Windlock is a major supplier of the EIFS industry and has some great tools for contractors. Any serious EIFS contractor will have some sort of hot wire tool to ease the process of installing grooves into the insulation – whether they’re for aesthetic reveals or are required per the manufacturer.
“Hot Knives” are not actually knives – not in the traditional sense anyways. They’re hand-held transformers that pass a current through a wire to heat it to a specific temperature. This heated wire is then able to easily pass through styrofoam, ever so slightly melting is as it passes through. Anyone that has ever tried physically cutting expanded polystyrene knows the mess it can create and how impossible it is to achieve a straight line. With hot wire tools, the mess is avoided and clean lines are easily made. Because they’re hand-held though, some skill is required to actually achieve a straight line.
Control joints appear commonly between the first and second floor of homes. Residential renovations don’t typically require vertical control joints unless the total area of the wall is greater than a certain square footage. These guides are typically found in the EIFS manufacturer’s specifications.
A lack of control joints between dissimilar substrates is another common cause of EIFS failures. Building materials that expanded and contract at different rates can place stress on even EIFS that has heavy duty mesh. Control joints play a vital, and often overlooked role in residential EIFS renovations.
Inexpensive (and lower quality) hot knives can be found off of places like ebay or craigslist. These less expensive options are great for hobbyists or someone doing a small project, but are definitely not commercial-grade.
View Hotwire on Youtube
You can see more information at: http://www.wind-lock.com/cat-26-1-6/Hot_Knives.htm
