Stucco and EIFS, explained by people who install it
Twelve guides written from the trade, not from a brochure: what the system is, how it fails, what the fixes cost in effort, and how to choose who does the work. Plus the questions we are asked most and a glossary of the words you will hear on site.
Guides
What is EIFS, and how is it different from traditional stucco?
The layers, the differences and which one your house probably has.
Read the guideHow long does stucco last in Ontario, and what shortens it?
Freeze-thaw, sun, sealants and the installer. What decides the lifespan.
Read the guideCracks, blisters and holes: which ones matter and which can wait
A field guide to what you are looking at, and how urgent each one is.
Read the guideWhy stucco fails: caulking, flashing and the window problem
Almost every failed wall we open has the same three causes.
Read the guideCan you paint EIFS? Why we trowel a new finish instead
What paint does to an acrylic finish, and the right way to change colour.
Read the guideResurfacing versus repair versus replacing the system
Three jobs at three price levels. How to tell which one your wall needs.
Read the guideStucco over brick: when it works and what has to happen first
The brick is the substrate. What we check before any board goes on.
Read the guideManufactured stone with stucco: where it belongs on a house
Base courses, entries and feature walls, and the junction that has to drain.
Read the guideHow to choose a stucco contractor
References, insurance, WSIB, the system, and what the cheapest quote leaves out.
Read the guideStucco for condos and tenanted buildings: planning around tenants
Notices, access, phasing and reporting on an occupied building.
Read the guideWhat a builder should send to get a stucco price from drawings
The short list that gets you a firm number quickly.
Read the guideWinter, spring and fall: what stucco work can be done when in the GTA
Temperature limits, what can be done cold, and when to book.
Read the guideThe short answers
Frequently asked questions: the questions homeowners, builders and property managers ask us before and during a job, answered in a sentence or two each.
Stucco and EIFS glossary: base coat, mesh, drainage plane, kick-out flashing and the rest, in plain words, so a quote reads clearly.
New guides are added as the questions come in. If yours is not answered here, ask us and it may become the next one.
Tell us about your walls
A free site visit anywhere in the GTA, then a written quote.