Aidan Lehane

Are you looking to add more storage space to your home? Have you considered a shed that can be an excellent option to add much-needed storage space? However, purchasing a new shed can be stressful unless you understand the options available and what best suits your storage needs. There are three different types of shed material-wood, plastic (resin or vinyl) and metal sheds.

In this article, we analyze each type of shed material to help you find the best for your needs.

Wooden Sheds

Wooden sheds are the most traditional shed ever built and still going strong 60 years later. A wooden shed can be customized to create a particular size or shape. You can paint the shed any color to match your home and its surrounding.

Most of the wood sheds are made out for spruce or pine, but you can also purchase one made out of Douglas fir or Cedar as well. A wooden shed can easily be dressed up with unique features such as window flower boxes or trellising. The homeowner can also add shelves, cabinets, and hooks from the wall attached to hang garden tools.

A wooden shed is more straightforward and cheap to maintenance as it needs occasional wood treatment and felt roofing replacement every few years.

One of the main shortcomings with a wooden shed is the need for an interior finish with actual walls and ceiling; otherwise, the interior will have an “unfinished” appearance (exposed wood beams). The unfinished woodshed is challenging to clean and can attract unwanted insects.

Although wooden is a versatile material is very vulnerable and can deteriorate the quality if exposed to harsh weather, water, insect, and rodents.

A wooden shed isn’t as secure as metal as it’s relatively easy for intruders to break in through the doors (lever) or break the glass windows and gain entry.

-There is not much maintenance to a wooden shed. The durability and strength of a wooden shed are second to none when adequately maintained. One thing you really should be aware of with this material is that wood does burn. If you are always cognizant of that, then you should be fine.

Plastic Sheds

A plastic shed is the newest type of sheds on the market, and they are sometimes called resin, high-density polyethylene, and vinyl sheds.  Plastic sheds are becoming a popular choice for most homeowners for several reasons:

• They are comfortable to move, clean, and setting up is very easy, regardless of your skill level. Resistant to insects, rusting and rotting
• Plastic sheds made of vinyl material are lighter, yet stronger than wooden sheds and hence durable. Some manufacturers are using integrated steel support to make the sheds stronger and durable, while others come with a double-wall resin panel make.

When compared to wood, plastic shed are cheap.

Homeowners considering plastic sheds have to put up with the following cons:

• Not as visually appealing as wooden sheds,
• The color will fade over time,
• Strong winds may cause damage and
• Customization is complicated and comes with an unattractive playhouse styling.

Also, unlike wooden shed affected by the weather and water, plastic sheds over time are affected by UV in sunlight, which breaks down the polymers in the material which eventually fades cracks and go inelastic.

Metal Sheds

Metal sheds became popular in the 1960s, and they are “all-rounder” compared to wood and plastic sheds. Metal sheds aren’t as attractive as a wooden or plastic shed, are complicated to assemble, but outperform the latter in all other areas.

Metal shed sells quality and durability, although there is a considerable difference in strength and performance between the second end and the premium range.  Cheap metal shed come in thin panels that can corrode quickly compared to high end sheds made of durable, rigid, extremely secure thicker metal.

Metal Shed Pros

• The most durable model with a long lifespan
• A low-cost purchase
• Fire, insect, and rot-resistant.

A metal shed is the best for a homeowner who can afford the initial cost that includes assembling fee. Once assembled, the sheds require no maintenance, are fire-resistant, and outlast other sheds by many years.

If you have expensive gardening tools and machinery, then a metal shade is the clear choice for you; without a doubt, the higher grade metal sheds offer unrivaled security.

As described above, metal sheds gear very few downsides, meanwhile they can take a day to assemble, and the superior quality version calls for a high cost. And they can never achieve the wooden shed look they can blend into the environment.