' portion of this website regarding this matter. It looks like EIMA will be moving its offices to AWCI's offices in the Washington, DC area. A successor for Steve has not been named. It appears that EIMA and AWCI will be working together in some sense terms of sharing services (admin, office space, etc.) whilst EIMA is to remain independent.

      EIMA - Staff Changes - and What Else? The trade association in the USA for EIFS is the Atlanta-based EIFS Industry Members Association, also known as EIMA. At the end of 2008 EIMA's Executive Director, Steve Klamke, retired. The question now is "What will happen next?". A search is underway to find a replacement for Steve. There is also talk about relocating EIMA from Atlanta, or even EIMA becoming affiliated with another trade association. This is a significant matter, as EIMA was instrumental on a national level in recent years in a wide range of marketing, technical and legal issues regarding EIFS.

      EIFS Research: The EIFS Industry Members Association (aka "EIMA - see also directly above) has published a document that describes recent technical research undertaken in conjunction with the US Government about the performance of EIFS. In particular, it addresses thermal and moisture issues of EIFS-clad wall versus other wall types. Worth reading. Click here to read. (It's a big PDF file, so give it a chance to download). This is important research and documents what the EIFS industry has been saying for years, namely, that EIFS performs as well or better than traditional claddings in terms of thermal and moisture behavior.

      Magnesium Oxide Sheathing Board ("MgO" Board): MgO is a high performance mineral-based sheathing. It can be used as a substrate for EIFS and stucco and more. MgO is a widely-used product overseas, and is now being used in North America. This sheathing has the potential for being the next generation of drywall-like sheet sheathing products due to its strength and water resistance. Click here to go to Walls & Ceilings magazine for an informative article (by rgTHOMAS) on this product.

       

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    a lynx        USEFUL AND INTERESTING LINKS          Home/Main Menu

    Here are handy links to websites that deal with EIFS and like-products:

  • Major EIFS Manufacturers.  BASF Wall Systems: Senergy and other BASF brands  - Dryvit -  Parex-La Habra: Parex, Texas EIFS, and other brands - Sto: Sto and various other Sto brands - Master Wall - Omega Products - H. B. Fuller: 'TEC' EIFS brand*.
    * Note: H.B. Fuller ('TEC') suspended activities in the EIFS industry in the 1st quarter 2009.
  • ASTM. Philadelphia-based, ASTM (the American Society for Testing and Materials) is the world's leading technical organization for development of specifications, guides, and testing procedures for almost any product you can think of.  Mr. Thomas (this website) is chairman of ASTM's  EIFS Committee E06.58. ASTM's website is loaded with consensus-developed technical documents that relate to EIFS; use "EIFS" as a 'key word' to search for information.
  • Association of Wall and Ceiling Industries, International ("AWCI"). Washington, DC-based international trade association of contractors and manufacturers in the wall and ceiling industry, including EIFS. Offers EIFS contractor training programs and insurance.
  • NEW. FOAM SHAPES. Working together, Basalite and Patterson-Whittaker are manufacturers of factory-produced stone-like profiled decorative trim, such as moldings, window surrounds, lintels, sills, cornices, parapets, etc., for use on building exteriors. Click on the links to see examples of this product on real projects.
  • Dragon Board. Distributors/importers of magnesium oxide ("MgO") mineral-based high performance sheathing Dragon Board. Strong, water-resistant, and noncombustible, in sheet form (like drywall).
  • Executive Advisory Institute ("EAI"). A Portland, Oregon-based consulting firm with 30+ years of executive management experience, EAI provides management assistance, training and strategic direction to companies throughout North America and Europe, with a special focus on construction related organizations. EAI helps management identify and resolve issues related to growth, start-ups, down-sizing, turn-arounds, acquisitions, and dispositions.
  • EIFS Industry Members Association ("EIMA"). The Atlanta-based trade association for the US EIFS industry. EIMA promotes the EIFS industry and its products, conducts market and technical research, and interfaces with outside groups like government agencies, building code groups, etc. Primarily manufacturer-based, EIMA also has suppliers, contractors, distributors and  engineering/design professionals as members. Important: see notes above in WHAT'S NEWS about recent changes to EIMA.
  •  EIFS & Stucco Inspection & Forensic Services ("ESIFS"). Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, ESIFS has 20+ years experience with EIFS, and provides consulting, inspection, testing and expert witness services.
  • Exterior Design Institute ("EDI").  A Norfolk, Virginia-based organization that trains inspectors for EIFS (and other building products) via online courses, and maintains an online database of EIFS inspectors who have completed their courses.
  • International Code Council ("ICC"). A USA-based group (offices throughout the USA) that develops/publishes the very widely-used International Building Codes, and also issues technical reports ("Evaluation Reports" - "ER's") on building products, including reports for major EIFS brands. On the ICC website, you can do a search on "EIFS" to see all the info that ICC has to offer about EIFS, such as the ICC codes, ICC's Acceptance Criteria for EIFS, and technical reports on specific EIFS brands.
  • Magnum Building Products. Distributors/importers of magnesium oxide ("MgO") mineral-based high performance sheathing Magnum Board. Strong, water-resistant, and noncombustible, in sheet form (like drywall).
  • Northwest Wall and Ceiling Bureau ("NWCB"). Seattle, Washington-based regional/international trade association serving the Pacific Northwest area of North America, including the USA and western Canada and Alaska.
  • Walls and Ceilings magazine ("W&C"). A Michigan-based leading US national trade magazine for wall and ceiling issues - Walls and Ceilings ("W&C"). Extensive EIFS coverage in W&C  (including a monthly column on EIFS, called The Finish Line, by Mr. Thomas). Click here to go to W&C magazine to search for dozens of informative EIFS articles on a wide range of topics.
  • Western Wall and Ceiling Contractors Association ("WWCCA"). A California-based, contractor-oriented trade association, headquartered in the greater Los Angeles metroplex area, (with offices in CA, AZ and NV), WWCCA provides technical and business management support for wall and ceiling contractors, including EIFS.
  • Wikipedia Article on EIFS. The popular Wikipedia online encyclopedia has an article about EIFS; click here.

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       CONTACT            Home/Main Menu

    • EMail: Click here to send an email now, or use rgt@rgthomas.com.
    • We are located in Jacksonville (area) Florida
    • 904-343-2365

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        TERMS OF USE OF THIS WEBSITE         Home/Main Menu

    • Terms of Use. This is the website of Robert G. Thomas, Jr. - Architectural Consultant. The Terms of Use below apply to this website and the use of it. Make sure to use anything found on any Internet website, and especially this one, with caution, as it may not be, and probably is not, necessarily directly applicable as-is to your specific building or situation. Make sure to independently confirm from multiple sources any information obtained from this website, and from anywhere else on the Internet, and from any other source, including links from this website, before proceeding with action. If you want to quote anything obtained from this website, do not do so unless you have first obtained written permission from the copyright holder, Robert G. Thomas, Jr., as all material on this website contained therein are Copyright © 1995-2009 Robert G. Thomas, Jr. If you do not agree with these notes and requirements,  do not use this website or the links contained therein. By using this website you agree that you accept these Terms.
    • *EIFS. EIFS is an acronym. It stands for Exterior Insulation & Finish System - also known as "Dryvit®"** and synthetic stucco.**
    • ** Dryvit. "EIFS" is sometimes called "Dryvit" and "synthetic stucco". Dryvit" is a registered trademark of Dryvit Systems, Inc., an EIFS producer. In your dealings with EIFS, you should refer to EIFS as "EIFS", unless the product in question is actually the Dryvit brand of EIFS product.
    • *** "PDF" is a computer file format that can be used to view and print PDF documents on almost any computer. Software that always reading PDF files comes pre-installed on all newer PC's. If your computer does not have a PDF viewer, the most common one is called Acrobat (by the Adobe software company), and is available free by clicking on this link. A "ZIP" file is a  common computer file type that is used to store and/or transmit a document or documents in a single, smaller file size. ZIP files are "opened" by running an UNZIP program. UNZIP programs are available for free from many sources, including this shareware website. Also, click here to download a simple ZIP file processing shareware program called "Just Zip It".