John Mahoney is a freelance author who writes about various technology realated subjects. For more information about John visit his website www.techstore.ie.
An external finish of a building must necessarily provide an aesthetic finish, design flexibility, weather resistance, durability, heat insulation and be affordable. Outsulation provides all these for the delight of the architects as well as the end user whether it is a new building or a retrofit.
Outsulation is a proprietary system introduced about 3 decades ago. Currently however many other exterior finishes integrated with insulation are identified by this term.
A reputed brand of outsulation may provide at least three choices for an architect depending on the specific design requirements.
For example the standard system may have;
- Approved substrate
- A proprietary adhesive
- Expanded Polystyrene Board with minimum thickness 19 mm, R factor of 3 at + 4 0 C
- A base coat
- A reinforcing mesh
- A dirt resistant finish of 100% acrylic base material.
An advanced version may provide two lines of enhanced defense against moisture, air and adverse weather. This is achieved by the applying Grid Tape to the substrate joints, a protective layer of Back Drop and rubberized flashing tape at every opening in the system. The moisture egress is facilitated against any incidental moisture on the exterior.
Typically you may find;
- Approved substrate
- Proprietary tape, backstop and flashing tape
- Proprietary tracks or drainage strip adhered with AP adhesive
- Standard proprietary adhesive( applied vertically with a notched trowel)
- Expanded Polystyrene Board with minimum thickness 25 mm, R factor of 3.85 at + 4 0 C
- A base coat
- A reinforcing mesh
- A dirt resistant finish of 100 % acrylic base material.
The most advanced type of outsulation incorporates one additional line of defense over the above list. Being designed for external installation all outsulations of necessity must withstand rigors of elements, the most destructive being moisture and water. Therefore the third type of outsulation incorporates under the lamina an engineered moisture drainage system in the underlying polystyrene foam insulation, a fully protected internal PVC drainage track and moisture vent holes.
The Polystyrene Foam panel incorporating the engineered grooves is 50 mm thick minimum and has an R- factor of 7.7 at least.
Note the higher the R-factor the better the insulation function. Surprisingly this design too is as affordable as the others in spite of the advanced engineering involved.
If you are thinking of retrofitting your external wall insulation or have a pre-engineered wall finish for your building outsulation offers incomparable advantages.
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
Installing a Circular Staircase
By: Paul Beaudette | 25/12/2009Conventional staircases take up a large area on two levels,circular staircases can be an efficient alternative ,especially in areas where space is at a premium.Circular staircases are prefabricated and can simplify the project and create a more efficient stairway between two levels.
Angry Driving
By: Brenda Williams | 24/12/2009When I first arrived into New York from North Carolina, or rather- even when I drove over the New Jersey border from Delaware, I knew that I was going to have to put on my "other" driving cap because I knew that the drivers were going to be much more...
Rearranging Furniture For a New Look
By: Brenda Williams | 24/12/2009For many do-it-yourselfers who are out there and who own homes, you don't have to have a million dollars to make your home look like a million dollars. In fact, sometimes the only remedy to fixing a worn home is a new coat of paint and moving a few items. There...
Keeping Your Home Clean
By: Brenda Williams | 24/12/2009If you live with children or even small animals, keeping your home clean can almost seem like an impossible task at times. However, by staying organized and practicing a few tricks of the trade, keeping your house neat and tidy isn't as difficult or as impossible as it seems. Whether you...
Hardwood Floors Versus Carpet
By: Brenda Williams | 24/12/2009Whether to have hardwood floors in your home versus carpet has long been a debate now. If you live in North Carolina in the Raleigh area and are looking for an apartment that has hard wood flooring, you will be hard pressed to find one; and when you do find...
The Eras of Furniture Past
By: Annie Deakin | 24/12/2009Furniture is any movable object in your house that makes it possible to live or work. This includes anything that you use for storage, to sit on in and any flat surface you use to eat at or to write. Furniture is seen in a number of different ways. Some...
How to Find the Best Materials For Your Decking
By: Annie Deakin | 24/12/2009If you want to add comfort and increase the quality of your home then adding a deck may be for you. There are a lot of different options for the materials you can use for your decking. In order to make an informed decision about the best deck for your...
DIY Projects and What They Can Mean
By: Annie Deakin | 24/12/2009DIY projects and what they can mean for the homeowner or automobile owner in terms of money-saving work will mainly rely on the ability of the person contemplating doing such activities to at least realize that a small bit of research before carrying out do it will be in order....
Everything you need to know if you are planning to have a residential wind turbine
By: John Mahoney | 16/12/2009 | Home ImprovementLately, advertisements about residential wind turbines, articles about advantages of wind energy, government grants announced for utilising wind energy, opponents of wind turbines, and many more things are flowing into our minds increasingly day by day. Whether you have some basic knowledge about it or you know nothing about it, in this article you will have the chance to know about key facts about wind energy.
Heat Pumps
By: John Mahoney | 16/12/2009 | Home ImprovementThe layer under the earth surface keeps the same temperature level all year long. This means that this layer is warmer than the air temperature in winters and colder than it in summers. Increasing effect of global warming
U- Values of Materials
By: John Mahoney | 10/12/2009 | Home ImprovementIn its simplest form a U-Value gives you the rate of heat loss through a material. In nature heat, like all energy types, has the tendency to flow from denser to less dense medium through any material it can find, i.e. glass, wall bricks and even air. All it needs to is to transfer itself to less energized molecules of the material.
House Insulation
By: John Mahoney | 10/12/2009 | Home ImprovementIf you are one of those paying more than necessary to heat or cool your house you may consider insulation for your house. A well-insulated house is like dressing appropriately for the weather.
House Insulation Tips
By: John Mahoney | 09/12/2009 | Home ImprovementIn a poorly insulated house 30% of the energy generated can be lost through walls, roof, floor, pipes, windows and air leakages. To prevent this loss adequate insulation should be applied where necessary.
Home energy audit
By: John Mahoney | 09/12/2009 | Home ImprovementA home energy audit is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes and to evaluate what measures you can take to make your home more energy efficient. An audit will show you problems that may, when corrected, save you significant amounts of money over time. During the audit, you can pinpoint where your house is losing energy.
Air-Source Heat Pumps
By: John Mahoney | 09/12/2009 | Home ImprovementAn air-source heat pump ia a way to supply efficient heating and cooling, particularly in warmer climates. An air-source heat pump can deliver one-and-a-half to three times more heat energy to a home than the electrical energy it consumes. This is made possible because a heat pump moves heat rather than converting it from a fuel, i.e. your boiler or stove.