It is well known that thermal efficiency and EIF Systems go hand in hand. What fewer people know is that EIFS can be expressed in a variety of cladding forms – not just the ubiquitous colored acrylic stucco look.
Metal panels, natural stone, and masonry such as red brick, are among the wall cladding systems EIFS can simulate these days. “People don’t realize that from our [product] offerings you could have four or five different elevations on a building that look like four or five different cladding materials but still be made from the same content,” says John Garbin, president/CEO, EIFS Council of Canada. Specialty finishes, moreover, meet esthetic requirements without compromising energy and building envelope performance.
Nonetheless, 90 to 95 percent of all EIFS installed in Canada is what people associate with as the stucco look, he says. But building owners and architects are starting to get wise to the options.
Dryvit Systems Inc.’s Peter Culyer says that more municipalities are demanding claddings that don’t have a monolithic appearance. At the same time, they want energy efficiency. That presents an opportunity for EIFS specialty finishes.
Municipalities influenced by progressive planning departments are setting the tone for “intentional streetscapes” that feature a variety of cladding finishes, adds Culyer, Dryvit’s manager of marketing and technical services. “They don’t want a bland palette of endless brick, stucco, or something like that, anymore, particularly for multi-storey buildings.”
One of Dryvit’s specialty finishes is Reflectit, which uses a glossy or pearlescent technology applied to the acrylic coating to give the product the look of metal panels. It can be applied over a new or existing Dryvit finish, excluding some of the company’s other specialty products, such as TerraNeo and Ameristone. The custom finish was used to complete a major addition to the Delta Grand Casino in downtown Kelowna. Proving to be a cost-effective alternative to metal panels, the finish was awarded an exterior project of the year by the Northwest Wall & Ceiling Bureau, says Culyer.
Economics will continue to drive more owners to specialty EIFS finishes like Reflectit. Culyer says a rolled nickel or stainless steel panel could cost about $60 a square foot—double the price of Reflectit. Another benefit to the EIFS finish is quick delivery: two weeks from time of order, whereas metal panel systems typically take several weeks to several months.
Sto Corp. has a similar specialty finish called StoCoat Metallic, which is proving popular for a number of commercial building types, including hotels. The finish incorporates mica, metallic particles, and pigments into a coating that looks like a metal surface. It can be applied over smooth or textured surfaces and comes in 10 colours.
Traditions in Edmonton by Kerr/CBS featuring Dryvit's Custom Brick. Photo submitted.
EIFS specialty finishes only require one trade to complete a cladding/insulation system. Most other systems require a few subcontractors, points out Chris Falardeau, vice-president of sales, Akrilon Industries.
“To get the same thermal value [as EIFS], you might have to deal with a drywall crew, spray urethane crew, and metal panel crew.” The additional trades add time and complications to a project and in addition, if there is a fault with the system, it can be difficult to sort out responsibility.
“With the whole building envelope insulated to the same R-value as any other type of cladding we [EIFS specialty finishes] are a fraction of the cost,” he adds, suggesting that EIFS manufacturers must continue to develop and promote these finishes for the market to grow.
A popular finish from Akrilon in Western Canada is Naramata Stone, which is applied in two coats to give a flat limestone-like finish, says Falardeau. Another finish from Akrilon is Micatex, a trowel-applied pebbled finish with flakes of mica for a precast concrete look. The product was used recently on all of the demising walls between units in a downtown Calgary tower.
“We’re at a point where more contemporary buildings are being designed to be flattering. Instead of using moldings, they [architects] want a different look, different finishes. It is a time where we can push the bar higher with finishes.”
Sto Corp.’s John Edgar agrees, adding that architects and owners want more textures, colours, and shadings to their buildings. Specialty finishes fit well into their agendas.
Edgar is Sto’s technical director of building science. The company offers several specialty EIFS finishes that simulate granite, limestone, metal, and brick. Most often, he says, they are used as a highlight (banding or other decorative features) to a building, although sometimes specialty finishes make up the whole building cladding.
If specialty finishes have a downside it might be the cost of labour, Edgar points out. A simple metallic finish coated over a standard textured finish isn’t complex or pricey but achieving a smooth metallic finish is more difficult and can bring the cost per square foot up when compared to traditional EIFS finishes. Still, the cost is significantly less than metal panels.
While DuRock Alfacing International Limited has yet to take a serious stab at the specialty finish market, next spring the company plans to unveil a new finish for its EIFS across Canada. “We’ve known for some time that these finishes are where the future of EIFS is going to be,” says Andre Turrin, DuRock’s technical director, adding that building owners are increasingly demanding a different look. “We can make EIFS look like anything but EIFS.” Details on DuRock’s new product have yet to be announced.
DuRock recently applied a faux brick finish on the second phase of a condo highrise in Calgary. The field-applied job involved applying an acrylic coating over a stenciled brick pattern.
EIFS isn’t the only cladding system offering building owners and architects new looks. Cultured stone is another example. EIFS manufacturers like Sto Corp. don’t see such competition necessarily as a bad thing, however, because the cement-based cladding can be used with an EIFS air and moisture protection barrier to shed the “huge amount of water” it absorbs, says Edgar.
“You can get monolithic protection from EIFS right behind other cladding systems,” says Edgar. Examples are StoGuard air and moisture protection barrier. In one case 800,000 square feet of StoGuard was installed behind a multiple cladding system comprised of vinyl, brick, and EIFS. “I think this represents a terrific opportunity for installers.”
Edgar says StoGuard is simple to install and is a water-based formula; by comparison, traditional peel-and-stick air/moisture membranes typically used behind brick are “fairly complicated” installations and comprised of bitumen materials with solvent-based primers.
Sto also has a new product called StoEnergy Guard, which is also tailored for installation behind EIFS and other cladding types such as stone, siding, and stucco. A fluid applied waterproof air barrier with continuous insulation, it has been on the US market for a while and has just been launched in Canada.
EIFS fluid-applied barriers go through rigorous testing and evaluation. “No other coating – Tyvek, paper, or whatever – does what EIFS fluid applied do,” says Edgar.
Along with specialty finishes, some EIFS manufacturers are promoting conventional-looking products with attributes tailored to certain climates. Sto’s Lotusan is a case in point. It might look like traditional EIFS, but it is designed to better shed water and dirt, making it well suited to moisture-laden climates like BC’s Lower Mainland, says Edgar.
With all of these attractive options on the market, there is certainly a lot that can be done with EIFS these days.
Have you recently worked on a project that called for EIFS specialty finishes? Let us know by contacting the editor of The Trowel at editor@thetrowel.ca.
This article was written by Don Procter and originally appeared in the Oct/Nov issue of The Trowel magazine.
