Installing Water-Managed Synthetic Stucco

An alternative to barrier EIFS is a water-managed system. In a water-managed system, it’s assumed that the installation will not be perfect and that some water will eventually penetrate the building’s skin. A managed system directs that water back to daylight, and allows the wall system to dry out before damage can occur. Some EIFS manufacturers — Senergy and Sto, for example — now offer a managed drainable EIFS, which has great potential. In North Carolina, however, where failures have been rampant, builders and homeowners are still dubious about all foam systems. For my EIFS replacement work, I need a non-EIFS alternative, and USG’s Duro-Screen 1000 system fits the bill (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. USG’s water-managed system uses Durock cement board over a moisture-resistant drainage plane. Any water leaking past the stucco skin is directed to weep holes at the bottom of the wall. Instead of rigid foam board, DuroScreen uses Durock cement board and other components to create a drainage plane between the sheathing and the stucco...