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GrailCoat® vs. Ordinary Elastomerics
 GrailCoat® makes a number of acrylic/concrete products, but far and away the most popular is stucco siding. It fills the gap between ordinary stucco and elastomerics.
Ordinary stucco has a number of drawbacks.
Labor intensive
Expensive - $7 to $10 per square foot
Cracks easily
Absorbs water
Very heavy, creating handling problems, shear strain on walls and flat surfaces, and injuries
Limitations to use, especially in high humidity or heavy rain environments
Finished product must be painted
Elastomerics solve these problems. They generally require only one or two thin coats, applied directly over most substrates. Since they are elastic, cracking is unusual. Typically, elastomerics are less expensive than ordinary stucco due to less material and less labor being used. Less material also means less weight.
But elastomerics also have drawbacks
Because the coat is thin, substrate irregularities are apparent in the finished product
Because the material is waterproof, any moisture which gets behind the substrate, building either from the outside or the interior, becomes trapped, causing moisture problems in the structure
Elastomerics are too fragile to be used as a deck covering and are delicate at sharp angles
Expensive- $7 to $11 per square foot
Often, fatigue cracking or stretching occurs over time (two or more years) when subjected to substantial thermally-induced substrate movement
GrailCoat overcomes the problems of both systems
Less expensive - $4 to $10 per square foot or less. Labor bids vary by region, site, height, access and equipment available
Adheres to most construction substrates: block, concrete, expanded polystyrene, extruded polystyrene, plywood, oriented strand board, SIP's and ICF's
Can be applied in three coats. Unlike the elastomerics, it 2-to-4 mm thick
Breathes like stucco, but prevents water penetration
Excellent acrylic crack resistance
GrailCoat® has been in continuous use as a siding material for nearly 30 years on homes and businesses throughout the world. Typical installation is a base coat embedded in polypropylene mesh, a second coat completely covering the mesh and a textured top coat.
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