Consider a plastic tool shed if you need a durable low maintenance garden storage solutionA plastic tool shed has so many advantages that it might make you wonder why on earth anyone ever chooses the wood or metal varieties. You might have thought that plastic was synonymous with shoddy workmanship and cheap consumables meant to be easily replaced. But when it comes to the plastic tool shed nothing could be further from the truth. In this article I hope to give you some points both for and against choosing a plastic garden shed. Modern Shed Building Materials - Is Plastic Fantastic?Most of the sheds on the market are manufactured from uPVC, which is a thermoplastic polymer. This material is very light and durable, and these benefits are passed on to your plastic tool shed. The problems which used to occur such as the colour fading and the material becoming brittle after long exposure to the sun have now been largely overcome, however make sure that your supplier will guarantee this.Plastic also has an advantage over wood in that termites and other wood devouring insects are simply going to leave you alone - there is no need to treat the structure as you would with a timber garden shed. Advantages Of A Plastic Outdoor Storage ShedWhen looking for smaller tool sheds, you are certain to find that a plastic garden tool shed is the most economical way to go. Not only are the pre-constructed sheds generally cheaper, there are often low-priced kits which are relatively easy for the average person to assemble using minimal tools. These kits are great for the general gardener with very little interest in either learning how to build their own garden shed or paying someone to do it for them. Some plastic tool shed kits are modular, so if you choose to add further elements down the track, it is not a big problem. (If this is all sounding a little too easy for your D.I.Y. soul, see the article Building a Garden Shed). A plastic shed will not be as susceptible to the weather as your standard wood or metal shed - you won't find it heats up excessively in high temperatures, or has mildew or rust problems in the rainy season. You won't need to paint or varnish the structure regularly, and cleaning the material is a simple matter using everyday products you have in your home.DisadvantagesFor some people no matter how many practical advantages there are to using a plastic storage shed, wood will still be the only way to go. No matter what color PVC you get, chances are it's never going to blend in with the natural hues of your garden as timber will. Wood as a construction material can not only be more attractive, it can give a garden a certain atmosphere that is hard to replicate using synthetic materials. For examples of this, see the article on the Japanese Garden Shed.ConclusionThat's certainly not to say that plastic tool sheds are going to look bad in your garden. With their increasing popularity, there are now plastic potting sheds being made in many different colors and styles to suit all types of different gardens. And of course a plastic garden shed comes with the advantage of being extremely low maintenance.The foundation for a plastic shed will be fairly basic if the lay of the land is suitable it may be possible to found it directly on the ground, a step up would be the
paving slab
type foundation, or seeing as you have saved so much time and money you may want to construct the Rolls Royce of shed foundations a
concrete slab.
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