Robert Thomas

I get a lot of calls people that are not actually in the construction industry but involved with buildings, such as homeowners and realtors. They are looking for basic information about how EIFS is installed. My first response is to make sure they know which EIFS producer's product they are having installed and be familiar with the manufacturer's printed instructions and code approvals.

One of the questions I am frequently asked is how to fix sealant joints when the edge of the EIFS is coming apart or the sealant has detached from the EIFS, or when the sealant simply wears out. Sometimes, the old sealant can be removed and the existing edge of the EIFS reused for the application of new sealant.

EIFS is a pretty amazing product and there are zillions of examples of things that have been done with it that are ingenious and that go far past the original intended use of EIFS as a wall cladding. There are also lots of sad stories of pushing EIFS way past its limits, with all sorts of poor outcomes and happy lawyers.

Did you know that EIFS projects are supposed to be inspected? There is a building code requirement for special inspections that is specifically for EIFS and it's in the International Building Code, published by the International Code Council.

One of EIFS' real advantages, from a design standpoint, is its cost-effective ability to articulate the outside surface of a wall to create various visual effects. This includes such common design features as color, texture, foam shapes and aesthetic reveals.

Perhaps the most common phone inquiry I get is to do an "EIFS inspection"-whatever that means. The word "inspection" has a lot of connotations, such as checking the EIFS application process while it is occurring on a new building and investigating known problems on EIFS walls.

Katrina really gave the Gulf Coast a shellacking. It was easy for me to sit back and take it all in on the TV, only to realize that I now live on the Florida coast and am not immune: There's another hurricane working its way up the coast as I write this.

There is embedded trim and then there is flashing. What's the difference? Flashing is not bonded into the EIFS coatings but may be in loose contact with the coatings. Embedded

When was the last time you saw a chimney on a house that was made of real brick, stone or masonry? It seems these days a lot of chimneys are

When designing and installing EIFS, one of the most important things to pay attention to is the interface between the EIFS and adjacent wall components at the perimeter of the