See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/304624518

DEFECT ANALYSIS OF RENOVATED FACADE WALLS WITH ETICS SOLUTIONS

IN COLD CLIMATE CONDITIONS

Conference Paper · June 2016

CITATIONS READS

8 696

8 authors, including:

Eneli Liisma Lembi-Merike Raado

Tallinn University of Technology Tallinn University of Technology
14 PUBLICATIONS   138 CITATIONS    19 PUBLICATIONS   153 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Irene Lill Emlyn Witt

Tallinn University of Technology Tallinn University of Technology
78 PUBLICATIONS   836 CITATIONS    40 PUBLICATIONS   450 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Post disaster waste management View project

ANDROID View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Eneli Liisma on 30 June 2016.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

DEFECT ANALYSIS OF RENOVATED FACADE WALLS
WITH ETICS SOLUTIONS IN COLD CLIMATE
CONDITIONS
Eneli LIISMAa, Raili SEPRIa, Lembi-Merike RAADOb, Irene LILLc, Emlyn David
Qivitoq WITTd, Virgo SULAKATKOc, Mattias PÕLDARUa
a
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, eneli.liisma@ttu.ee
b
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, lembi.raado@ttu.ee
c
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, irene.lill@ttu.ee
d
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, emlyn.witt@ttu.ee

Abstract

Due to European climate strategy (Horizon 2020), requirements for energy efficiency have
become stricter and a considerable proportion of buildings cannot fulfil these terms. This
paper focuses on housing stock in residential areas in Estonia that is nearing the end of its
service life and has recently been renovated with ETICS (External Thermal Insulation
Composite System). ETICS is a widely used thermal insulation solution for the reconstruction
of apartment block facades to improve thermal performance. Despite its popularity, ETICS
appears to have several problems with its durability and sustainability shortly after
installation. This paper presents a survey of the facade defects with ETICS in a cold climate
and analyses their possible causes. The basis for this survey was data collection obtained by
visual inspection in the field. The visual inspection examined 3 areas of the building facades
where possible ETICS defects may occur – plinth, main facade and roofline. Defects are listed
and classified in an information matrix. The scope of defects is evaluated with different types
of damage classifications and defect analysis of the renovated façade walls is performed.

Keywords: ETICS, renovation, defects, moisture, energy efficiency, plinth, facade, roofline

1 Introduction
European climate strategy focuses on reducing energy consumption through efficient housing
stock. To implement this strategy, the European Commission has directed that all new
buildings are to be Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings by 2020. Nevertheless, a major part of the
required reduction in energy use needs to be achieved through the renovation of existing
buildings and, in Estonia, many of these buildings are apartment blocks built before 1990
with low energy efficiency. In order to improve the thermal performance and thereby extend
the service life of low energy efficient apartment blocks, ETICS has been extensively applied
for several years. The wide usage of ETICS in cold Nordic climates in recent decades
provides an opportunity to analyse the suitability of the system and its components.
According to current research, moisture is the key factor in the degradation process. It has a
major impact on the durability and service life of the external finishing coat of buildings such
as the thin layer mortar systems which ETICS utilizes [1], [2], [3] and [4].
2 Research methods

2.1 Selection of buildings in the survey

A sample of 30 buildings was selected for the survey out of the 200 apartment blocks
insulated with ETICS in Estonia in order to analyse early stage (within 6 years) defects. All
30 buildings complied with the criteria presented in Tab.1. An overview of the selected
apartment blocks together with their year and season of installation is shown in Fig. 1. As
shown, the majority of the ETICS installations were performed during 2011-2012 (~70%) and
over 40% were installed below +5oC indicating a potential risk to the thin layer and its
hardening strength.

Tab. 1 Criteria for the selection of buildings

Year of construction 1950-1990
Number of floors 3-6
Year of ETICS installation ≥ 2009
Built documentation (Building permit; certification) Yes
Use of the building Apartment block
Location Tallinn, Estonia

MONTH
APARTMENT BLOCKS [%]

Sept.

Nov.
Aug.
Mar.
Dec.

May
June
Apr.
Feb.

Oct.
July
Jan.

40 37
APARTMENT BLOCKS [%]

33

MONTHLY AVERAGE
35 40 25

TEMPERATURE [°C]
35 32 20
30
30 30 15
25 25 19 10
20 16 5
20 15 0
13
15 10 10 -5
10 5 -10
3 3 0 -15
5 winter spring summer autumn
0 SEASON OF RECONTRUCTION
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
2009 2010 2011 2012
YEAR OF ETICS INSTALLATION 2013 2014 5°C

Fig. 1. Left) Year of ETICS installation; Right) Temperature during ETICS installation.

2.2 Visual inspection

The aim of visual inspection was to register the apparent visual defects with ETICS in
cardinal directions (North, South, East and West) and, additionally, in 3 separate areas of the
building: plinth, facade and roofline (Fig. 2). The inspections were conducted from the ground
in April and May 2015.

Fig. 2. The facade distribution of 3 areas (plinth, facade, roofline)

2.3 Classification of defects with ETICS and assessment
All the observed defects were listed and categorised according to the basic areas (plinth,
facade and roofline). For the purpose of comparison, the methodology and classification of
defects in the current research was kept analogous to that of the research by Amaro et al [5]
which was carried out in Portugal and was one of the first statistical summary analyses of
ETICS defects. The typology of defects was organized and divided into three main defect
groups:
 Material rupture (MR)
 Colour/aesthetic (C/A)
 Flatness (F).
Furthermore, all the defects observed in the current survey were assessed according to 5
designated classification types (CL TYPE) (Tab.2.).
Damage classes A, B, C and D show the percentage of damaged area according to the
presented scale value. Marking with a rectangle (▄) indicates a percentage of damages to the
respective façade area (plinth, main façade, and roofline); marking with a solid line (▬)
indicates a length of damaged region of the façade; marking with three dots (▪▪▪) indicates a
ratio of damaged façade elements to total elements. Classification CL TYPE 4 classes KP1 to
KP4 assess the size of damaged area and CL TYPE 5 damage classes KE1 to KE4 assess the
frequency of damage according to their appearance.

Tab. 2 Designed classification types for visual inspection

CL TYPE Damage class/marking icon/scale Explanation
A▄ B▄ C▄ D▄
1 % of damaged area of observed area
>60% 30-60% 10-30% <10%
A▬ B▬ C▬ D▬
2 % of damage over the length of facade
>60% 30-60% 10-30% <10%
A ▪▪▪ B ▪▪▪ C ▪▪▪ D ▪▪▪ % of damaged details/parts of building
3 to their total number
>60% 30-60% 10-30% <10%
KP1 KP2 KP3 KP4 Size of the damaged area (frequency
4
>30x30 cm2 <30x30 cm2 <20x20 cm2 <10x10 cm2 needed)
KE1 KE2 KE3 KE4
5 Number of appearances of damage
>15 11-15 5-10 <5

3 Research results
3.1 General results and comparison
Based on the classification type, defect analysis was carried out and it appeared that most of
the ETICS defects were material rupture (51%) and colour/aesthetic defects (40%). A small
proportion of defects were associated with flatness (9%). Compared to the similar research in
Portugal [5], it was noticed that colour/aesthetic defects were most problematic (49%).
Flatness (27%) and material rupture (24%) were approximately equally problematic in
Portugal. These comparative results are presented in the first two columns of Fig. 3.
Individually taken, plinth areas suffer mostly under colour/aesthetic problems (50%) and
somewhat from material rupture (39%). Main facade areas had the reverse – mostly material
rupture defects (50%) and somewhat less colour/aesthetic problems (39%). For rooflines,
most defects were colour/aesthetic problems (69%) and there were some flatness defects
(28%).
18
100 20 15 14
9 11 11
27 28

DEFECTS [%]
DEFECTS [%]

80 15
40 50 39 10
60
49 10 7 7 7
40 69 6 6
5
20 51 39 50 4
24 5
0 3 1 1
RESEARCH THE WHOLE PLINTH FACADE ROOFLINE 0
IN SIDE OF THE

MR3
MR1
MR2

MR4
MR5

F1
F3
C/A1
C/A3
C/A4
C/A5
C/A6
C/A7
PORTUGAL FACADE
F C/A MR
MR C/A F
THE AREA OF BUILDING
DEFECT TYPE DESIGNATION
Fig.3 Defects divided between 3 defect Fig.4 Defects in the plinth area
groups

In addition to defect differences, under Nordic climate conditions, in the case of Estonia, all
presented defects appeared earlier (within 1-6 years) instead of 10 to 20 years as in Portugal.
All facade areas were analysed individually and an overview of the plinth area defects
are presented in Fig. 4. The most common defects in the plinth area are oriented cracks (MR1)
(18%), rain splatter, dirt or damp blotches (C/A5) (15%), other colour changes (C/A6) (14%)
and surface irregularities (F1) (10%). Other material ruptures (MR) such as non-oriented
cracks (MR2), deterioration of reinforcement coverings (MR6), detachment of finishing coat
(MR4) and material gaps (MR5); colour/aesthetic defects such as runoff marks (C/A1),
graffiti/scribbles (C/A3), biological growth (C/A4) and insufficiently performed edge (C/A7)
and flatness defects (F) such as swelling of the finishing coat (F3) were represented somewhat
less.
Fig. 5 shows that most problems in the main façade area are associated with oriented
cracks (MR1) (30%), runoff marks (C/A1) (16%) and surface irregularities (T1) (9%).
Somewhat less represented defects with material rupture were lack of adhesion between the
plinth profile and reinforced base coat (MR6(F)); colour/aesthetic defects such as corrosion
stains (C/A2) and flatness defects such as visible joints between thermal insulation plates
(F2).
Fig. 6 shows that typical problems in the roofline area are runoff marks (C/A1) (36%), other
colour changes (C/A6) (28%) and surface irregularities (F1) (28%). Fewer material rupture
defects were detected, mostly detachment of the finishing coat (MR4) (3%)

MR C/A F MR C/A F
35 30
DEFECTS [%]

36
DEFECTS [%]

30 40
25 28 28
20 16 30
15 8 9 20
10 4 4 2 6 4 2 3 3
6
6
5 2 1 10
3
0 0
MR1
MR2
MR3
MR4
MR5
MR6(F)
C/A1
C/A2
C/A3
C/A4
C/A6
C/A7
F1
F2
F3

MR4 C/A1 C/A4 C/A6 F1

DEFECT TYPE DESIGNATION
DEFECT TYPE DESIGNATION
Fig. 5 Defects of the main facade area Fig. 6 Defects of the roofline area
3.2 Discussion of possible causes of ETICS defects
Most of the defects that occurred near to the plinth and ground floor area (cracks, rain splatter,
dirt and damp blotches, detachment of the finishing coat) are caused by a large load of ground
humidity and capillary absorption with a freezing co-effect. Oriented cracks in outer and inner
corners (Fig. A, B) are often associated with stress concentration inside the material, mainly
as a result of incorrectly placed mesh and irregular plaster surface [4]. Open porosity
increases in time [6] and, along with that, material water absorption, which causes more
intensive cracking during the freezing process. Longitudinal cracks of the plinth profile (Fig.
7C) are caused by poor adhesion between the reinforced base coat and the plinth profile. 74%
of longitudinal cracks appeared with insufficiently made edges, where ends of reinforcement
mesh protrude and water droplets can remain. 93% of cracks appeared with insufficiently
made edges in the main façade area. Therefore, cracks can be associated with the
accumulation of moisture in insufficiently made façade edges. Damage to the plinth profile
can also induce cracking. Another notable cracking defect generator is a facade and structural
detail joint as shown in Fig. 7 D.

Fig. 7 Oriented cracks in A) inner corner;B) outer corner; C) plinth profile; D) joining
facade and structural detail
Problems with moisture continue with rain splatter, dirt and damp blotches. The appearance of
plastered plinths depends on the ground next to the plinth. 45% of plastered plinths with rain
splatter and dirty blotches (Fig. 8) were next to flowerbeds or soil areas. Soil areas can occur
under balcony railings, where the rain load is higher. Damp blotches emerge when rising
ground moisture reaches the plaster through capillarity [7]. Plinths that were covered with
special panels instead of ETICS were less affected by rain splatter and dirt. Another defect
with ETICS is runoff marks (Fig. 9) that appeared mostly with protruding plinths (80%) in the
plinth area. Protruding plinths have a greater rainwater load coming from the plinth flashing
and therefore a higher risk of different moisture damage, for example, biological growth.
Most of the runoff marks in the main façade and the roofline area appeared on facades with
mineral plaster. Mineral plasters have high water absorption and therefore become stained
easily.

Fig. 8 Moisture defects: A) Damp bloches; B) Rain splatter; C) Moisture area with biological
growth
 Fig. 9 Moisture defects: A) Runoff marks and biological growth; B) Moisture damage and
material rapture in roofline
Other colour changes detected on the facade such as smudges, air pollution, bird droppings,
colour splashes were mainly external influences. Staining of the façade surface is associated
with finishing layer properties like porosity and roughness [8]. Environmental influences such
as bird droppings and air pollution become nutrients for micro-organisms [9]. Colour changes
were detected mostly with mineral plasters that indicate more porous structures and higher
moisture absorption capacity. In addition to environmental influences during installation and
use, building technology issues such as insufficient overlay of reinforcement mesh,
retempering of mortars during the installation process and, generally, the building technology
employed in the façade works can cause façade irregularities [5], [10].
Biological growth (Fig. 10) is often a result of other defects associated with high values
of surface moisture content. Biological growth was seen most often on facades facing West
and North. The North facade warms the least during the day and that can be the reason why
the water condensing during the night cannot evaporate properly. The West façade has the
highest amount of condensation during the night and therefore the facade surface may not dry
enough during the day [2]. Wind driven rain is also one of the main reasons for wetting of
facades [9]. Western winds are the prevailing winds in Estonia resulting in greater surface
wetting of the West façade.

EAST NORTH

Fig. 10 Biological growth:: A) Runoff marks and biological growth; B) Moisture damage and
material rapture; C) Moisture damage and biological growth
Biological growth was most noted on facades that were renovated in autumn. Autumn
provides a particularly favourable environment in the Nordic climate for the growth of
microorganisms [9]. Façade works done during the autumn period need more time to dry and
this creates favourable conditions for microorganisms. Biological growth was also prevalent
when greenery was closer than 10 meters to the building. The greenery near facades may
spread spores of various biological organisms (mosses, lichens, algae), which can begin to
grow on the facade surface. Surface irregularities can also promote spore attachment to the
façade surface [2]. Most of the cases where biological growth was detected were facades with
mineral plasters having high water absorption. This contributes to easier staining of the façade
surface from air pollution (nutrients) and therefore encourages biological growth [9].
 It can be proposed that defects and their origin in ETICS solutions is a function f(...) of
environment (E), design (D), building technology (BT) and maintenance (M) as outlined in
Fig. 11. The combination of these influences can determine the service life of ETICS.

ENVIRONMENT (E)

DESIGN (D)
DEFECT SERVICE
ORIGIN f(...) LIFE
BUILDING TECHNOLOGY (BT)

MAINTENANCE (M)

Fig. 11 Preliminary prognosis of the service life of ETICS

4 Conclusions
 External defects by visual inspection in the case of Estonia tend to appear in early stages
(within 1-6 years).
 The survey revealed that most of the defects with ETICS relate to material rupture
(51%) such as oriented/non-oriented cracks, deterioration of reinforcement coverings,
detachment or material gaps in the finishing coat; colour/aesthetic (40%) such as
runoff marks, rain splatters, damp blotches and other colour changes; flatness (9%)
such as surface irregularities, visible joints between thermal insulation boards and
swelling of the finishing coat.
 The origins of defects in the plinth area were related to high moisture loads from the
ground, especially combined with cold cycles. Defects that appeared in the main
façade area were mostly caused by high humidity loads, inadequately designed joints
and improper building technology during installation such as low temperature < +5oC
(40%) that indicates undeveloped strength of the finishing coat.
 The main causes of the defects in the roofline area were induced by the large rainwater
load and technological mistakes during the installation process. Most defects in the
main façade and roofline area were found with mineral plasters.
 Cardinal directions such as west and north were significantly more prone to defects with
biological growth due to high condensation and the prevailing winds.

Based on the results of this research, it is recommended that future studies in the field of
ETICS should further investigate the influence of the design process (building materials),
building technology (installation process) and maintenance of ETICS in order to enable more
accurate service life predictions.
In addition, the influence of the crack width and length to the stability and performance
of ETICS should be studied.
Finally, plinth solutions in ETICS should be particularly focused on to avoid direct
moisture contact and other environmental influences such as activity load impacts.
 Acknowledgement
This work was supported by institutional research funding of the Estonian Ministry of Education and
Research IUT1−15 “Nearly-zero energy solutions and their implementation on deep renovation of buildings“.

References
[1] NORVAIŠIENE, R., GRICIUTE, G., BLLIDŽIUS, R., et al. (2013). The Changes of Moisture
Absorption Properties during the Service Life of External Thermal Insulation Composite System
– Material Science 19: 103-107
[2] BARREIRA, E., DE FREITAS, V. P., DELGADO, J. M. P. Q. Biological Defacement of
External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems. 09.03, (2015)
[3] D’ORAZIO, M., CURSIO G., GRAZIANI, L., AQUILANTI, L., OSIMANI, A.,
YEPREMIAN, C., LARICCIA, V., AMOROSO, S. (2014). Effects of water absorption and
surface roughness on the bioreceptivity of ETICS compared to clay bricks. Building and
Environment 77. 20-28.
[4] DANIOTTI, B., RE CECCONI, F., PAOLINI, R., et al. (2012). Durability evaluation of ETICS:
analysis of failures case studies and heat and moisture transfer simulations to assess the
frequency of critical events. APFACC, 4o Congresso Portugues de Argamassas e ETICS,
Coimbra
[5] AMARO, B., SARAIVA, D., BRITO, J., et al. (2013). Inspection and diagnosis system of
ETICS on walls. – Construction and Building Materials 47: 1257 – 1267.
[6] BOCHEN, J. (2009) – Study on the microstructure of thin-layer facade plasters of thermal
insulating system during artificial weathering. Construction and Building Materials 23:2559-
2566.
[7] GASPAR, P., DE BRITO, J. (2005). Mapping defect sensitivity in external mortar renders. –
Construction and Building Materials 19: 571-578.
[8] FLORES-COLEN, I, DE BRITO, J., DE FREITAS, V. P. (2008). Stains in facades’ rendering –
Diagnosis and maintenance techniques’ classification. – Construction and Building Materials
22: 211-221.
[9] LENGSFELD, K., KRUS, M. Microorganism on facades – reasons, consequences and
measures. (2004). IEA – Annex 41 “Moist-Eng” Meeting, Glasgow, UK
[10] SULAKATKO, V., LILL, I., LIISMA, E. (2015). Analysis of on-site construction processes for
effective thermal insulation system (ETICS) installation. Procedia Economics and Finance 21:
297-305.

View publication stats