Let’s say I want to use the “parging” finish, some sort of heavy acrylic, mixed with binders, some kind of grit (sand?) and reinforcing fibers, to coat my Logix ICF wall. Logix sells the stuff.
I am seeing it done around here, done with the various colorants in the mix to make it brown, mustard-colored, gray, or any of the other available colors. Goes on with a trowel and looks like an EIFS finish . . . you know . . . synthetic stucco. Looks good.
So let’s then presume I have a window opening I want to trim with painted or stained wood. How should I do it.
What I don’t want to do is what is shown here in this pic. I saw it and said, “No!”
The head trim, a two piece affair of a flat board and a drip cap nailed atop it, was fastened right against the face of the wall, and nailed to the only nailing surface the carpenter could find . . . the window buck, against which the window’s flange was mounted and nailed.
There was nothing to stop some water from quickly getting behind the top and warping it out as shown.
What is the right way to trim an ICF window opening with wood?
Replies
Genedavis,
you need to properly flash it so water is shed past the trim. basically same flashing detail as a stucco house has.
That's a given, Frenchy. But tell us how it is done. Behind that thin skim of a stucco coating is plain old EPS foam.
It would only take a couple minutes with a knife or saw blade to let in apiece of metal flashing in the foam.And the carpenter should be supplied with trimhead screws and glue appropriate for foam like PL300. The ICFs have fastening strips that will hold screws or ring shank nails.
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gene, davis,
Did I misread but isn't that an ICF form?
If so then there are strips in the foam designed to hold screws. I use the fine thread sheetrock screws because they hold better.
For paint-grade work I no longer use wood trim against stucco, synthetic or otherwise. It's just too hard to keep the wood sealed against moisture and it seems that homeowners would prefer to let the window rot than keep it properly painted.
If wood is used, I'd argue that it has to be isolated from anything that isn't easily caulked to. If the synthetic stucco isn't to be painted it would be quite difficult to caulk the window trim and have it look right.
As for the flashing, that's a given. As others have said, there is usually something built into the foam blocks to attach the flashing to.
An often overlooked adhesive is spray foam. When it's compressed it works much like a polyurethane glue. When doug fir is glued with Enerbond, after a few hours it will rip the surface wood off one side or the other if pulled apart.
Dow Enerbond is what we put ICFs together with and is rated for subfloors and sheetrock.
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Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
this is a real good question and was the source of what became known as "vancouver's leaky condos"problem.F.H.B. covered it under the title "synthetic stucco failure ".that was a few years ago.
couldn't you flash with the same material/method as what waterproofs the footing/block connection.what we use for that is bakor wp 200 and aquatic adhesive.