STUCCO NEWS.NET

The construction industry sure took a giant step backwards when EIFS was invented.

After the big lawsuits in North Carolina in 1999, and when EIFS was wholesaley ripped off of nearly every house in that state, EIFS is more widely used than ever before. It seems the public didn't learn their lesson from that disaster, and EIFS is more widely used than ever before. Just like the Vietman war, this disaster was forgotten and history is likely to repeat itself.

EIFS is styrofoam, but styrofoam is a name brand, so the foam is Called EPS board, that is extruded polystyrene, of expanded polystyrene. EPS board sounds fancier than styrofoam, the same crumbly material used in the coolers that only last one day. EIFS is so flimsy you can poke a hole in it with a pencil. EIFS is frequently replaced in shopping centers and other buildings because it just can't stand up to the abuse.

EIFS is frequently replaced in shopping centers and other high abuse areas. The EIFS on this Home Depot was already replaced. So much for "Built to last".

A judge in Norfolk, Virginia declared that Dryvit, a brand name of EIFS. is not merchantable in Virginia:

"While the Court finds that the installation complied with the general standards in the trade, even if the Outsulation were perfectly applied according to Dryvit’s specifications, instructions, and details, the patented Outsulation “system,” consisting of the method of application and the component parts, is intrinsically defective and, thus, is not merchantable."

However, this stuff is still being put on more than ever before.

A strong wind will blow off EIFS:

Here, EIFS blew off the penthouse of this commercial building in Bethesda, Maryland.

EIFS is foam board that has been proven to absorb water like a sponge. The sponge traps water against the wall.

EIFS at one time was called fake stucco, and then synthetic stucco, which is a more polite way to say fake stucco. Now EIFS is referred to as stucco, which explains why I get a lot of calls to repair EIFS. Birds poke holes in EIFS, so I get calls wanting to fill in the bird holes. The general myth is that these are woodpeckers. It is believed that only a bird with a strong beak like a woodpecker can poke a hole in the wall.

Many don't remember but between 1998 and 2000 the EIFS was stripped off nearly every house in North Carolina. 4 EIFS manufacturers lost a class action suit and paid for removing EIFS. Entire neighborhoods had the EIFS torn off. South Carolina had a similar action a few years later, but the payout was a measly $ 4 per square foot. The class action didn't pass in Georgia. Why not ? The EIFS manufacturers association as well as other EIFS manufacturers have headquarters in Atlanta. Virginia has no class action statuate.

During this time period a protocol was developed for inspecting an EIFS house for water intrusion. A meter with two sharp probes was used. Each probe was stuck into the EIFS below the corners of the window. Since water conducts electricity, a reading was made of the moisture content below each window. This was an accurate method of inspecting for water infiltration without knocking a hole in the wall. This method was discontinued as the house sellers that had there house tested were left with 2 nail size holes under each window. These holes, however small, seemed to be impossible to match the color filling in the hole.

EIFS inspection companies popped up inspecting EIFS houses for water damage, not only for buying and selling, but for court litigation against EIFS manufacturers and installers. A real good inspection firm here in Virginia, Greencastle, was discredited because their testimony didn't stand up in court. The were discredited because they were "predjudiced against EIFS" if that makes any since. These EIFS inspectors one by one disappeared.

Here in Virginia and Maryland, large home builders like Toll Brothers, Stanley Martin and Pulte homes were sued and had to replace EIFS. In Virginia, Toll Brothers replaced over 140 houses with one coat stucco. The Toll Brothers lost the suit because the advertisements claimed that their houses had "Stucco details" around the doors and windows. This was considered fraud because their was no stucco , that is cement plaster, around the doors and windows but foam EIFS. When the Toll Brothers replaced the EIFS with one coat stucco, what did they use for the details ? EIFS again. Even though they lost the lawsuit due to fraudulent advertising, they commited fraud the second time and somehow got away with it.

During this time period the State of Virginia required a synthetic stucco disclaimer for any EIFS house sold. I don't know if this law was ever enforced. I hear from readers constantly that unwittingly bought an EIFS house advertised as a stucco house. Many times, people from foreign countries or states like California where real stucco is widely used, buy these houses really believing the houses are stucco. I have replaced EIFS for customers like this, that believed the false advertising.

What 5 year guarantee ? Dryvit Corporation touts a 5 year guarantee on each bucket. I don't think they ever have paid a claim. The condition of collecting the guarantee required having a certificate that was to be given from the Dryvit distributor to the homeowner, the end user. It is doubtful that any of these certificates even existed. Since the distributors sold mainly to contractors or home builders, the homeowner was never involved. Even then, the builder would need to request a certificate, and probably few if any knew to do so. Thoro corporation came out with a 7 year guarantee which was equally bogus. Thoro was one of the companies involved in the lawsuit in North Carolina, where the life span of Thoro EIFS house was about 2 years.

EIFS burns and is really volatile. I get calls as a stucco contractor from people trying to find someone to repair EIFS. Mostly these calls are about weedeater holes, bird holes, etc. I have had a few where the EIFS caught fire. A McDonalds near me bured down when a fire started on the EIFS. Stucco on metal lath and brick veneer have a high fire rating. Styrofoam burns like crazy. Of course the EIFS manufacturers don't tell you that.

We are using synthetic finishes more and they have their use. Synthetic finishes are a must if replacing EIFS on an EIFS house or replacing the EIFS on a house in an EIFS neighborhood. Since the colors bleed and fade it is more practical to use synthetic finish for dark colors. We recently stuccoed a bright blue house which would have looked horrible with a cement finish. Synthetic finishes are flexible for a few years and offer crack resistence for a few years.

Synthetic finishes are a rubbery paint, either acrylic or elastomeric, and sand. Mostly the sand is plastic, probably the ground up waste from making plastic products. Some finishes have real silica sand, that is crushed quartz, that is screened to an exact size. Synthetic finishes are used on EIFS and one coat stucco, and sometimes on conventional stucco basecoat.

Synthetic finishes are used on EIFS. Over the foam board there is a layer of plastic cloth and a thin basecoat. The foam board is sometimes called "EPS board" which sounds more durable than styrofoam. EPS means extruded polystyrene. The basecoat, sometimes called a green coat, is and adhesive mixed with portland cement on the job. They also make premixed basecoats that are a powder and mixed with water and a drill on the job.

Green material ? Don't make me throw up.Sto corporation claims their materials are green, yet they are probably the most highly toxic materials ever made. By their own admission, synthetic manufacturers supply data about how hazardous synthetic finish is on their websites, on Material Safety Data sheets. What is a Material Safety Data Sheet, or MSDS ?

Many years ago, before there was internet, at least for the majority of us, we were working on a huge ceiling at an Air Force Base here in the Washington, DC area. The job superintendent told me I needed to supply MSDS's for all my materials. I had no idea what a MSDS was. He took me into his office and showed me a file cabinent full of MSDS's, or Material Safety Data Sheets. Every subcontractor and supplier was required by the federal government to supply these sheets. The sheets explained the hazards and instructions of the particular material. For example, a warning on portland cement causing burns, and what to do when injested. These also explained instructions for the care of the material. The main reason for keeping these on file was in case of emergency, for example, injesting a toxic material, what to do. The warnings also were somewhat of a warning disclaimer for the manfacturers by supplying the hazards of their products. I was able to get MSDS's at the building supply where I bought materials. I a couple of cases, I obtained MSDS's by calling the manufacturer, who send the sheet by FAX. These days, MSDS's are avilable for download as a .pdf file on conpany websites.

Sto Corporation, Dryvit, Stuccoflex, etc. Say respirators, gloves and full body suits must be worn while putting on their finish. STO says leftover materials should be disposed of in a landfill approved for toxic waste. What ?? I thought this is a green material like their website says. Total wall says if the finish coatn material comes in contact with skin, it should be flushed with water for 15 minutes.

You may have read what I said about synthetic finishes here: Here's what it says: Synthetic stucco is highly toxic! Nothing "Green" about synthetic stucco. Earth friendly ? Don't believe it! Nothing earth friendly about synthetic stucco finishes or EIFS.

According to TOTAL WALL, a synthetic stucco manufacturer, Goggles must be worn, also rubber gloves, and full coveralls when using their synthetic finish. If not in a well ventilated area, you must wear a mask with "dust/mist/ fume cartridges. This finish also contains carcinogens, known to the state of California to cause cancer. All this information is on their web site. Click here to view a PDF file. STUC-O-FLEX, another large manufacturer of syntetic finishes says to use wear NIOSH approved organic vapor respirator, provide adequate ventilation, as well as wear chemical resistent gloves and goggles or safety glasses with side sheilds. They also say, "Prevent from entering waterways, sewers, and/or low areas.". Also, their finishes are high in VOC's Here is the quanity of VOC's contained: Coating VOC = 27 g/L Material VOC = 20 g/L I don't know what is high VOC's or low VOC's, but this seems high to me. VOC's are volitile organic compounds which could emit gases. The point of green construction is to use materials with low or no VOC's. Don't believe me ? All this information is on the Stucoflex website: Click here for a pdf file.

Manufacturers of materials are required to provide Material Safety Data Shetts, of MSDS's, wit information about hazards of using their material. These MSDS's are usually available on the manufacturer's web site, or by request.

I know of someone (not mentioned here), that is receiving a Leed's Certification and government grant for a house with synthetic stucco. In other words, the federal government is paying them to build an environmentally friendly house, that isn't environmentally friendly at all, but environmentally hostile.

Cement stucco, that is, cement, lime and sand are about as environmentally friendly as you can get. Cement and lime are made from rocks, which come from the earth and go back to the earth because it is earth.

Cement and lime are caustic, but not toxic. The reason cement and lime can cause burns is because they are high alkaline, the opposite of the pH scale from acid. Burns from cement and concrete can be neutralized with an acid, like vinegar, for example.

The difference between cement mortar and concrete is that concrete has gravel, another earth friendly material. If concrete was toxic, I'm sure no one would build water reservoirs, dams, aqueducts, etctera, from concrete.

We do work with a chemical that is toxic, and that is the acrylic additive we use for a bonder in recoating old stucco, and bonding to concrete, etc. Bonding admixtures, however contain no VOC's, and are far less toxic than a layer of paint on a house. I am not professing to be 100% earth friendly, but real stucco is about as earth friendly as there is.

It does really infuriate me to see "Green" building and earth friendly on synthetic stucco houses. They only thing "green" here is the money somebody puts in his pocket. You may turn green from breathing this stuff.

More about finishes later. Finishes are a subject for a future chapter. Meanwhile, I will probably keep adding to this chapter about EIFS.