What Is a Stucco Exterior Insulation Finish System?

Before we discuss the question in the title of today’s blog article, let’s review what stucco is. Stucco is a construction material that is applied usually to a building’s exterior as an exterior finish. Stucco has been used for thousands of years because it looks good, lasts a long time, and also creates an effective fire barrier.

There are many different recipes for stucco depending on the use and application. The stucco used in an exterior insulation finish system or EIFS is a synthetic stucco. EIFS refers not just to the stucco, itself, but to a whole system of several layers that is used in the application.

EIFS

An EIFS, which is a sophisticated stucco solution, has several layers including typically some kind of wood frame, like plywood, then some type of foam insulation, then a layer of stucco, then there is a mesh fabric, which is embedded into this first coat. Then a final layer of stucco is applied.

This layer system is a very effective insulation barrier, which resists air filtration much better than brick or wood. The EIFS is also resistant to dirt and mold, and the exterior layer can easily be cleaned with power washing.

The EIFS is a big improvement over just applying stucco over whatever the exterior happens to be. While that is still often possible, the EIFS is a big improvement for insulation of the building’s exterior, which can translate in energy (and money) savings for heating and cooling the interior. And this is why EIFS is in big demand.

Choice Stucco Ltd. provides quality stucco application and repair to residential, strata, and commercial properties throughout the greater-Vancouver area. If you have any questions about this article or would like to talk to us about stucco, please call us at (604) 614-7552.