Stone Veneer a Problem

[Chris Bernhardt]

So far, I'm not seeing entire walls rotting because of solar vapor drive.

Yes, I have to agree. I have only actually seen damage like you say related to leaks.

Jim, do you think the way they are installing faux stone in our neck of the woods makes it more leaky then a standard stucco installation?

At the end of the EFIS period how did you report on it? Did all EFIS installations get the recommendation for an invasive inspection to determine moisture content in the wall?

I'm imagining a lot of wet sheathing with incipient decay behind that faux stone veneer that I simply can't detect with non-invasive means.

Chris, Oregon

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by Chris Bernhardt

So far, I'm not seeing entire walls rotting because of solar vapor drive.

Yes, I have to agree. I have only actually seen damage like you say related to leaks.

Jim, do you think the way they are installing faux stone in our neck of the woods makes it more leaky then a standard stucco installation?

Yes. No question. At least hardcoat stucco has three layers and a reasonable finish that sheds most of the water.

At the end of the EFIS period how did you report on it? Did all EFIS installations get the recommendation for an invasive inspection to determine moisture content in the wall?

I identified every problem that I could using strictly visual methods -- often a long list -- then recommended an invasive inspection every time.

I'm imagining a lot of wet sheathing with incipient decay behind that faux stone veneer that I simply can't detect with non-invasive means.

I suspect that, in most cases, the damage will be found in easily predictable locations.

Is the IR camera no help with faux stone?

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Chris Bernhardt]

Is the IR camera no help with faux stone?

If there is evaporative cooling, you should be able to see it from the interior, but it's nothing that a careful HI wouldn't find with his eyes and a moisture meter.

If the veneer is leaking and wetting the sheathing but not yet saturating insulation or getting to the interior, I imagine it would be pretty hard to make a determination in most cases given you need to monitor or sample scan the wall from before sun up to sun down to look for a lagging moisture signature.

Might as well deep probe the wall.

Chris, Oregon