Facade entrance damage

Question

The entrance to our condo was damaged in the last few moves and I am not sure how to fix it. Check out the pictures

1. What is this material called? It seems to be some soft of plaster shell with foam inside.
2. Who do I need to call to fix it? A general contractor? (Unfortunately, I do not have much time to do it myself).
3. What can be done to reinforce these edges? I was thinking some sort of a metal bracket that runs along the edge. What would such a bracket be called and where do I find it?

Thank you much for the help!

Answer 1

This is EIFS- Exterior Insulating Finish System. A little info on it here.

You won't need a GC to do this, it is a small repair. There are EIFS installers you can call. They will tell you it will not repair easily. It will not touch up, they will need to recreate or overlay the whole "block" so to speak. It may be better to peel off the original and start from scratch, so it does not get bigger than the others. I do not know if this can be custom colored, if need be. In todays market, with enough money behind it, anything can be customized, you may still need to live with a little difference in color.

Answer 2

I think you could probably use a lightweight epoxy based filler, such as Bondo, to repair the chips and holes. The trick would be to replicate the texture and color.

As the epoxy sets, you could stipple the surface with a few small end wooden or plastic picks (toothpicks, chopsticks whittled down to smaller shapes, etc.). Be ready to dispose of them after the project.

For coloring, you might need to paint a whole block to avoid a splotchy look.

Obviously, this does nothing to solve the longer term issue of chips that may occur in the future. Depending on how hard you find this fix, you may just wait to see if it happens again.

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