Not-so-EIFS EIFS?

[Jesse]

Yesterday I did a big-money townhouse in a new Oak Brook subdivision with (I thought) EIFS, with a bunch of bad details. Today the client, who felt betrayed by the developer, called me to let me know about her conversation with the builder.

He described to her a complete stucco system with a "Dryvit paint on top." I asked her, if she was still interested in the house, to get full documentation on the system in place, and I'd help her look it over.

Have any of you heard of this type of installation? Good? Bad? Indifferent? More info?

[kurt]

Dryvit is not necessarily EIFS, nor is EIFS always Dryvit. Dryvit is a trademarked brand name for a particular product line.

Dryvit on top of durock w/dimpled Tyvek can work fine so long as the drainage planes, WRB, and weep screed(s) are in place.

You probably already knew that though.......

Lots of folks are still using Dryvit in all sorts of creative ways. The mere comment "dryvit paint on top" makes me queasy.

I've also heard it called "real stucco", whatever that means.

[hausdok]

Hi,

A standard 3-coat Portland cement stucco job with a Dryvit topcoat applied to it would actually probably be pretty decent. Whether it's Dryvit or one of the other EIFS products, the topcoat that's used is a polymer mix that forms a thin shell on top of the EIFS basecoat and imbedded mesh. Unlike a standard 3-coat topcoat, the EIFS topcoat isn't permeable; so, instead of moisture eventually making its way through the saturated stucco, the only place it's going to get in will be around windows and doors and protrusion details. However, EIFS topcoat applied or not, the rest of the details will need to comply with the rules and standard of care for Portland cement 3-coat stucco or it's not going to perform well. That means accessory, expansion, termination beads and weep screeds in the proper places and everything detailed properly. What's the likelihood of that happening?

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[kurt]

Originally posted by hausdok

Hi,

What's the likelihood of that happening?

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

In Chicago???

I'd put it somewhere very close to zero.

On second thought, zero.

[Jesse]

Originally posted by kurt

You probably already knew that though.......

That doesn't mean it's not worth saying.

Mike, I agree with what you're saying about the advantage of the less-permeable topcoat. As Kurt assumed, there are plenty of stucco details at this house that are no good. I'm meeting with the client and a builder's rep at the house on Saturday.