What happened to the EIFS business in the 1990s?
The recession of 1990 was the only thing that slowed down the business as the EIFS industry’s sales dropped for the first time in 1991. But the business rebounded in 1992 and the EIFS residential business continued to grow—that is until it ran into the perfect storm.
When did EIFS become popular in the US?
By the mid-1980s, EIFS was commonly found in most mid- to upper-priced residential developments throughout the country. But that would all change by the end of the century. It may surprise you to know that at one time, 30 percent of the EIFS business was in the residential market.
Can the EIFS industry recover from the residential water intrusion stigma?
The EIFS industry had lost almost 30 percent of its business with the loss of the residential market. The EIFS residential water intrusion stigma would be with the industry for years to come. But if we can learn from the past, the EIFS industry should be able to achieve a foothold again in the residential market.
What is EIFS and why do you need it?
There is a history of water infiltration problems causing damage to buildings resulting in costly legal cases, so the recommended systems include a drainage plane to let water drain down and out from behind the cladding. EIFS was developed in Europe after World War II and was initially used to retrofit masonry walls.
When did EIFS stop being used?
Despite the water intrusion issues that occurred in the fall of 1995, EIFS industry sales (including commercial and residential sales) peaked in 1996. However, the overall business continued to drop until 2002.
Is EIFS stucco still used?
Yet today, EIFS are still around. About 100 million square feet of EIFS went on new and remodeled homes last year, rivaling any other siding material.
How do I know if my house has EIFS?
The easiest way to identify synthetic stucco (EIFS) is by touching the material with your bare hand. When you touch the wall where the stucco is installed, it will feel like plastic. You can also knock gently on the wall. If it sounds hollow and thin, you have EIFS on your home.
Where is EIFS banned?
North Carolina has banned the so-called "barrier" variety of EIFS in new home construction, and Georgia plans to do the same in the fall, according to the NAHB.
Can EIFS be replaced?
EIFS Replacement Advantages: Replacing your EIFS siding has many advantages including; Eliminating a failed system that allows for moisture intrusion, mold and dry rot damage and replacing it with proven siding that is built to last for 30 years or more.
Which is better stucco or EIFS?
The fiberglass layer provides more durability, even against hard blows from weather. EIFS is notably lighter than traditional stucco, however. It is 80-percent less heavy than stucco, but it has a higher R-value, coming in between 4 and 5.6, which is notably higher than the 0.20 R-value of regular stucco.
Is all synthetic stucco EIFS?
Synthetic stucco is commonly referred to as Exterior Insulating and Finish System (EIFS). Homes with this exterior finish are often strikingly beautiful, offer great flexibility in home design, and provide energy savings.
How can you tell the difference between real stucco and synthetic stucco?
Synthetic stucco will feel a bit soft and sound hollow when tapped. Traditional stucco will feel hard, brittle, and not give when pushed on, and will sound solid when tapped. Additionally, if there is a hole in the exterior, such as for light fixture or vent, you may be able to see the layering of the material.
Are Dryvit and EIFS the same thing?
Having a house with EIFS, also known as Dryvit, isn't the end of the world. EIFS isn't a disease; it's synthetic stucco. And even though your house may have been built using it, with knowledge and proper maintenance everything can be just fine. EIFS is an Exterior Insulation and Finish System.
Does EIFS crack?
Some EIFS laminas crack sooner than others, but they all eventually crack. The cracks are due to hygric and thermal stresses, embrittlement due to aging, and building movement. The cracks in EIFS laminas are often found initially at reveals and at window openings.
Is EIFS siding bad?
The problems with barrier EIFS cladding all stem from water intrusion. These problems include moisture accumulation in the wall cavity, subsequent wood damage and, in more advanced cases, mold growth and the infestation of pests such as carpenter ants or termites.
How much does it cost to repair EIFS?
The national average cost range to repair stucco is $900 to $3,000, with most homeowners paying around $1,700 for repairing buckled three-coat stucco in a 10 x 10-foot area....Stucco Repair Cost by Type.TypeRepair Cost per Sq.Ft. (Labor Included)Synthetic$30 - $50EIFS$30 - $501 more row•Nov 9, 2021
Are Dryvit and EIFS the same thing?
Having a house with EIFS, also known as Dryvit, isn't the end of the world. EIFS isn't a disease; it's synthetic stucco. And even though your house may have been built using it, with knowledge and proper maintenance everything can be just fine. EIFS is an Exterior Insulation and Finish System.
What is the best stucco system?
If weather is a concern and you have enough money in your budget, acrylic stucco might be the best choice for you. Synthetic stucco material is also called an exterior insulation and finish system (EIFS), and it is a polymer-based laminate that is applied in two coats over a rigid insulation board secured to a wall.
Is EIFS a good product?
EIFS worked well in Europe for several reasons; it provided great insulation and weather protection and it installed nicely on European buildings which tend to have masonry walls, to which the EIFS adhered nicely.
Is synthetic stucco better than regular stucco?
Synthetic Stucco Performance. Traditional stucco is more durable, fire resistant, and has greater longevity, being able to last up to 50 years with low maintenance. Traditional stucco is also very porous and dries out quickly, while synthetic stucco is not and can have water damage issues if not installed properly.
What happened before EIFs?
Before the EIFS industry knew what had happened, the news media was reporting building defects in these EIFS houses. This caused panic in and around the Wilmington area. From there the panic spread to other parts of the country. By the end of 1995, the EIFS water intrusion crisis had spread across the country.
How long has the EIFS been around?
By 1995, the EIFS industry had been around for 25 years. The EIFS housing business had been growing strong for 20 years. Then the summer hurricane season began and two storms dumped large amounts of rain on the Carolina coast. The city of Wilmington, N.C., was near the center point of both storms. In September, after the storms subsided, Wilmington’s city building department began to get calls about water related damage in houses.
What happened to EIFS insurance?
place. As claims were brought against EIFS houses, insurance companies were called on to pay for the damage. This led to resistance by insurance companies to write EIFS insurance policies for houses. This action ultimately drove to EIFS exclusion language being introduced into General Liability policies in the early 2000s. EIFS insurance became hard to find and, if it was available, it was at a premium price. Without the ability to insure, along with all the bad press that EIFS had gotten in the residential market, the EIFS housing business was lost.
How did EIFS improve building techniques?
Building techniques improved as the EIFS industry pushed awareness of proper construction design and detailing, such as the use of proper flashings at roof/wall intersections and deck attachments . Rough openings for windows and doors were wrapped with some form of a WRB. This helped if the windows leaked. Better education programs were introduced, such as the “EIFS—Doing it Right” program. Also, the industry pushed hard to ensure that there was plenty of information available about the proper way to build with EIFS and other cladding materials.
What was the boom of the EIFs industry?
The boom of EIFS in the residential market also continued to grow throughout the 1980s. More and more applicators were getting into the residential game as the demand increased.
Why did the EIFS industry design products and systems?
So, EIFS R&D and engineering teams designed products and systems to overcome the concerns that rose from the water intrusion issues.
What was the recession in 1990?
The recession of 1990 was the only thing that slowed down the business as the EIFS industry’s sales dropped for the first time in 1991. But the business rebounded in 1992 and the EIFS residential business continued to grow—that is until it ran into the perfect storm.
How to tell if you have EIFs?
Go outside and knock on an outer “stucco” wall of your home. If it sounds hollow, there is a good chance you have EIFS. If it feels like you are knocking on a brick wall, it is more likely that you are knocking on traditional “hard-coat” stucco.
What is barrier EIFS?
Barrier EIFS is comprised of a base coat and finish coat applied over an EPS board that is attached directly to the sheathing using fasteners or an adhesive. The system provides no avenue for water to drain out once it penetrates behind the EPS board. Traditional stucco, on the other hand, is applied over a wire mesh, and installed with standoffs that allow space behind the stucco for “weeping” of water. No EPS or Styrofoam board is used in a traditional stucco exterior.
How to tell if you have EIFS cladding?
Put your hand under the bottom edge of the cladding near the foundation, assuming that is possible (another common installation error occurs when the EIFS is installed below grade, making this test difficult if not impossible). If you can feel that the cladding comes out away from the foundation 3/4 of an inch or more, chances are you have an EIFS cladding. This is because the EPS board used in EIFS makes the system extend farther away from the wall than a traditional stucco system.
What is the difference between stucco and EIFs?
One of the most important differences is that barrier EIFS will not allow water to pass back through its coating in vapor form once moisture gets behind the system. By contrast, traditional stucco is a porous material which will permit moisture to move both in and out of the wall cavity.
Can you use EPS on stucco?
Traditional stucco, on the other hand, is applied over a wire mesh, and installed with standoffs that allow space behind the stucco for “weeping” of water. No EPS or Styrofoam board is used in a traditional stucco exterior.
Do you need to inspect stucco for EIFs?
Inspect some of the penetrations in the stucco. Since most installers of EIFS do not create the proper joints around penetrations such as light fixtures, gutter straps, or doorbell/intercom devices, remove these items and check for the telltale foam board used in EIFS. If you see the Styrofoam-like board, you have EIFS. Traditional stucco exteriors do not use this element.
Overview
History of EIFS
EIFS was developed in Europe after World War II and was initially used to retrofit masonry walls. EIFS started to be used in North America in the 1960s, at first on commercial masonry buildings. EIFS became very popular in the mid- 1970s due to the oil embargo and the resultant surge in interest in insulating wall systems that conserve energy used for heating and cooling. The use of EIFS over stud-and-sheathing framing instead of over solid walls is a technique used primarily in …
Terminology
In the United States the International Building Code and ASTM International define Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS) as a nonload bearing, exterior wall cladding system that consists of an insulation board attached either adhesively or mechanically, or both, to the substrate; an integrally reinforced base coat; and a textured protective finish coat.
EIFS with Drainage, another EIFS system, is the predominant method of EIFS applied today. As t…
EIFS installation
EIFS are typically attached to the outside face of exterior walls with an adhesive (cementitious or acrylic based) or mechanical fasteners. Adhesives are commonly used to attach EIFS to gypsum board, cement board, or concrete substrates. EIFS are attached with mechanical fasteners (specially designed for this application) when installed over housewraps (sheet-good weather barriers) such as are commonly used over wood sheathings. The supporting wall surface shoul…
EIFS since year 2000
Research, conducted by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and supported by the Department of Energy, has affirmed that EIFS are the "best performing cladding" in relation to thermal and moisture control when compared to brick, stucco, and cementitious fiberboard siding. EIFS are in compliance with modern building codes that emphasize energy conservation through the use of CI (continuous insulation) and a continuous air barrier.
Composition and types of EIFS
Types of EIFS are defined by their materials and the existence/absence of a drainage plane. The EIFS Industry Members Association (EIMA) defines two classes of EIFS, Class PB (polymer based) identified as PB EIFS and Class PM (polymer modified) identified as PM EIFS.
PB EIFS is the most common type in North America and historically used expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation adhered to the substrate with fiberglass mesh embedded in a nominal 1/16 inc…
Legal issues
EIFS systems have been the subject of several lawsuits in the United States, mostly related to the installation process and failure of the system causing moisture buildups and subsequent mold growth. The most notable case concerned the former San Martin, California courthouse. This case was settled for 12 million dollars.
The basic underlying problem behind EIFS litigation was that EIFS was marketed as a cost-effec…
Marketing of EIFS and the EIFS industry
EIFS account for about 10% of the US commercial wall cladding market. There are several dozen EIFS manufacturers in North America. Some sell nationwide, and some are regional in their area of business operations. The EIFS manufacturers sell the various system components (adhesives, coatings, etc.) through specialty building product distributors, who in turn resell the components to local EIFS installers. The top five EIFS producers account for about 90% of the US market. The…