First, you can go to New Orleans right now and have a good time, at least in the popular tourist areas, which look like nothing ever happened. But if you drive a little way from those restored areas, it's a different story. There are blocks and blocks of abandoned single-story houses and there are shopping areas that look fine, except a lot are not open. These buildings are in the areas that were flooded and stayed submerged.

Large rust stain streaks can be created by an almost invisibly small piece of iron, located in the EIFS finish. They can become amazingly big and very noticeable. In the midst of a huge blank EIFS wall, such streaks can really standout, which can result in irate building owners who want you to redo the whole façade. That level of repair is hardly necessary and the following information on rust streaks on EIFS can help you fix the problem and keep the owner calm.

There are two basic ways of terminating the edge of an EIFS. One is by using the EIFS materials themselves, and the other is using some type of non-EIFS trim product, such as preformed plastic or metal pieces.

In multi-story wood frame residential construction, the various floor levels are usually constructed as a series of platforms, one at a time, on top of each other. The horizontal framing at the floor line has its grain running parallel to the ground.

This is the first of a two-part series about common EIFS questions. My Web site www.eifs.com generates a lot of e-mail and phone inquiries. Usually they are basic questions from people looking to learn more about EIFS. Over the last 30 years of working with EIFS I’ve seen or heard of almost anything that can be done with EIFS.

The origin of the EIFS with drainage goes back to the 1990s. The idea of adding drainage came about due to a rash of water intrusion problems on houses in the southeast. Water had gotten behind the EIFS and ruined the supporting wood structure, causing a flurry of lawsuits and repairs, and sparking the interest of building code officials.

The recent devastating earthquake in Haiti has focused attention on many things about that country, including politics, economics, its history and culture, and many other poignant topics, not the least of which is the safety and design of buildings there. 

If you spend any time working with specifiers, end-users, designers and contractors who are involved with EIFS, you’ll find out right away that the environmental friendliness (“eco-friendliness”) of EIFS is a hot topic.

One of the most popular design features of EIFS is its ability to mimic other materials. This includes being a stone, concrete or stucco look-alike. This feature of EIFS is widely used for many reasons, including its attractive appearance, light weight and low cost.

Firestopping is an especially important topic for EIFS, due to the system’s unique multi-layered form of cladding construction. 

When I do technical seminars about EIFS, one of the most frequent questions is, “Should I use adhesives or mechanical fasteners (screws plus washers), or even both, to attach the foam insulation to the wall?” The answer depends on a number of factors, and sometimes you have no choice about which to use. 

Expanded polystyrene insulation and polyisocyanurate foam polyiso are the two main insulation types used in EIFS in North America. Overseas, many other types of insulation are used to make EIFS, such a mineral wool and “glass foam.”

In EIFS, water resistive barriers are a layer between the EIFS substrate and the EIFS insulation. They are most commonly used in EIFS with drainage wall assemblies. They are an additional layer within the wall cladding system and present some unique issues that are worth knowing about. Here are some of the issues.

In the May column “Keep it Dry,” I talked about issues to be dealt with when using EIFS that incorporate a water resistive barrier. WRBs are most often used in the increasingly common EIFS with drainage. Most of the discussion in that article was about various design aspects.

There are lots of small details and design features about EIFS that can help create a better-completed EIFS project. This month’s column is a list of many known-and not-so-well-known-design features that you should be aware of.

Everyone’s heard of Stonehenge in England-the weird stone blocks in the middle of a field. But who has heard of Foamhenge in Virginia? It is a full size replica of the real Stonehenge made of EIFS. Who could dream up a cooler name?

Every American I know wants to visit Australia. It’s sometimes called “The Land of Milk and Honey” and it is. Next to Canada, Australia is more like the U.S. than any other country I can think of.

EIFS is like any other building material in the sense that it is well-suited for some uses and not for others. This column is a compilation of my thoughts about where EIFS works well and where it does not, including some unusual specialty uses.

When EIFS was first introduced to the North American market, there were a lot of questions about its strength.

I began my multi-year involvement with LEED and the USGBC as an architect dedicated to the design of greener buildings at about the time the LEED v1.0 pilot program was coming to a close.

What do skin moisturizer, anti-malarial drugs and diesel fuel all have in common?

Under that greenery is hidden something very un-green, very dirty, and very big: Parking garages.

The latest Green Globes and LEED green building rating systems have introduced new building materials credits.

Since when did architects become responsible for ensuring occupant health resulting from exposure to building material ingredients?

Fifty one. That’s how many light bulbs I have in my house, I know because I counted them.

In 2012, the U.S. Department of Energy began work on the development of a voluntary national scoring system used to quantify commercial building’s energy efficiency.

If you are like me, you have a love-hate relationship with screw fasteners.

Not too many years ago, hydronic floor heating systems were all the rage with the hip-green crowd.

The variable refrigerant flow is starting to gain popularity in the U.S.

It’s no surprise that there are less expensive, less complicated alternatives to LEED.

“Green advocacy” is the very opposite of informed consent.

TellSpec and SCiO are about to release devices which will allow you “to get instant relevant information about the chemical make-up of just about anything around you.

The first LEED Platinum certified building is in danger of an imminent collapse.

The greenest low slope roofing solution really sucks.

With all the delays LEED v4 has been given, one wonders if it will ever be adopted.

Hard work by Green Globes’ committee—and community—shows it’s only getting better.

Do embodied energies deserve greater attention now that buildings are becoming “greener”?

Used shipping containers: the new farming frontier.

Hot water—practically for free.

The energy saving contributions of thermal mass are well known but not always implemented in an ideal way.

Don’t be fooled, a rainscreen is much more than a cladding system that works well under wet conditions.

In part one; rainscreen and open joint cladding systems were discussed. Part two will focus on test standards determining the performance of cladding systems designed for the rainscreen principle.

If you believe the statistics — and a whole slew of press — Generation Z is an emerging generation of men and women who are trading in their schoolbooks and strapping on tool belts.

MarinoWARE has released its new website. The new website includes updated design and content, enhanced tools, an organized resource library and new industry pro pages.

On Oct. 17, American Industrial Partners announced its definitive agreement to acquire PPG’s U.S. and Canadian architectural coatings business, which generated $2 billion in 2023 revenue.

The organisation, which has 160 employees, says it is still trying to understand how staff will be affected

The new members come from a range of charities, including Save the Children UK and Versus Arthritis

The two organisations employ a total of more than 450 people

The funds will go to support the organisations’ work in tackling food poverty