ALPOL EKO PLUS system chart

Four varieties of ALPOL EKO PLUS system are available: - the M variety using decorative mineral plaster - the N variety using decorative acrylic plaster - the SIS variety using decorative silicate and silicone plaster - and the WINTER variety using wintertime adhesive ALPOL AK 534

Mounting the skirting

Carefully level and fix the skirting matched to the insulation board thickness before bonding the Styrofoam boards. Fix the skirting with either expansion bolts or nail plugs, using at least three bolts per 1 metre of skirting.

Edge and spot adhesive application

Either of the two adhesive application techniques should be used: spot-edge or comb method. In the spot-edge method ALPOL AK 530, ALPOL AK 531(white), ALPOL AK 532 or ALPOL AK 534 WINTER adhesives are applied on the board with a trowel in spots and around its edges. The adhesive strip around board edges should be between 3 and 5 cm. Apply 3 to 6 spots of 8 to 12 cm in diameter on the remaining board surface. The amount of adhesive applied should ensure at least 40% effective bonding surface. This method is recommended for slight surface irregularities.

Comb adhesive application

Apply the adhesive with a trowel and spread it with a plain float. Then, comb it with a notched trowel sized 10 x 10 or 12 x 12 mm. This method is recommended for thin boards (below 5 cm), which ensures greater effective bonding area, but can be applied only on even surfaces.

Fixing Styrofoam boards

Lean each Styrofoam board with the adhesive on the edges against the adjacent, already fixed, boards, press it against the wall and slide it a little for uniform spreading of the adhesive. Fix the boards in an upward direction in horizontal lines (along the longer edge) in staggered arrangement of vertical joints, with board ends crossing in the corners.

Fixing Styrofoam boards

Lean each Styrofoam board with the adhesive on the edges against the adjacent, already fixed, boards, press it against the wall and slide it a little for uniform spreading of the adhesive. Fix the boards in an upward direction in horizontal lines (along the longer edge) in staggered arrangement of vertical joints, with board ends crossing in the corners.

Fixing Styrofoam boards

After the adhesive has set, boards protruding out of the wall corners can be trimmed. Remove adhesive excess before fixing next boards. All corners of facade openings should be insulated with one-piece Styrofoam boards cut to size.

Expansion joints

All existing expansion joints in the wall being insulated should be followed in the insulating course. Use PVC prefabricated profiles (for walls and corners) for the expansion joints.

Spacing of mechanical fixtures

Additional mounting with mechanical fixtures depends on the recommendations included in the thermal insulation design. The design should specify the number and type of fixtures together with the spacing method, taking into consideration building height and increased load in the edge areas. It is recommended to use at least 4 fixtures per 1 m² in the middle part of wall and 8 fixtures per 1 m² in the edge area. The length of fixtures used depends on the surface type and thickness of an insulation layer . The anchoring depth should be at least 6 cm in materials of high density (concrete, silicate, solid bricks), and at least 8 cm in materials of low density (aerated concrete, porous bricks).

Fixing Styrofoam boards with mechanical fixtures

Make sure the adhesive under the boards has set and hardened sufficiently (normally after min. 1 day, in lower temperatures after min. 3 days after bonding), before installing the mechanical fixtures. The fixtures must be installed prior to application of the reinforcing layer. The fixtures are installed in pre-drilled holes by plugging them in and driving a plastic pin with a hammer.

Application of a reinforced layer

A reinforced layer should be applied after sanding and removing dust from the Styrofoam boards, at least 3 days after bonding. The first stage recommended is to embed aluminium or plastic corner profiles on wall edges and façade openings. Then, reinforce all opening corners by embedding rectangular strips of fibreglass mesh sized at least 25 x 35 cm above and below the openings, at the angle of45 °.

Application of a reinforced layer

The mesh should be embedded in single operation starting from the wall top. Immediately after spreading the ALPOL AK 531, ALPOL AK 532 or ALPOL AK 534 “winter” adhesive on the boards with stainless steel notched trowel (notch size 10 × 10 or 12 × 12 mm), carefully embed tensioned reinforcing mesh with straight edge of the trowel. The reinforcing mesh should be completely invisible after embedding. The reinforcing mesh may not adhere to the boards in any point, but must be embedded in the adhesive. The mesh belts should be fixed with ca. 10 cm overlap. Overlap the mesh at least 20 cm on the corners if no edge profiles are used on the external corners. Use two layers of the reinforcing mesh in the ground floor and upstand portion of a building (if insulated).

Priming the reinforced layer before plaster application

At least 2 days after applying the reinforcing layer, sand the surface with sand paper and treat the entire area with the plaster primer. Use ALPOL AG 701 primer for decorative mineral plaster, ALPOL AG 705 primer for acrylic plaster and ALPOL AG 706 primer for silicone-silicate plaster. Priming should be performed in temperature above +5° after the adhesive has dried out and set completely. Apply the primer with a brush or a paintbrush.

Application of plasterwork

The following decorative plaster mortars in ALPOL EKO PLUS system are available: • ALPOL AT 320-338 series mineral, grey or white, dashed or cork-texture plaster, grain size from 1.5 to 3 mm, delivered as dry mix. • ALPOL AT 350-358 series acrylic, dashed or cork-texture plaster, colours according to ALPOL COLOUR chart, grain size from 1 to 2.5 mm, delivered as dry mix. • ALPOL AT 370-378 series silicone-silicate, dashed or pitted plaster, colours according to ALPOL COLOUR chart, grain size from 1 to 2.5 mm, delivered as dry mix.

Application of plasterwork

The plaster should be applied at least 24 hours after priming, not later however, than 3 months from application of the reinforced layer. In lowered temperatures, the plaster can be applied after minimum 6 days and when the temperature during 5 following days is above +5°C. Use steel trowel with straight edges to apply all the decorative plaster mortars by spreading them over the wall surface and holding the trowel at 20 – 30°angle. Next coats should always be spread in the direction of a freshly applied coat. The thickness of the coat applied should be the same as that of the grain. Remove excess of the mortar with a float. Ensure adequate number of workers, to continuously and without interruptions apply the plaster on façade area delimited by building corners or other natural cut-off lines. Any possible joints of the plaster should be performed in the “wet to wet” technique. If this proves impracticable, provide the cut-off by sticking two strips of painting tape, one on the surface and the other one on the dry plaster.

Application of plasterwork

After spreading a coat of the thickness required, work on the desired plaster structure. To do so, trowel the plaster with a hard plastic float. Do not press the float against the plaster worked on too hard, otherwise the plaster will be scratched off. Remember that weather conditions will affect the quality of the plasterwork. Mineral plaster after seasoning (minimum 7 days), should be painted with an appropriate façade paint (AF 660 silicate, AF 680 silicone or AF 640 acrylic paint).