Posted on February 25, 2009 - by DIY Dave

Metal Sheds

Usually, metal sheds are used for storage of garden tools, outdoor furniture, sporting equipment, bikes, and many more. More or less, metal sheds have the same structure as other types of shed and are basically made for the same purpose, which is storage or safe keeping. But if you look into your options more closely, you would then discover that sheds, though made for the same purpose, specialize in different features such as longevity, structure, security, and aesthetics.

If you plan to have a metal shed put up in your home soon, here are some things you have to consider.

• Color
  Manufacturers usually offer limited color choices for metal sheds. While some can only provide a standard color, others can offer just a few variants. To suit your color preference that would go well with exterior of your house, painting the sheds is one option.

  The color of the shed would fade after some time, that’s why you would need to ask the manufacturer if the warranty would be affected if you paint the metal sheds yourself.

• Corrosion and the metal thickness
  A lot of metal garden sheds possess an internal frame that has metal panels on the external parts. Every manufacturer uses a different system of frames and thickness of metal. A strong panel is a galvanized metal coated by powder or paint layer to fight off rust. The metal shed’s life depends on the weather conditions. As such, those in coastal sections are more adversely affected because of the sea air’s salt. The thickness of the metal is crucial for the shed because this is relevant to security; it is easier to break into any shed whose walls are only 1/4 mm thick.

• Roof
  A pent roof slants in just one direction, while gabled sheds present a standard peak similar to a house (with roof slanting in both directions). Like other types of sheds, metal sheds also come in different styles of roof.

• Locks
  Any metal storage shed must have a kind of defense mechanism to prevent anyone from stealing what is stored in there. Metal sheds often use locks with top and bottom latches for the door. The 3-pronged system proves to be a good security measure.

• Doors
  Three usual types of doors for metal sheds are the standard-hinged, rolled doors, and the sliding kind. The main consideration is the the size of the door, which must be big enough to let anyone carry things in and out of the shed easily. Despite the tight security of the door lock, you should have no trouble locking the door of the metal shed.