But what sort of notched trowel is to be used exactly? There are dozens (possibly hundreds) of variations, some for tile, some for stucco, and some for EIFS.  Most notched trowels will be 11″ wide x 4.5″ deep, with the blade made from stainless steel. When looking at notched trowels, the following needs to be considered:

• Type of notch: square, rectangular round, elliptical, triangular
• Size of notch: ranging from 1/8″ upwards of 1″ (or more)
• Spacing of notches: ranging again from 1/8″ upwards of 2″ (or more)
• Right handed versus left handed
• Handle material and shape

1/2"x1/2"x2" U-Shaped EIFS Notched Trowel

While each EIFS manufacturer has their own specifications, the “standard” seems to be: 1/2″ deep x 1/2″ wide square-notches with 2″ spacing. Handles (shape and material) and which hand (left vs. right) is usually left up to the contractor, to decide which is more comfortable.

Marshalltown EIFS Notched Trowels can be found at: http://www.marshalltown.com/Products.aspx?D=500&S=503&C=C5004

Don’t forget that there are inside corner trowels, outside corner trowels, various finish coat floats and a wide assortment of handles.

Window Trim

Designed in shapes that are attractive around a window, window trim frames a window, making it appear larger and more pronounced. Trims are typically installed along the sides and top of a window, with a window sill for the bottom of the window in a similar shape to the trim.

Keystones

Decoramould keystones or polyurethane keystones are commonly installed in the top center of a window. While polyurethane keystones are more ornate than regular keystones, simply adding them to a window will distinguish your windows from similar plain houses.

Quoins

Quoins are installed on the corner of homes, accenting the very outside dimensions of the home. They provide a visual sensation of sturdiness, making a home appear well-built. Quoins can be installed during the construction or renovation process, or just as easily afterwards.

Trim Colors

There are a number of style options when it comes to deciding what color your exterior trim should be. The majority of the time, a trim color is chosen that is a few shades darker or lighter than the color of the wall itself. It’s a safe bet that the two colors will mesh well together, and creates a very nice accenting effect.

Trim Texture

Typically, the texture of a trim resembles that of concrete. If they are painted with an exterior-grade masonry paint or with an EIFS-manufacturer paint (with sand texture), the texture of the molding itself will show through. On flat pieces of trim, a skilled EIFS applicator can actually apply a trowel-applied texture that can match a wall.

Spraying the EIFS finish coat provides a texture that is very bumpy and resembles stone more than a precast product. It should be noted that spray-applied finishes don’t tend to last as long as painted or trowel-applied finishes.

The overall effect of having a trim with a different color and texture is very elegant.

Other variations include:

• Exterior Insulation Finish System (EIFS)
• Exterior Insulation Finishing Systems (EIFS)
• Exterior Insulated Finish Systems (EIFS)
• Exterior Insulated Finishing Systems (EIFS)
• Exterior Finish and Insulation Systems (EFIS)
• Exterior Finish and Insulating Systems (EFIS)

When matching a specific color, the best practice is to get an 8″x8″ (or similar) size sample made up from the manufacturer to ensure that it is what you are looking for. The texture of EIFS finish coats will slightly change the perceived color because of the miniscule shadows cast by the finish coat aggregates.

The following video from BASF demonstrates some testing using 2 layers of 20-oz mesh.

Heavy duty mesh is only required where there is a higher chance that something large or heavy can damage the wall, or where vandalism is a concern. Typically this is the first 7 feet in height of a wall, with a focus around areas of high traffic requiring durability such as sidewalks, loading docks and doors. This will minimize the investment required, compared to doing a full height of 20 feet, while still providing the coverage needed around susceptible areas.

The objective of the EIFS Council is to promote the proper installation of Exterior Insulation Finish Systems and countinuously define and improve what the proper installation practices are. Rigorous testing on EIFS manufacturer products leads to constantly improving materials and procedures. Established in 1987, they have been responsible for bringing the industry to where it stands today – among the most respected cladding options.

The current President of the EIFS council is John Garbin, with the Board of Directors consisting of Andre Turin, Dave Moore, Rafael Bao, Christopher Gater, Gerald Winter, Bruno Aletto, Luc Barriault, Peter Culyer, Guido Rapone, Martin Benard, Mark Macri and John Edgar. Their profiles can be found at http://eifscouncil.org/eccboardofdirectors.html

Who is the Site For?

ExteriorInsulationFinishSystems.com is a collection of organizations, contractors, manufacturers and code writers dedicated to bringing the truth about Exterior Insulation Finish Systems (EIFS) to the general population. We are here to educate home owners, contractors, architects, engineers and other building professionals and bring them up-to-date on the latest developments.

EIFS Failures

There are tens of thousands of improperly installed EIFS applications throughout the USA. The problem became so pervasive that many countys outright banned EIFS. While outright avoidance is cowardly and ignorant. Take a look at a look through some improperly installed EIFS that have failed and the story behind them.

There are hundreds, even thousands of articles around the internet from so-called “building experts” who are saying things like “EIFS is 3 layers” or “EIFS traps moisture”. What most fail to realize is that they are just demonstrating the degree to which they are not an expert by spouting-off outdated, inaccurate information. Would you trust an accountant who last received updates and training in 1999? Rather than adressing these inaccuracies individually, we’ll provide you with the correct information and resources to back it up.

Drainage Modern EIF systems incorporate the use of essentially 2 forms of drainage – grooved insulation (referred to as geometrically defined insulation) and vertical channels of adhesive.

Weather Resistive Barriers I have not come across an EIFS specification by a manufacturer in the past 5 years that does not require some sort of weather resistive barrier between the insulation and the substrate. Typically this takes the form of a trowel-applied weather barrier specific to each manufacturer. These weather barriers have varying ratings as far as classifications (moisture barrier vs vapour barrier) and the specific requirements of the project, or system being installed, will dictate which product is used.

Water Management EIFS has tested favourably against brick, stucco, concrete block and fiber-cement sidings in tests performed by the ORNL (Oak Ridges National Laboratory).
Those interested in viewing the study can view it at: http://www.eima.com/pdfs/EIMA%20ORNL%20ExecSum%20Final.pdf