rgTHOMASTM  

ARCHITECTURAL  CONSULTANT  -
 America's EIFS* Expert - 30 Years Experience 
 Exterior Building Wall Design, Technology and Marketing Consulting,
and Building Defect Investigation Services for...
EIFS*, Stucco, Wall Systems, Windows, Curtainwall, Framing, Sealants, Sheathing, and Coatings.

Our 20th Year!

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

 Overview - rgTHOMAS Services   What is EIFS?    Books   Contact    What's New   Links    Terms 

 

EIFS NEWS - FIRE IN LAS VEGAS - 1/25/2008
A fire occurred at the 32 story - 3000 room Monte Carlo Hotel in Las Vegas on 1/25/2008.
The primary facade cladding was reported as being "EIFS", and an area of several floors
near the roof, that looks like EIFS, was affected - photo and story.
The property is owned by MGM. No serious injuries resulted.
The building was evacuated and guests were rebooked at other nearby MGM properties.
At present, the property is closed while repairs are being made.
The City says the fire resulted from roof top maintenance work involving welding..
All the facts are "not in" as-yet, regarding what exactly happened,
but this event may affect the use of this and other popular wall claddings in LV and elsewhere.
 For background on EIFS fire issues, click here for an informative article by rgTHOMAS.
FIRE UPDATE - 2/16/2008
 Most of the building was reopened on 2/15/2008. An investigation of the matter indicates
that the area that burned was an EIFS-like product used for decoration
in certain wall areas, and not the "true" EIFS product that was used on most of the facade.
This would explain the fire's behavior, which was inconsistent with the way code-approved EIFS
reacts in fires. For instance, normally the EIFS lamina and gets damaged, but stays in place,
 while insulation behind the lamina simply melts.
Click here for a statement by the EIFS industry trade association EIMA about their investigation.

 

 

 OVERVIEW        Home/Main Menu

Robert Thomas is a technical and marketing consultant-

He does not sell building products or nor does construction contracting  building (for these services, please contact a building product manufacturer or a construction contractor)

- but he does much more - see below.

Mr. Thomas specializes in EIFS (see above and below, about EIFS), including building defect investigations, inspections, testing, building code approvals, and product development/marketing.

He is often called "Mr. EIFS".  He has 30+ years of experience with EIFS, related products, and wall/roof system: 

  • EIFS Industry: Former Manager of Technical Services for Dryvit Systems, Inc. (leading EIFS producer). Consultant to many leading EIFS producers.
  • Worldwide Expertise: Extensive in-country experience, and also experience overseas, including Europe, Pacific Rim, South America, Mid East, and Africa.
  • ASTM. EIFS Testing and Standards: Chairman 15+ years of the US national technical committee on EIFS (ASTM). Chairman of several international EIFS symposia.
  • Author: Of the 6 leading books on EIFS.
  • Expert: Sought affect expert for litigation support. Frequently quoted, and asked to speak at industry and professional meetings.
  • Writer: Writes a monthly column on EIFS in Walls & Ceilings magazine (leading trade journal for exterior and interior wall/ceiling systems). Countless articles in numerous professional magazines & trade journals.

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 the EIFS. Causes of problems and how to deal with them. Commercial and residential buildings.
  • On-Site Investigations: Wind damage and structural problems; water leaks; water vapor (condensation + mold/mildew) problems; aesthetic problems (appearance); quality assurance

 

 

     

      WHAT'S EIFS?     Home/Main Menu

    EIFS ("Exterior Insulation and Finish System", 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, above) to the building wall (gray, above) using an adhesive or mechanical anchors.
  • 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 often called synthetic stucco. These "stucco" products contain no insulation and hence also are not EIFS. It gets better - sometimes the EIFS finish coat 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). 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, 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, high rise buildings, stores, hospitals, hotels, stadiums, government buildings, 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. EIFS can be attached to concrete, brick, masonry, plywood, Oriented Strand Board ("OSB") and gypsum-based sheathing.

    EIFS now accounts for about 10% of the new 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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      LINKS          Home/Main Menu

    Here are handy links to websites with EIFS-related content. Especially, if your are looking for generic, basic information about EIFS, these websites may help:

  • American Society for Testing and Materials ("ASTM"). World's leading technical organization for development of specifications, guides, and testing procedures for almost any product you can think of.  Mr. Thomas is chairman of the ASTM's  EIFS Committee. This website has all sorts of consensus-developed technical documents that relate to EIFS. Do a "key word" search on ASTM's website to see all that is available about EIFS on ASTM.
  • Association of Wall and Ceiling Industries, International ("AWCI"). Washington, DC -based national trade association of contractors and manufacturers in the wall and ceiling industry, including EIFS. Offers EIFS contractor training programs.
  • Dragon Board. Distributor of magnesium oxide (mineral-based) high performance sheathing Dragon Board. Strong, water-resistant, and noncombustible, in sheet form (like drywall).
  • Exterior Design Institute ("EDI").  Virginia-based organization that does training of EIFS inspectors. Has database of EIFS inspectors and does training programs.
  • International Code Council ("ICC"). A USA-based group (offices throughout the USA) that develops/publishes the 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. Especially, look at their ICC codes, their Acceptance Criteriafor EIFS, and their reports for specific EIFS brands.
  • Magnum Building Products. Distributor of magnesium oxide (mineral-based) high performance sheathing Magnum Board. Strong, water-resistant, and noncombustible, in sheet form (like drywall).
  • Northwest Wall and Ceiling Bureau ("NWCB"). Seattle-based regional trade association serving the Pacific Northwest area of the USA, including the USA and western Canada and Alaska.
  • Walls and Ceilings magazine ("W&C"). The leading US national trade magazine for wall and ceiling issues. Extensive EIFS coverage (including a monthly column on EIFS, by Mr. Thomas). Click here to go to W&C magazine to search for dozens of EIFS articles.

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       EIFS BOOKS            Home/Main Menu

      rgTHOMAS publishes the most popular books about EIFS. These include:

    • EIFS Design Handbook (#1 seller)
    • EIFS New Construction Inspection Guide
    • EIFS Existing Construction Inspection Maintenance, and Repair Guide

      • Click here for details about these books (a PDF*** file), and ordering information.

       

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       CONTACT            Home/Main Menu

    • EMail: Click here to send an email now.
    • Mailing Address:
      rgTHOMAS
      1417 Sadler Road, #269
      Fernandina Beach       (Amelia Island - Jacksonville area), Florida 32034  USA
    • Facsimile: Please send documents as a PDF*** file attachment as an email.

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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, please 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 © 1995-2007 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 of Use.
    • *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. A PDF file viewer 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".