InspectAPedia ^®

Stucco Over High-R Foam Insulating Board InspectAPedia®  -     Exterior wall stucco application over Thermax™ foil faced insulating board: polyisocyanurate Stucco and insulating board application over masonry building walls Synthetic stucco application over high-R insulating board Solar Age Magazine Articles on Renewable Energy, Energy Savings, Construction Practices

This article discusses the choice of high-R value insulating board for use under stucco on building exteriors. Accompanying text is reprinted/adapted/excerpted with permission from Solar Age Magazine - editor Steven Bliss.

Readers should also see SIDING EIFS STUCCO and also may want to review POLYISOCYANURATE FOAM INSULATION. Contact us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution.

© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

Stuccoing over High-R Foam Board Insulation

• Q&A: Stuccoing over High-R Insulation - use your browser's back button to return to this page

This question-and-answer article about the choices of insulating foam board for use under stucco exterior finish on buildings, appears in full-text just below and quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article, (see links just above) from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss.

Question: "In-Town Solar Condos: One Developers's Plan Book" (Solar Age, 9/83) includes mention of an exterior insulation system for masonry walls using 2-inch urethane under stucco.

I have had little success locating such a system in Phoenix that uses polyurethane and not polystyrene foam insulating board on the building exterior.

Can you supply me with information on a polyurethane insulation system or any other exterior insulation that might give me a better R-value than 2-inch polystyrene foam insulating board? - James Hoffman, Tempe, AZ.

Answer: First, a clarification - strictly speaking the rigid foam insulating board used in the La Vereda Compound (the subject of the article) was a foil-faced polyisocyanurate foam insulating board (Thermax™), not a polyurethane.

Ann MacKinnon, office manager of LaVereda developer Communico, said that The company often used Thermax™ over concrete block walls and under stucco on buildings, as do most builders in the Santa Fe area.

Wire stucco lath is placed over the foam insulating board and attached to the masonry below using concrete nails. MacKinnon said that "a builder Santa Fe who didn't know and use this technique would probably be out of business" because demand is high for adobe-like finishes. She added that lath and stucco can be used over sprayed-on urethane foam insulation as well.

Readers should also see SIDING EIFS STUCCO and also may want to review POLYISOCYANURATE FOAM INSULATION.

Here we include solar energy, solar heating, solar hot water, and related building energy efficiency improvement articles reprinted/adapted/excerpted with permission from Solar Age Magazine - editor Steven Bliss.

Share this Article      

...

Technical Reviewers & References

Search InspectAPedia

• Daniel Friedman - principal author/editor of the InspectAPedia^® Website
• InspectAPedia Bookstore lists recommended books, organized by topic & available for purchase. Most of our articles also include a list of recommended books for the specific article topic as well as other references, and information sources.
• Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest corrections or additions to articles at this website, and if you wish, to receive online listing and credit as a contributor. Particular thanks are due to the many experts and also consumers who read and critique technical articles at InspectAPedia.com.
• Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.

Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS
  PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN METHOD
  PASSIVE SOLAR HEAT PERFORMANCE
  PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SYSTEMS
  SLAB INSULATION, PASSIVE SOLAR
  SOLAR COLLECTOR AIR or GAS COLLECTION
  SOLAR COLLECTOR FILMS
  SOLAR COLLECTOR WOOD HOUSINGS
  SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS
  SOLAR HOT WATER HEATERS
  SOLAR HOUSE EVALUATION

• Solar Age Magazine was the official publication of the American Solar Energy Society. The contemporary solar energy magazine associated with the Society is Solar Today. "Established in 1954, the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is the nation's leading association of solar professionals & advocates. Our mission is to inspire an era of energy innovation and speed the transition to a sustainable energy economy. We advance education, research and policy. Leading for more than 50 years. ASES leads national efforts to increase the use of solar energy, energy efficiency and other sustainable technologies in the U.S. We publish the award-winning SOLAR TODAY magazine, organize and present the ASES National Solar Conference and lead the ASES National Solar Tour – the largest grassroots solar event in the world."
  
• Steven Bliss served as editorial director and co-publisher of The Journal of Light Construction for 16 years and previously as building technology editor for Progressive Builder and Solar Age magazines. He worked in the building trades as a carpenter and design/build contractor for more than ten years and holds a masters degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Excerpts from his recent book, Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, Wiley (November 18, 2005) ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, appear throughout this website, with permission and courtesy of Wiley & Sons. Best Practices Guide is available from the publisher, J. Wiley & Sons, and also at Amazon.com.
  Excerpts with updates and annotations expanding the original Best Practices Guide text can be found in the online review and book summary at BEST CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES GUIDE and also at DECK & PORCH CONSTRUCTION, at INDOOR AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT GUIDE, and in other articles found at InspectAPedia.com such as HOUSEWRAP AIR & VAPOR BARRIERS, SOUND CONTROL in BUILDINGS, and other topics.
• PAINT on STUCCCO, FAILURES - discusses cause, cure, and prevention of paint failures on synthetic exterior stucco on buildings

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

• Our recommended books about building design, inspection, and repair, and about indoor environment testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
• ...

More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

...

InspectAPedia® Home & Site Map - Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice: In-depth research & advice on diagnosing, testing, correcting, & preventing building defects & indoor environmental hazards. Unbiased information, no conflicts of interest.

The Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems

Use this simple, economical mold test kit by following our instructions on how to collect and mail mold samples to our lab

Environmental Inspection, Testing, & Diagnosis On-Site IAQ, Gas, Air Testing, Mold Investigation, Sick Building Diagnosis, Lab Services, & Remediation Plan Preparation - indoor air quality testing, problem source determination, supporting lab work, written remediation plan addressing removal of environmental and other hazards and prevention of their recurrence.

Building Inspection, Problem Diagnosis, Forensic Investigation & Testing, Repair Consulting

Contact Daniel Friedman for website content suggestions or for fee-paid consulting