# Forum Home Renovation The Garden Shed  Shed vermin proofing

## Vernonv

Hi All,
I'm about to construct a new shed and was looking at that Vermaseal stuff - it stops large insects, rodents, snakes, etc from entering the shed through the gap created by the "peaks" of the wall sheeting and the edge of the slab. 
I got it priced up and it came in quite expensive (for what it is). So I am looking at other ways of achieving the same thing. What I thought of was using that expanding foam stuff in a can and spraying that into the gaps. 
Any thoughts of how successful this might be? 
Any other suggestions of how to vermin proof the new shed?

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## Gra

turn camphor laurel :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:

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## Vernonv

With what they were going to charge me, I could probably afford a cheap wood lathe. 
Not sure if it will keep the snakes at bay :Confused:

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## Gra

> With what they were going to charge me, I could probably afford a cheap wood lathe. 
> Not sure if it will keep the snakes at bay

  Leave the snakes, they don't eat anything in your shed except the other vermin :Biggrin: .  I believe at least one of our members has a resident python as their mouser

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## Vernonv

I wouldn't mind if it was a python, but we tend to get black, brown and the occasional tiger snake. 
I know that if I can keep the rodents out, the snakes won't be so much of an issue. But ideally I want to keep out all unwanted guests.

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## Ekim

Just looking at the Polyfilla web site: 
"If attempting to block entry of rats or mice, install small mesh bird wire before applying POLYFILLA EXPANDING FOAM, so that the wire is embedded inside the cured POLYFILLA EXPANDING FOAM."  http://www.polyfilla.com.au/content_124.htm 
Probably worth a call to Polyfilla to find out exactly why the mesh is necessary.  HTH  Mike

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## RufflyRustic

Hi Vernon, is this what you want to do another way?   
cheers
Wendy

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## Vernonv

Mike - thanks for the polyfilla link, I'll check it out. 
Wendy - yep that looks similar to the Vermaseal product. I'm not necessarily looking to replicate the design of the product, merely after the effect of it (i.e. keep vermin out). Where did you get it?

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## glock40sw

G'day.
I used the el cheapo expanding foam all around my shed and my mate's shed as well. Mine has been 5 years now with no problems. No mice, rats or snakes.
I did 9m x 7m shed perimiter and used 2 1/2 cans.
Also did where the walls meet the roof sheets. And where the ridge capping was cut to fit around the trimdeck roofing sheets. 
Great stuff.

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## Barry_White

Vernon 
When I was working for Ezyframe Building Systems http://www.ezyframe.com.au/  best, easiest and cheapest way to do this is to when you have you slab poured is to get the concretor to form a 50mm x 50mm recess around the top edge and have the sheets 50mm longer and have them sit in the bottom of the recess. 
This stops the grass, weeds, snakes, rats and mice from getting in. It won't stop the spiders and ants though. 
See the pic.

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## Ekim

This product seems to kill two birds with one stone - "built-in" formwork and vermin control (it seems to provide the "lip" that Barry refers to):  http://www.shedproducts.com/prod1-formgirt.html 
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and see the moving images. 
No idea on the cost or the effectiveness of the product. 
Mike

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## glock40sw

> This product seems to kill two birds with one stone - "built-in" formwork and vermin control (it seems to provide the "lip" that Barry refers to):  http://www.shedproducts.com/prod1-formgirt.html 
> Scroll down to the bottom of the page and see the moving images. 
> No idea on the cost or the effectiveness of the product. 
> Mike

  
Well, there you go... 
Campbell sheds is only 10 minutes up the road. 
Will have to go and have a yarn to them. 
Thanks for the link Mike.

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## Barry_White

> This product seems to kill two birds with one stone - "built-in" formwork and vermin control (it seems to provide the "lip" that Barry refers to):  http://www.shedproducts.com/prod1-formgirt.html 
> Scroll down to the bottom of the page and see the moving images. 
> No idea on the cost or the effectiveness of the product. 
> Mike

  My only problem with that is that it is made from PVC and I don't care how much they insist it it is UV protected all PVC products break down eventually when exposed to the sun and hitting it with mowers and whipper snippers it will take chunks out of it.

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## Vernonv

Barry - the slab has already been poured, so it's too late to get the lip incorporated. 
Ekim and Glock - they (shedproducts.com) are the mob who do the Vermaseal I originally got a quote for (from their local distributor/agent). 
I'm starting to think that the expanding foam (possibly with some wire netting for support) might be the cheapest and easiest solution at this stage.

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## Barry_White

> Barry - the slab has already been poured, so it's too late to get the lip incorporated. 
> Ekim and Glock - they (shedproducts.com) are the mob who do the Vermaseal I originally got a quote for (from their local distributor/agent). 
> I'm starting to think that the expanding foam (possibly with some wire netting for support) might be the cheapest and easiest solution at this stage.

  Vernon 
Get a price off Metroll in Tamworth to fold up a "Z" section to hang over the edge shaped like this.  
They would be able to fold it up in up to six metre lengths and it shouldn't cost very much and they would deliver it to Armidale.

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## Vernonv

Thanks Barry, I will check that out.

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## RufflyRustic

The 'seal stuff on my shed is metal.  TotalSpan can include this in the shed order.  $190 to do a 6m x 4m run, minus the personal door and the roller door area.  Considering the $7k+ investment in my shed, I reckon the $190 was the best addition to the shed order and will pay for itself many times over in blocking grass, weeds and vermin. 
Totalspan purposely do not use the vermaseal as is, they find the metal, um, stuff  :Redface:   much better for their sheds.  I'd have to say TotalSpan are 100% correct. 
cheers
Wendy

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## FlashManAB

My post is a little late but I have the same issue. The corrugated iron / custom orb leaves perfect snake and vermin crawl-through spaces where it runs down the edge of the slab.  
I bought a 20 kg bag of quick set concrete and propped a pine batton hard up to the base of the iron and the edge of the slab. I then scooped the quick set into the corrugates from the inside and swept away the excess and levelled the mix. I got the garden watering can, half filled it, removed the rose, put my thumb over the hole and streamed water down the base of the wall into the concrete. 15 minutes later, I removed the pine batton and did another 3 metres. Around corners and behind down pipes are an extra 5 minutes but I had all afternoon. 
The quick set was about $8. 
I thought I would share this and I hope it saves you money and from pulling out your hair!

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## Vernonv

Hi Flash,
I did think about doing something similar, but was put off a bit by this - http://www.bluescopesteel.com.au/dow...dname=filename 
It may not be exactly the same situation, but I didn't want to risk it.  
What I have ended us using is some of that expanding foam stuff that Glock mentioned. Got a box of 12 cans for about $60 - I've done more than half the shed so far and have only used 3 cans. I should also be able to use this stuff to seal the bottom of the PA and garage (barn style) doors.

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## JDub

I used the plastic vermaseal stuff on my shed  http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...hed+WIP&page=7 
I am happy with it and for the small cost I think its worth it. It also made sheeting the shed easier eg the sheets just sit on the lip of the vermaseal while you fix them to the wall girts.

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## Pulpo

I just used expanding foam seems to keep most vermon out. 
Occassionally had the odd mice but that's from maybe the door being open over night. 
Spiders will aways get in. 
Foam is the best option. 
Pulpo

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## Vernonv

JDub - I did look into that stuff, but I had a lot of trouble getting a quote off the local agent ("not really sure about price" ... "could be around $xxx" ... "I'll give you a call back with the price" ... and so on) and in the end gave up and went for the foam. 
Some more pics ....
1. There are some vermin that the foam just won't keep out - that's the trouble with using 4 legged lawn mowers. Although I haven't mowed the lawn in over a year. 
2. How I sealed the bottom of the doors. Placed some baking (grease) paper between the door and the concrete slab. and then filled as normal. 
3. View from inside. Once it has dried overnight, you simply peel off the paper and the foam sticks to the steel. So far so good.

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## FlashManAB

Hi, I think you are right. I didn't even consider that it would get damp but it rained heavily over the last few days, the water ran down the iron, wicked into the "plugs" of concrete and seeped up into the floor slab!!!   :No: 
Don't do it my way! 
I will have to knock them out and use the foam as advised by my estemed forum colleagues.

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