Termite resistant building materials

Some building materials are more resistant to termite damage than others.

An estimated 130,000 households come under attack from termites each year. You can avoid this problem and protect your investment by using appropriate termite barriers and building and renovating with products that are termite-resistant.

CSIRO testing

Based on tests conducted by CSIRO Division of Forest Products, the entire range of James Hardie fibre cement products, including the Scyon™ range, is resistant to termite attack (as long as they're installed and maintained correctly).

In the tests, even the lowest density fibre cement products performed at least similar to, and in some cases significantly better than, merbau, a rainforest timber often used in decking and known for its natural termite resistance.

Withstanding attack

When designing homes to withstand termite attack you need to consider materials used for cladding as well as frame materials. While many timber weatherboards sold in Australia have some levels of termite resistance, unfortunately the level varies. If you want the classic timber weatherboard look without the same risk of termite damage, you can still have it, with Scyon™ Linea™ weatherboard, a product with the deep shadow lines of weatherboard but made to last longer.

As with many things in life, prevention is better than cure, so it makes sense to build and renovate with products that termites don't like to sink their teeth into.

You can read more about termite resistant building materials here or watch this short video.