Rails & profiles

Start rail and top rail for the external thermal insulation system (ETIS)

The right foundation for a well-organised building site

The aluminium starter rail marks the start of an external thermal insulation project: installed horizontally at the base of the façade and mechanically fixed to the substrate using wall plugs spaced 30 to 50 cm apart, it aligns and secures the first row of insulation panels whilst protecting the bottom of the wall against impact and rising damp. It is available in widths ranging from 23 to 243 mm, to match exactly the thickness of the insulation panel being installed, whether it is expanded polystyrene, rock wool or wood fibre. The 2.5 m lengths are joined end-to-end using connecting strips or couplers, sold in packs of 100, to ensure continuous alignment along the entire length of the façade; adjustment shims compensate for any unevenness in the substrate before fixing. The coping rail is the same width to cover the upper part of the insulation, where the façade changes plane: the top of the wall, the parapet or the point where it stops beneath the coping, using the same principle of mechanical fixing and joining between profiles.

External thermal insulation products

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Corner angles and drip mouldings: addressing specific issues on the façade

Clean lines, a façade protected from the rain

At the projecting corners of the façade, a fabric-reinforced PVC corner bead (10 x 23 mm, length 2.5 m) is embedded directly into the base render: its fibreglass mesh flanges reinforce the corner and prevent cracks, which a simple strip of hand-folded mesh cannot guarantee over time. Beneath window and door lintels, the fabric-reinforced PVC drip moulding, designed for 5 mm-thick finishes, creates a break that directs rainwater away from the façade rather than allowing it to run down beneath the lintel towards the render and joinery. These two profiles are installed before the general reinforcement, as part of the same process as the base coat, and are adjusted as the scaffolding is raised. Used systematically on all exposed corners and lintels, they prevent the need for subsequent repairs due to cracks and water ingress, both on new-build projects and energy-efficiency refurbishments.

How to choose your external insulation?

Steps involved in an EWI installation

Which fixing for which substrate?

Start rail and top rail for the external thermal insulation system (ETIS)

Which profile for which purpose?

Le rail de départ en pied de façade, les profilés d'angle sur les arêtes et les profilés goutte d'eau en sous-face des linteaux et débords. Ils protègent les points fragiles et assurent des finitions nettes.

Sa largeur doit correspondre à l'épaisseur de l'isolant posé.

Mesurez le pied de façade, les angles et le contour des ouvertures, puis ajoutez environ 10 % pour les coupes et recouvrements.