Exterior Finishes

EXTERIOR FINISHES
JOHN B. HERTZ, ARCHITECT

NCARB CERTIFIED
ARCHITECT LICENSING ADVISOR, UPC
EXTERIOR FINISHES
Exterior finishes in the USA tend to be thin, veneer-like, installed
over a substrate that has been covered with a vapor barrier
(sometimes refered to as “house wrap”) or the vapor barrier may
be part of the substrate itself. The substrate can be wood - OSB
(oriented strand board) – or rigid insulation panels that has been
attached to the cold-formed, light-weight framing by screws or
clips. The most labor efficient finishes are panelized systems
attached with clips from behind.
The exterior finish has several purposes:

• Waterproofing – water and vapor
• Protection from air infiltration/exfiltration
• Heat transfer into and out of the building
• Security
• Aesthetics
EXTERIOR FINISHES
There are a number of available finishes:

• Metal
• Ceramic
• Brick/Stone
• Cementitious coatings
– Stucco
– EIFS
– Fiber concrete and GFR
– Fiber Cement
• Laminates/HPL (High Pressure Laminates)
• Wood (Not appropriate because of maintenance cost)
• Glass – Transparent and translucent
METAL PANELS
Metal panels can be insulated as well (IMP –

Insulated Metal Panels)
• Wide variety of finishes, colors and patterns
• IMP has an integrated system of protection
against infiltration and moisture penetration so
it may not require a substrate and vapor barrier.
• Attached to metal framing with clips
• Can be mounted horizontally or vertically
• Porcelain Enamel Metal Panels were made
famous by Richard Meier in the 1970-1980s
ATHENEUM – R. MEIER - 1979
GETTY MUSEUM – R. MEIER - 1997

METAL PANEL SYSTEMS
INSULATED METAL PANEL
CERAMIC
Ceramic Tile usually is porcelain because of its

low absorption. Tile can be applied directly to a
substrate attached to the framing. Substrates
include: concrete; CMU; mortar over lathe;
backer-board (cement board)
CERAMIC FAÇADE – FIRE STATION, GERMANY
CERAMIC
The backerboard/building panel used in this installation is 2

inch thick extruded polystyrene foam fastened directly to
the steel studs on the exterior of the building and then a
drainage membrane designed for use within thin-bed
ceramic and stone tile assemblies in exterior applications,
was applied, creating something similar to a ventilated
facade. This assembly allows for some ventilation behind
the tile and the extruded foam board and allow for
independent movement between
the tile and the substrate. Movement
joints were applied in all directions
approximately every 8 feet.
BRICK/STONE
• Brick
– Manually laid – traditional system that has high labor costs and
requires scaffolding
– Prefabricated – metal frame, lifted in place by crane, welded in
place
– Panelized – Thin brick set in fame, mounted with concealed clips
• Stone
– Concealed and exposed façade / rain-screen panel installation
systems
– Solutions for use with stone, limestone, marble, granite, porcelain,
and quartz
– Systems compatible with a variety of undercut anchors (Keil,
Fischer) and other solutions
– Solutions for thin veneer stone on honeycomb panels
BRICK FACADE
PANELIZED - THIN BRICK SYSTEM
STONE PANELS
CEMENTATIOUS COATINGS
• Stucco – manually applied over wire lathe or

directly to concrete and CMU surfaces - $$$
• EIFS – manually applied over fiberglass mesh
or panelized (thin coat)
• Fiber Concrete and GFR (Glass Fiber
Reinforced) – panelized
• Fiber Cement - panelized
CEMENTATIOUS COATINGS - EIFS
• EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish System) stucco is a
type of synthetic stucco wall cladding that looks like a
typical stucco installation on the outside, commonly
having an acrylic type of finish but is different from a
hard coat stucco system.
• EIFS uses multiple layers of different products that make
a complete wall system that can have special properties
to improve water protection or increase air barriers.
• Some of the typical layers include a water/air barrier, an
adhesive basecoat, foam, a base coat that is embedded
into a fiberglass mesh, a primer coat (sometimes
optional) and a finish coat.
CEMENTATIOUS COATINGS - EIFS
PANELIZED EIFS
CEMENTATIOUS COATINGS
FIBER CONCRETE AND GFR (GLASS FIBER REINFORCED)
• Concealed and exposed façade / rain-screen

panel installation systems
• Solutions for Ultra High-Performance
Concrete, Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete
and other manufactured stone
• Systems compatible with a variety of
undercut anchors and other solutions
FIBER CONCRETE (RAIN SCREEN)
LAMINATES/HPL
HPL (High Pressure Laminate) - Phenolic panels,

also known as high-pressure laminate (HPL)
panels, are durable, exterior-grade compact
laminates consisting of tight layers of Kraft paper
impregnated with thermosetting resins and
bonded together by high-pressure and heat.
Can be installed as an exterior finish or rain-
screen
HPL PHENOLIC - SPAIN
FASTENING SYSTEMS
HORIZONTAL RAIL - RAINSCREEN

TERRA COTTA PANELS
METAL PANELS CERAMIC PANEL HOLDING TRACK

Exterior Finishes

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EXTERIOR FINISHES

JOHN B. HERTZ, ARCHITECT

The exterior finish has several purposes:

There are a number of available finishes:

Metal panels can be insulated as well (IMP –

GETTY MUSEUM – R. MEIER - 1997

Ceramic Tile usually is porcelain because of its

The backerboard/building panel used in this installation is 2

• Stucco – manually applied over wire lathe or

• Concealed and exposed façade / rain-screen

HPL (High Pressure Laminate) - Phenolic panels,

HORIZONTAL RAIL - RAINSCREEN

METAL PANELS CERAMIC PANEL HOLDING TRACK

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