R Value of Stucco Styrofoam?
We are building a home in Bay Ridge that will have an exterior finish of stucco. My contractor has offered to use 4 inch styrofoam to apply the stucco to because it will act as a better insullator as compared to the more standard 2 inch strofoam boards. Does anyone know the R value per…
We are building a home in Bay Ridge that will have an exterior finish of stucco. My contractor has offered to use 4 inch styrofoam to apply the stucco to because it will act as a better insullator as compared to the more standard 2 inch strofoam boards. Does anyone know the R value per inch of typical styrofoam board?
Please research all the good, bad and ugly about EIFS Systems. I would never recommend a client to use this system. Here are some bad and ugly. Good Luck.
http://www.dspinspections.com/eifs_facts.htm#The Causes Of Most EIFS Problems
http://www.stuccolaw.com
http://www.askthebuilder.com/242_The_Barrier_EIFS_Nightmare_-_It_is_Real_.shtml
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there is no common calculating value on eifs stucco per square inch( rather thickness) as you might think to solve this equation. you must factor in your other substrates as well as facades etc. but the correct formula for a novice to perform this attempt would be for 1″ styrofoam would be an r4…. an inch and a half would be an r7, an additional 1/2 inch would create possibly an r8. Styrofoam when applied must be then sanded or planed down to create the illusion that it is flat, thus the purpose of most builders using the facade. since styrofoam must be sanded you will find places in your wall that will not be as thick as other areas. I will end with this… Styrofoam stucco is intented to compliment and coincide with other substrates and its purpose “alone” is not to increase your “R-value”. but has been a great way to sell it.
There are several things to bear in mind when designing with EIFS. One comment above related to strength of the material.
If you select 4-oz mesh, you will get an EIFS with adequate strength for most applications, at an attractive cost. Use a combination of 20-oz mesh and 4-oz mesh, and EIFS becomes tremendously strong – literally tough enough to withstand sledgehammer impact, or pass the Miami-Dade Large Missile Impact test for severe hurricane conditions! Using high-impact mesh doesn’t cost much, and makes a huge difference.
Two other points – for residential use be sure to use a water-drainage system with a secondary water-resistive barrier. And EPS has an R-value of 3.85 – 4.17 per inch depending on temperature.
sorry…that is brick for the first floor exterior and stucco for the 2nd and 3rd floor exteriors.
HDL-
Yes, we are doing brick for the first layer and stucco on the second and 3rd floor. We only have a few small areas where the stucco comes to the ground (2 bay window columns). I think we should be good with the EIFS…hoping!
The sample will look great and you’re right most new houses are done this way. But traditional stucco done properly is a far more durable choice. I’m sure the product website shows some SoCal subdivision of taco bell like homes with red tiled roofs. Its very popular in temperate climates especially when trying to recreate that “southwest” look.
EIFS’s shortcommings are in durability and in accommodating movement in larger scale applications and remaining waterproof. If you are going to use it in the city I would stay away from ground floor applications that are prone to gardeners, snowblowers. garbage cans, vandalism, etc. Also if your neighbor’s kid like to throw around a baseball or practice their chip shot you may have some concerns.
The process we is doing is install the styrofoam, mesh, 2 layers of centnt substance, finally the stucco we picked from Parex. Sounds like EIFS, but the sample wall he did for us looks great. As far as my research has shown, most houses are done this way.