There are many siding options for wooden garden sheds. The one you will pick will depend on several different factors which we will discuss in this article.

APPEARANCE AND COLOR – One consideration is picking siding material for your wooden garden shed is whether or not you want to match the siding and color of your house. If you live in a covenant controlled community the HOA may have color restrictions not only for house colors but also for wooden garden shed colors. Additionally, if you have other storage/garden sheds you want to match this can be the deciding factor. Personally, I believe the natural wood appearance of cedar or redwood siding is beautiful when new and I still like the appearance even after the wood has aged to a natural gray color.

NATURAL CEDAR OR REDWOOD BOARD SIDING – While this siding option is more expensive than say a masonite siding material the natural appearance is great. Additionally, natural redwood and cedar boards will resist rot and decay. You can stain or clear seal this type of siding in order to keep the natural new appearance or paint/stain the boards.  Furthermore, you can run the boards vertically, horizontally,  or at an angle for a unique appearance. This type of siding really gives you a lot of options including just letting it age naturally with the weather. You can route the edges of the boards and do a ship lap type of installation or use 2” boards to cover the seams for the board and baton appearance. Use galvanized nails to install this type of siding. Some people install this type of siding right over the wall studs and others install plywood on the studs and then the cedar or redwood boards.

MASONITE SIDING – Masonsite siding normally comes pre-primed which makes painting this siding really easy. This siding comes in boards (smooth or wood textured) and in plywood size sheets. This is probably one of your cheaper siding options for your wooden garden sheds. Make sure the boards do not touch the ground as moisture will wick into the siding and blister and bow/warp the siding. Use galvanized nails for installing this type of siding on your storage shed. Many wooden shed owners install this type of siding directly onto the wall studs with no plywood backing.

WOOD SHINGLES OR CEDAR SHINGLES – Many wooden garden sheds have either wood shake shingles or cedar shingles for their siding. I have probably seen more wooden garden sheds with cedar shingles than with wood shake shingles but they both look great. They can be clear sealed or stained or allowed to age naturally. One thing to keep in mind with cedar shingles is that over time they can have a tendency to warp/cup a little. I have also seen cedar shingle siding that has been painted and which has held up well over a long period of time. Again use galvanized nails when installing this type of siding.

PLYWOOD SIDING – One of the more popular plywood siding materials I have seen on wooden garden sheds is T-111 plywood siding. It gives a great natural wood appearance when stained or clear sealed. It can also be painted.  This siding comes in 4 x 8 and 4 x 9 sheets and is very easy to install on your wooden garden sheds. Again I would use galvanized nails for installing this type of siding.

FIBERGLASS PANELS – Many storage shed owners want their wooden garden shed to become a greenhouse. By installing fiberglass panels on the roof and for the siding they get a little mini greenhouse which will hold up well over time. Fiberglass panels are fairly easy to install but get the right saw blade to cut these panels. On some wooden garden sheds I have seen only say half of the roof and one or two walls of the garden shed covered with panels and this appears to have been enough to get the greenhouse effect they need. Additionally, the fiberglass panels allow a lot of natural light for the shed eliminating some lighting requirements. There are special nails with rubber washers that use for installing this siding plus ridges wooden members that are used to give support to the fiberglass panels.  I have seen this type of siding in both clear and green.

METAL SIDING – I have know some storage shed owners who have roofed and sided the wooden garden shed with metal siding or some combination thereof. For example I have seen many wooden storage sheds with metal roofs and natural wood siding or cedar/shake shingle roofs with metal siding or vice-versa. You can really mix and match with metal roofing or siding. Most homeowners usually do not have the tools necessary to install this type of siding and have it done professionally. Metal siding today comes in a variety of colors and textures so it can be quite attractive for a wooden garden shed.