How is EIFS different from other claddings such as brick, clapboard and stucco?
All claddings are designed to be integrated with other building components such as windows and the roof to create a weather envelope to protect a building or home from the elements of the weather. Traditional claddings such as brick, clapboard and stucco are designed to stop water at the surface of the system, but they also anticipate that some water or moisture will get behind the outside cladding and provide a secondary barrier that stops intruding water from reaching the sheathing and allows the water to weep or drain from behind the cladding. In contrast, EIFS is a so-called face-barrier system. That is it attempts to protect the building or house from the weather by stopping moisture at the surface of the home. If water gets behind the EIFS, there is no secondary system to drain or weep out the water or protect the sheathing. Water can become entrapped, saturate the sheathing and, if uncorrected, eventually rot the sheathing or other building components.
