Maintaining Eifs House Siding

With all of the controversy surrounding eifs being used in home building you may be asking yourself should i buy a house with eifs what is the problem with eifs.

Maintaining eifs house siding.

Traditional stucco siding provides a solid long lasting low maintenance and seamless home exterior. Stucco siding and eifs. Eifs was originally created in europe over 75 years ago. Any opening such as door and window frames and the areas around flashings.

But many homeowners have learned the hard way that what they thought was stucco is in fact a synthetic stucco known as exterior insulating and finish system eifs. Most home owners will only see one stucco application on a house during their lifetimes. Most eifs systems are specifically formulated with 100 acrylic binder which gives eifs superior resistance to fading chalking and yellowing. How to maintain maintenance free siding.

Stucco siding is cost effective stucco one of the more affordable types of siding. Of course a house with vinyl siding isn t nearly as pretty as a stucco house whether the finish is traditional stucco or eifs. Yearly inspection is important to making sure seams are intact and the surface hasn t been damaged. Always check after a windstorm as tree limbs may dent or pierce the siding.

Eifs stands for exterior insulation and finish system and is often referred to as fake or synthetic stucco. In terms of cost the labor intensive installation adds to the price. Also known mistakenly as synthetic stucco eifs consists of a layer of high density foam insulation that s applied to the exterior of a house and coated with a protective textured finish. How to maintain your maintenance free siding.

Since the 1990s. Article table of contents skip to section. Eifs prone to water related defects that can cause major headaches and expenses for homeowners. Initially used in commercial construction eifs has migrated into the residential market in part because it can substantially increase a home s energy efficiency.

Eifs always needs to be installed and maintained as if it were used to side the entire house. An example of an eifs siding with drainage solution from garden state brickface and siding. These types of cleaners can range from high concentrated truck soaps to specifically tailored products like the sb 2600 eifscrub. Regular inspection is key to making sure seams are intact and the surface hasn t been damaged.

Unlike wood stucco and other siding materials eifs rarely need painting. What type of maintenance is required for eifs. Always check after a windstorm as limbs may dent or pierce the siding. Eifs with drainage which is the system used by garden state brickface and siding provides a way for moisture that may accumulate in the wall cavity to evacuate.

Press lightly on the surface. Eifs gives slightly while real stucco is very hard.