
Physical Termite Protection Barriers
Safeguard your new home with physical termite control
Physical barrier termite treatments are most often used for termite protection in new construction projects. The physical products are integrated into the structural elements of the building to create a complete ad continuous barrier.
When designed and installed correctly, the only way termites can enter the structure is by building a trail over a designated perimeter inspection zone. When they do this, they become visible and can be dealt with.
Physical barriers provide the least-toxic method of termite barrier treatment for new buildings in Melbourne.

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1300 69 59 49
Designing your physical termite barrier
Protecting new homes and extensions from termites requires the termite management products to work in a seamless design with the construction elements to eliminate potential entry points such as joins in concrete slabs or brickwork and around penetration points where utilities enter buildings.
To protect a building, invariably a combination of different products is required to protect the various potential termite entry points that are created during construction
There have been a number of recent changes to the Building Codes and Australian Standards, making it more challenging to remain compliant with the governing regulation. Here at TermiBuild, we are up to speed with all the latest developments to ensure we design the best and compliant termite protection systems to protect the home and ensure quick approval on completion.
Methods of physical termite barrier systems
Termite membranes
The modern version of “ant” capping are termite membranes, which are thick, flexible polymer sheeting, containing a long lasting insecticide.
Being impregnated with insecticide, these membranes provide both a physical and chemical termite barrier, making this method of pre-construction protection safe, affordable and very effective.
Termite collars
In houses constructed on a concrete slab, these penetrations are hidden in the slab and so need to be protected during the construction process (after the house has been built, it’s too late!).
Termite foams and sealants
Termite foam is rather like gap filler foam but contains a repellent termiticide. It is applied as an expanding ‘two pack’ within the edge rebate cavity of a wall. A plastic membrane is also laid along the brickwork.
Metal ant capping
Historically metal ant caps have been used on brick piers and sub-floor walls under suspended timber floors. Similarly, metal sheeting is often used through brick piers and masonry walls to force termites to the outside but is not generally used in the industry any more as it has not proven overly successful over time.
Metal sheeting is prone to rusting and sometimes they have been poorly installed – often nailed to the pier, creating a hole that the termites can crawl through – making them useless.
Stainless steel mesh
Marine grade stainless steel mesh may also be used as a physical protection barrier to termites. The size of the mesh openings is small enough to prevent termites passing through, this acting as an effective barrier to termites. Mesh is commonly glued to slabs and masonry and may also be used around pipes through slabs. As is the case with granite guard, this particular termite barrier system has mostly become obsolete due to the advancement of termite membranes, which are cheaper and more effective.
Aggregates
Solid materials such as crushed granite of a particular particle shape and size range is also used as a physical termite barrier for Melbourne homes. The termites are unable to penetrate the layer of granite particles and the particles are too large and heavy to be moved by the termites. Granite is most often used with concrete slabs where it is applied around pipes and behind the lower bricks at the building perimeter; however, this product has largely become obsolete with the introduction of cheaper and more effective termite membranes and other physical termite control methods.
Call us to discuss how we can protect your home
1300 69 59 49
How do physical termite barriers work?
It may seem a bit obvious – surely a physical barrier simply stops the termite entering the building? Actually it’s a bit more subtle than that.
A correctly installed physical barrier, working in conjunction with the construction elements, is designed to prevent concealed termite entry into the home. That is, to get around a physical barrier the termites have to make themselves visible. For example termites moving up through the inside of a brick pier may hit a metal “ant” cap. To continue their way upwards they need to a mud tube over the visible part of the metal sheet. When the termites become visible they will be spotted during a regular termite inspection, which should be conducted yearly to comply with the Australian Standard.