Whether you plan to use your backyard shed as a playroom, guest suite, office, potting shed, or storage area, you’re stuck with a difficult decision – metal or wood shed.
Let’s take a closer look at the materials we use to construct our metal and wood sheds to answer the age old question, “are metal sheds better than wood”?
Wood Sheds
Firstly, we need to define what we at CoolSheds mean when we talk about “wood” sheds.
At Cool Sheds, we don’t use regular “wood” for our wood sheds. Frankly, the traditional T1-11 wood that many shed manufacturers use is low-quality and prone to rotting, fungus, bugs and has a relatively short life cycle.
We use two types of wood:
- LP Smartside
- LP Smart Lap
Benefits of LP Wood
Both our LP Smartside and Smart Lap Siding materials are made up of the same wood fiberboard material with the only difference being that one goes vertically and one goes horizontally. They are specially treated with special resins, waxes, and microbials. This process makes the LP wood product incredibly strong, and insect proof for decades.
Our LP Wood is derived from aspen trees for a few main reasons:
- Sustainability: Aspen trees grow back quickly
- Insect Resistance: Insects don’t like the taste of aspen
Another added benefit to LP Smart Lap is that we automatically also install a moisture barrier on the shed before installing the Lap siding. It looks really good on the inside and makes the shed even more weather and insect proof.
Regardless of which material you choose, all of our wood shed siding options can be painted to match any existing structure or residence.
On average, we see our LP Wood last our clients 20-25 years but our LP Smartside wood sheds come with a 50 year LP Smartside warranty. In the event of storm damage outside of your warranty period, LP Wood makes for an easy repair as the lap comes in panels for easy replacement.
“After three years, our shed is solid, dry, and looks as good as the day it was installed. That is despite the low country humidity, tropical storms, and a constant barrage of tree debris. I cannot imagine what we would do without our Cool Shed.”
Potential Cons of Wood Sheds
The only potential downside, albeit rare, to wood sheds is framing concerns. If it’s a wood frame mold and fungus could possibly grow. This is a very rare occurrence as it would have to be brought in from what is being stored or inside of the shed – as nothing can grow to get into the shed since it is all pressure treated wood.
LP Wood Shed Cost Breakdown
Our LP Lap Sided wood sheds are 15-20% more expensive than our LP Smartside and this is because of labor costs. The added benefit of LP Lap Sided sheds is that our team takes the time to install something we call an “energy brace” to line the shed. The benefit of this is that it strengthens the walls and helps reduce any possible cracking in order to maintain the integrity and value of the interior and exterior.
Compared to metal sheds, our wood sheds are a less expensive option overall depending on the features you select.
Metal Sheds
Metal sheds are by far our most popular choice amongst customers. We’ll let you decide if the benefits sway you in favor of metal sheds in the metal vs wood shed debate.
Benefits of Metal Sheds
At Cool Sheds, we use a material called Steel R-LAP. Unlike other shed manufacturers who choose aluminum materials, Steel R-LAP:
- Never rusts
- Is twice as thick as aluminum giving it an average lifespan of 20-25 years
- Requires less maintenance than traditional aluminum and is easy to repair as it comes in pre-assembled panels.
Both our metal sided and wood sided sheds come standard with un-treated wood framing. Many customers choose to upgrade the framing to our galvanized steel framing. This is not only stronger than wood, but it will never rot, become moldy, grow mildew, or endure any termite damage.
Potential Cons of Metal Sheds
We can’t talk about metal sheds without addressing noise concerns.
Metal roofs can be very noisy but with proper insulation you can dampen the noise almost completely.
The only other potential downside to our metal sheds is the minimal color options in comparison to our wood sheds. Although, our selection is still fairly extensive:
Metal Shed Cost Breakdown
It’s rare that we have customers opt for metal vs wood, and vice versa, purely on the basis of price alone.
In full transparency, compared to our wood sheds, the cost for a metal shed with metal framing is 6% higher.
If the type of framing doesn’t factor into your decision, metal is a cheaper option compared to wood. It’s important to note that the lower price compared to wood does not mean lower quality.
Metal Vs Wood Shed Comparison
From our standpoint, it all comes down to the intended purpose of the structure, aesthetic and HOA considerations when determining if a metal vs wood shed is the best option for you. To make things easier, we’ve created this visual to help you see the minimal differences between these two types of sheds from Cool Sheds.
| LP Smartside Sheds | LP Lap Sided Sheds | |
| 160 mph Construction | ✔ | ✔ |
| Wood Framing | ✔ | ✔ |
| Steel Framing | ||
| Steel Roof | ✔ | ✔ |
| Colored Steel Roof | ✔ | ✔ |
| Shingle Roof | ✔ | ✔ |
| Out-swing Doors | ✔ | ✔ |
| Roll up Doors | ✔ | ✔ |
| Large Roll up Doors | ✔ | ✔ |
| Windows | ✔ | ✔ |
| Electrical Package | ✔ | ✔ |
| Custom Electrical Package | ✔ | ✔ |
| Color Choices | ✔ | ✔ |
| Utility Style Roof (A-Frame style) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Barn Style Roof | ✔ | ✔ |
| Loft Systems (with barn style roof) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Multiple Wall height options (A-Frame) | ✔ | ✔ |
| T- Handle Locks | ✔ | ✔ |
| Residential Style In-Swing Door | ✔ | ✔ |
| Knob & Deadbolt lock (out-swing doors) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Slide Locks for padlocks (roll up doors) | ✔ | ✔ |
Get The Shed of Your Dreams
See an available shed you love and need a quote? Let’s talk!
If you’re not seeing the shed of your dreams, check out our online 3-D planning custom shed design studio where you can customize everything from your shed style and size down to the details like doors, windows, colors, flooring, etc.
