EIFS, stucco and waterproofing
Synthetic and traditional stucco, air and water barriers and coatings, under the same contract as the masonry.
On most jobs in this region the block, the air barrier and the stucco are three separate awards across three specification sections, which means every transition between them belongs to nobody in particular. We carry all of it. One number, one sequence, and one company answering the phone when water shows up on the inside of a wall.
What we install
EIFS, barrier and drainage types
Continuous insulation systems, including StoTherm ci
Cement board stucco with a drainage cavity, including StoQuik Silver DrainScreen
Traditional three coat cement plaster over metal lath
One coat stucco systems
Fluid applied air and water resistive barriers
Sheet and self adhered membranes
Elastomeric, acrylic and mineral finish coatings
Expansion and control joint sealants
Waterproofing where it ties into the masonry
Mostly Sto, and whatever the specification names
Most of what we submit is Sto, across continuous insulation, cement board stucco and the barrier products behind them, on schools, banks, retail additions, gymnasiums and grocery. Enough repetition that we know how that manufacturer wants the terminations drawn before the architect asks.
That is a preference, not a limitation. If the specification names a different manufacturer, we install the specification. What does not change is that the system goes on as one assembly with one company standing behind it, rather than a finish coat applied over somebody else’s barrier and hoped for.
One contract across three spec sections
Unit masonry is 04 20 00. EIFS is 07 24 00. Cement plaster is 09 24 00. Split those across three bidders and the flashing at the base of the EIFS, the termination against the brick and the sealant between dissimilar materials all sit in the gaps between scopes. Held together, they are one scope with one responsible party, which is worth more at year three than it is at buyout.
Details get reviewed before the wall closes
Wall assemblies fail at penetrations, terminations and transitions, almost never in the middle of a field. We read those details at submittal, flag the ones that will not shed water as drawn, and get them resolved while a redline still costs nothing.
Common questions
What is the difference between EIFS and stucco?
EIFS is an insulated cladding: insulation board, a reinforced base coat and a finish, installed over a barrier. Traditional stucco is cement plaster applied over lath, with no insulation in the assembly. They look similar finished and they behave nothing alike. Which one belongs on your job is usually settled by the energy code and the wall assembly, not by preference.
Barrier or drainage EIFS?
Drainage systems give incidental water a path back out. In this climate that is normally the right answer, and most current specifications call for it. Barrier systems still appear on renovation work matching an existing assembly.
Who is responsible for the air and water barrier?
When we hold the masonry and the stucco, we do. That is the point of carrying both. The barrier is the layer most often orphaned between trades, and it is the layer that decides whether the wall leaks.
Can this be done on an occupied building?
Yes, and much of it is. Schools in session and buildings that cannot close get phased around the occupant’s calendar, with protection below the work and access that does not shut the main entrance.
Do you carry the sealants?
Yes. Expansion and control joints, and the joints between dissimilar materials. Sealant is another scope that often gets split out and then fails at exactly the transitions nobody owned.
How early do you need to be involved?
Before the backup wall closes. Once sheathing is covered, fixing a termination detail stops being a redline and starts being demolition.