Hi all, do I need termite protection if my frame for my decking is made of steel?
Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Termite protection for decking 5May 04, 2011 9:35 pm It's impossible to answer your question without more info. Where are you located? Are termites an issue in your area? Does your house have termite protection? Re: Termite protection for decking 6May 04, 2011 9:53 pm I think this is a trick question. Never seen a deck made of steel before. Merbau is not a native timber and is class 'D' durable meaning it has good resistance to termite attack. So you don't have much to worry about termites if your deck is Merbu and your frame is steel. However on a more serious note where are your wall vents in relation to that deck? Are they under the deck line? Also is that deck going to be level with the door frame? Is it above the level of the slab? Because you are essentially making it impossible to inspect termite activitiy at the entry points of the door frame and wall vents. I'd be thinking about a physical barrier or termite protection under the deck to prevent entry under the deck. Here is a story about a place I just bought in the Dandenongs. There is a rear deck which is level with the door frame so that there is no step from the doorway to the deck. The deck is Merbu and under the house has been treated for termites. However under the door frame hidden by the deck is a small concrete plinth and above that a small piece of wood below the door frame. All looks well and the original owners never realised the reason their floor tiles were cracking in the house was because there is hardly any floor left under them. The termites went under the deck and up the wall straight in under the door frame and ate the bearers and floor. The deck is fine and there is no visible termite activity outside because it is all hidden by the deck. The lesson is that decks are good at hiding termite activity and even if under the house/slab is sprayed if the termites enter in by other means it makes no difference... Re: Termite protection for decking 7May 05, 2011 9:11 am Mozzie I think this is a trick question. Never seen a deck made of steel before. Merbau is not a native timber and is class 'D' durable meaning it has good resistance to termite attack. So you don't have much to worry about termites if your deck is Merbu and your frame is steel. However on a more serious note where are your wall vents in relation to that deck? Are they under the deck line? Also is that deck going to be level with the door frame? Is it above the level of the slab? Because you are essentially making it impossible to inspect termite activitiy at the entry points of the door frame and wall vents. I'd be thinking about a physical barrier or termite protection under the deck to prevent entry under the deck. Here is a story about a place I just bought in the Dandenongs. There is a rear deck which is level with the door frame so that there is no step from the doorway to the deck. The deck is Merbu and under the house has been treated for termites. However under the door frame hidden by the deck is a small concrete plinth and above that a small piece of wood below the door frame. All looks well and the original owners never realised the reason their floor tiles were cracking in the house was because there is hardly any floor left under them. The termites went under the deck and up the wall straight in under the door frame and ate the bearers and floor. The deck is fine and there is no visible termite activity outside because it is all hidden by the deck. The lesson is that decks are good at hiding termite activity and even if under the house/slab is sprayed if the termites enter in by other means it makes no difference... WOW thanks Mozzie. The wall vents are covered by the steel frame, except for the top half. I'm now going to cover the holes with stainles mesh termite protection and also cover the edge of the frame connecting with the house.. Thanks for the info, much appriciate it. The decking will be approx level with the house slab. I'll make sure the door frame will be protected with termi mesh from the house. Re: Termite protection for decking 9May 05, 2011 6:33 pm Pisti, If you arent, consider putting a framing board around the deck (viewtopic.php?f=17&t=36996 look at the deck photos here so you know what I mean). Use screws for this board so you can lift it and easily inspect for termite activity each year (steel frame so you will be anyway?). Also try to leave enough clearance between the house and framing members so you can see down (30mm or so). This was part of my design but turned out to be a requirement from my building surveyor in any case. Re: Termite protection for decking 10May 05, 2011 7:52 pm I agree with everyone on what has been said. However my Merbau was treated , was yours not. Mine is all wood and all of it is treated. Looks wicked when is the same level as the inner floor - even more so with interior floorboards and bifolds. Good Luck to you. Timeline Aug 08-Land Mar 09-Demo/Titles Sept 10-Handover No1 Sept 11-Handover No2 April 12-Sold No2 Aug 14-Land/Demo Jan 15-Slabs viewtopic.php?f=31&t=25736 Re: Termite protection for decking 11May 06, 2011 8:46 am Sierra Pisti, If you arent, consider putting a framing board around the deck (viewtopic.php?f=17&t=36996 look at the deck photos here so you know what I mean). Use screws for this board so you can lift it and easily inspect for termite activity each year (steel frame so you will be anyway?). Also try to leave enough clearance between the house and framing members so you can see down (30mm or so). This was part of my design but turned out to be a requirement from my building surveyor in any case. Good Idea..Thanks Nice decking by the way. Yes, neither is termite damage that is not covered by your house insurance. 3 5650 Hi, as per the subject. Does anyone have any recommendations for the best value decking oil (Bunning is close to where I live) for a treated pine deck? Thanks 0 1290 Hi , I'm currently going through this now within the Whitehorse council which has a similar set of restrictions. We're having to make compromises with our floor plan due… 3 23688 |