Editor's Review: Energy-Smart Wall System for Manufactured Stone
review date: January 10, 2013
Oldcastle Architectural has developed a manufactured-stone veneer wall system that incorporates a layer of R-9 expanded polystyrene foam (EPS). The system, called EnduraMax, appears to do a good job of addressing the weaknesses of manufactured-stone veneer installations, many of which have failed due to inward solar-vapor-drive problems that turn OSB sheathing to oatmeal.
The EPS layer should safely interrupt inward solar-vapor drive. Its back side includes parallel vertical grooves that allow for some drainage and ventilation between the foam and the wall sheathing.
The EPS panels used in the EnduraMax system are installed with screws and special stainless-steel anchors that act like washers.
The EnduraMax system works with several styles of manufacturedstone, concrete-brick, and clay-brick veneers. The average thickness of these veneers is only 1-3⁄4 in. The EPS wall units include recessed pockets designed to accept these thin tiles. Once the veneer units are snapped into place, the wall is ready for grout. Stone and brick styles vary regionally, as does pricing, but we’re told that $6 to $7 per sq. ft. is a good rough estimate.
Editor Test Results:
|Manufacturer's Web Site
|Manufacturer's Phone Number
||Average thickness is 1-3/4 in.