Service
EIFS and stucco caulking for Aurora retail, medical and multifamily buildings
The synthetic stucco shopping centers along Parker Road, Havana Street and E-470 depend on sealant at every joint, window and dissimilar material change. Those seals are what keep water out of the foam.
From Buckley Joint Sealants, a commercial caulking contractor in Aurora, quoted against published pricing.
Where EIFS and stucco leak
Exterior insulation and finish systems and traditional three coat stucco both crack at the same places: control joints, window heads and sills, the line where the finish meets a storefront frame, roof to wall intersections and penetrations. On an EIFS wall the finish coat is a thin layer over foam, so an open joint lets water straight into the insulation board, where it sits against the sheathing. That is how a small sealant failure becomes a rotted wall in an occupied medical office.
Hail is the Front Range twist. Colorado State University’s climate hazards research puts the Front Range in the country’s most hail prone corridor from mid April through mid September, and hail bruises EIFS finish and pops sealant loose at window sills. After a big storm, the sealant joints deserve the same inspection the roof gets.
Sealants that stay flexible on foam and stucco
EIFS calls for a low modulus sealant that will not tear the finish coat as the joint moves, and the sealant has to bond to the base coat, not the finish. That usually means routing back the finish at the joint face, priming, and installing a low modulus silicone or a urethane the EIFS manufacturer approves in writing. On stucco, control joint recaulking pairs with crack sealing using an elastomeric compound tooled flush so the painter can overcoat it.
Buckley Joint Sealants documents the sealant against the wall system manufacturer’s approved list, because an unapproved sealant can void an EIFS warranty even when it holds.
Retail centers, medical offices and apartment communities
Most of our EIFS work is on strip retail with a dozen tenant frontages, medical office buildings around the Anschutz and Medical Center of Aurora campuses, and garden style apartment communities with hundreds of window openings. We sequence by storefront or by building so tenants keep their entrances, and on multifamily we price per window opening so an HOA board can budget the whole community from one number.
How an EIFS or stucco sealing job runs
- 1
Survey each elevation and each window opening, probe suspect areas for soft substrate, photograph every failure.
- 2
Confirm the wall system and its approved sealant list, then quote per linear foot and per window opening.
- 3
Cut out failed sealant and rout back finish coat at joint faces where needed.
- 4
Prime, set backer rod, install low modulus sealant and tool to a smooth concave profile.
- 5
Seal hairline cracks with elastomeric compound flush to the finish for the painter.
- 6
Closeout with photos per opening and the product documentation your wall warranty requires.
Pricing for this work
| Job type | Typical range | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| EIFS or stucco control joints and terminations | $5 to $12 per LF | Finish rout back, primer, low modulus silicone versus urethane |
| Window and door perimeter on EIFS or stucco | $120 to $260 per opening | Opening size, head flashing condition, sill damage |
| Stucco crack sealing, elastomeric, flush tooled | $3 to $7 per LF | Crack width, paint scope, access |
| Soft or damaged substrate repair found at survey | Quoted per location | Size of the repair, base coat and mesh work |
Full table and worked examples on the cost guide.
EIFS and stucco questions we hear in Aurora
Our stucco has hairline cracks everywhere. Is that a caulking job or a stucco job?
Hairline cracks under about a sixteenth of an inch are sealed with an elastomeric crack filler and overcoated by the painter. Cracks wider than that, or cracks that run from a window corner, usually mean movement or water behind the wall and need a stucco contractor to open the area. We will tell you which you have at the survey.
Can you caulk EIFS with regular polyurethane?
Only if the EIFS manufacturer lists it as approved for their system, and most call for a low modulus sealant. The wrong sealant can pull the finish coat off as the joint moves, and it can void the wall warranty. We check the approved list and write the product on the quote.
How do you price a whole apartment community?
Per window opening and per linear foot of control joint, by building, so the board sees one number per building and a total. Communities with 200 to 400 openings usually land between $30,000 and $90,000 for a full reseal, spread over one or two seasons if budget requires.
Do you handle the hail insurance paperwork?
We provide the photo documentation and the itemized scope that adjusters ask for, and we meet the adjuster on site if needed. The claim itself is between you and your carrier.
Related work: Window and curtain wall perimeters · Joint sealant replacement · Tilt-up and precast panel caulking. Where we do it: Denver, Centennial, Greenwood Village, Englewood and all service areas.
Get this priced for your building
Free survey, written quote in linear feet, no obligation.