Before applying the WeatherSeal elastomeric waterproofing membrane, workers use plywood and duct tape to prevent the coating from dripping onto a concrete porch floor.
The blue membrane is troweled onto seams and joints.
The membrane is reinforced with a special joint tape.
Once the joints are treated, the entire surface will be skim-coated with the membrane.
Once the WeatherSeal membrane has been installed, DrainEdge termination strips are stapled over door and window openings, followed by backwrapping mesh.
The EPS panels are glued to the walls with adhesive that's been applied with a notched trowel. The notches are vertically oriented so that moisture can drain down the channels between the membrane and the foam and out of the wall assembly wherever the DrainEdge has been installed.
Installing the EPS panels.
Molded polyethylene kick-out flashings, like this one from Raintek, can be trimmed to fit different foam thicknesses. Kick-out flashings are installed with the step flashings.
The author fabricates trim details like these bullnose returns with a hot wire cutter.
After the foam has been glued to the walls, all of the gaps between panels are filled with spray foam.
Base-coat application can begin after the foam has been leveled with a rasping board and abraded with a grit-welded float. Inside and outside corners get a double thickness of reinforcing mesh bedded in the base coat.
To help with adhesion, these walls received a second base coat, which was then scratched with diamond mesh lath.
Most EIF systems have a smooth and uniform finish coat, but this home was given a deeply textured finish coat to match the Mediterranean architecture.
Expansion joints are needed in EIFS cladding wherever two dissimilar substrates meet, such as at the foundation.
Corbels and other architectural details can be added to EIFS cladding by gluing foam profiles to the EPS before applying the base coat and finish. Areas that don’t require insulation, like the columns supporting the arches on this home, can be wrapped with cement backerboard instead of foam, which gives them better impact resistance.
The finished project