Replacing termite and bug screens
ARMANDO COBO
| Posted in General Questions on
I’m trying to figure out if any of the liquid applied flashings (spray, roll or spread) are termite, ant and bug proof, as if I want to replace the bug screens and barriers. If applied thick enough, would that do it? Anyone has experienced with this?
I’ve talk to several tech support people and they all told me they haven’t tested for that, so they can’t comment.
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While I can't speak specifically to termites, I can tell you that insects are pretty good at chewing through just about anything. I've seen things chew through the "pest block" version of great stuff, that is specifically intended to block insects, for example. Mice are also pretty good at chewing through stuff. The only materials I've found are pretty much critter proof are metal, concrete, and glass. There are actually some aquatic critters that can etch glass, but I'm not aware of any terrestrial critters that will.
I have seen critters chew through fiberglass insect screen. It slows them down. I've seen squirrels chew through the corrugated steel tape in armored fiber optic cables, but at least that armor slows them down. I would put "thick enough ... coating" in the "slows them down" category, but I wouldn't think it would act as a true barrier.
If you need bug PROOF, you could try a variation on my mouse proof barrier. I often take some 1/2" mesh hardware cloth and put that in gaps before I fill the gap with canned foam. The canned foam encapsulates the hardware cloth, and then the hardware cloth will stop mice from chewing through the foam. This has worked very well for me. You could try wrapping stainless screening tightly to your wall, then put the coating over the screen so that the screen gets encapsulated into the coating. This would work well, but the tricky part would be keeping the screen flat enough so that you didn't have "bubbles" where the screen was above the coating.
I don't like using aluminum screen because it's too prone to corroding away, and then you have no protection. Stainless screen costs more, but lasts forever (especially if you use 316 alloy). Fiberglass screen would be a value option, as it provides some protection, but I know insects can eventually get through it. Fiberglass screen barely even slows down mice.
Bill
Bill, thanks for your reply. I've specified 304 SS screen rolls for a long time, and it works really well, however, I was thinking that maybe we could use a spreadable goop that serves well for moisture AND termites and bugs.
Amazingly, I just found out that in my backyard, Polyguard of Ennis, TX, makes a non-pesticide waterproofing and termite physical barrier system. I knew they made structural waterproofing, but I didn't know they have this new TERM barriers for termites, drainage, ventilation, and exposed perimeters as well.
Check them out: https://www.polyguardproducts.com/term and https://poly-wall.com
316 is a little better for corrosion resistance compared to 304, so it will hold up a little better, especially in hostile enviornments (near the coasts where you have salt air is a big one). If the cost is similar, I recommend you try 316 next time for a little extra long term durability. 316 has a slightly duller color to it compared to 304, otherwise they handle pretty much the same.
I'll check out that fluid termite barrier. I wonder what they do to make it chew-proof. My particular area doesn't have a terminate issue, and the concrete and steel construction I'm usually dealing with at work is inherently termite proof (which is nice :-), but I have family on the other side of the state where they do have termite issues.
Bill