Robert Thomas

The term inspection has different meanings to different people. To some it means an assessment of the condition of an existing building. To others it means an I-depth probe for possible problems on existing buildings. Some think of inspection in terms of monitoring the process of new construction as it occurs.

It’s pretty obvious that the U.S. economy is now in a depressed mode, and that home sales, and building construction in general, are two of the many affected industries. Over the last several decades when the construction industry slowed down, EIFS was less affected than other claddings. This, of course, is good news for people involved with EIFS-at least compared to people involved with many other wall products.

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.

When I do seminars and when I am at the office chatting with people on the phone about EIFS, one of the most common questions I am asked is, “What is the biggest/tallest/strangest EIFS project you know of?” That’s a good question.

In cold climate areas it is normal to put a vapor barrier on the warm side of the wall so that the humid interior air cannot get into the wall and condense during the winter. But you may not be aware that this vapor flow can also occur in the opposite direction, namely humid summer outdoor air may allow vapor to move toward the interior, causing moisture build-up in the wall.

Most of the inquiries I get for help with existing EIFS projects have something to do with an odd problem that no one can figure out how to work around. Some inquiries also are about strange uses for EIFS on new buildings.

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.

If you are determined to use EIFS as the new cladding on an existing building, you may have a real challenge trying to find a way to get the new EIFS properly attached to the wall. Here are some solutions to attaching EIFS to unusual surfaces.

Reinforcing mesh in EIFS serves several purposes, but its most essential function is not, as is commonly believed, to provide impact resistance.

Sometimes the limits of what EIFS can do get pushed too far, and problems ensue. Usually these misguided uses of EIFS are well intentioned, and are due to a lack of understanding of the properties of EIFS.