What are Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS)?
The most common type of Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems, sometimes referred to as synthetic stucco, typically consists of five components: adhesive, insulation board, a base coat into which a fiberglass mesh is imbedded, and a decorative finish coat in the desired color. This type of system is called a face sealed barrier EIFS and resists water penetration at its outer surface. It is not intended to drain water that gets behind it. It differs from other types of cladding that have a weather resistive barrier behind the cladding and/or may have air spaces between the cladding and substrate. There are many types of cladding materials that appear like stucco. Traditional stucco is made of cement and is different than exterior insulation finish systems cladding which use a foam plastic insulation board, a polymer/cement base coat, glass fiber mesh and a polymer modified finish coat. Other types of “hybrid” stucco include direct applied polymer/cement base coat to a substrate, or tra
