Have you been shopping around for resin garden sheds and wondered if they’re even worth buying?

You’re probably thinking, “Sure, plastic garden sheds are affordable, but they’re PLASTIC! How in the world will that thing possibly last?”

Ah, just you wait and see… You may be pleasantly surprised about how long plastic garden sheds can last outdoors if taken care of right. I know this first-hand, too. The resin garden shed my parents bought for me when I was in my early 20s still does its job more than 20 years later.

You read that correctly: my plastic garden shed has lasted more than 20 years!

Resin Garden Sheds Are Ideal For Tight Quarters & Tight Budgets

When my parent gifted me a Rubbermaid resin garden shed for my 22nd birthday, we were living in a small duplex apartment with a porch and a little garden area. By this time I had many gardening tools and a Craftsman push reel mower to my name but no safe place to store this equipment.

They went to Sears and bought a double-walled Rubbermaid plastic garden shed measuring 6’5″ tall, 4’8″ wide, and 2’8″ deep. It boasts 52 cubic feet of storage. And I could’ve sworn I was just gifted an empty one-car garage — it seemed so spacious! It certainly offered enough room for all the garden tools I had at the time. And, living in an apartment, it wasn’t as though I needed much for gardening. But I was already spending plenty of time getting my hands in the dirt, even if it wasn’t really “mine.”

My dad and I assembled the Rubbermaid resin garden shed in about 20 or 30 minutes. It wasn’t all that difficult to put together (reading the instructions helped though!). The shed consists of just eight interlocking panels, including the floor and roof, and required essentially no tools to put together. It stood for more than 15 years under the porch (that last part is pretty important — my shed was not kept directly exposed to the elements during most of its life so far). It handled windy tropical storms, hot summer days and chilly winter nights, and did everything I needed it to do.

When I finally bought my house, I contemplated bringing that little Rubbermaid shed that could along. But the place I bought came with two metal sheds, so I left it for another family member to take. They still have it to this day, and it works just fine, more than 20 years on!

• Here’s My Review Of A Wood Tuff Shed I Bought To Replace Those Metal Sheds!

Pros & Cons Of A Plastic Garden Shed

Nothing is perfect they say. And I’ll say that about resin garden sheds. I mean, let’s face it. They are indeed plastic. But plastic garden sheds can also be amazingly resilient.

Let’s look at some of the other pros and cons of plastic garden sheds:

Plastic Garden Shed Pros

• Plastic garden sheds are extremely affordable as compared to metal or wood garden sheds — you can find many nice resin garden sheds for around a few hundred dollars.
• Resin garden sheds are waterproof, rot resistant, don’t fall victim to termite infestations like wood garden sheds, and won’t rust like metal sheds; this makes plastic sheds a low-maintenance alternative to wood or metal sheds.
• It’s easy to assemble and install plastic garden sheds, unlike wood or metal garden sheds that usually require a lot of hardware, tools, and labor to put together.
• You’ll find a plastic garden shed to be quite portable thanks to it being relatively low weight and adaptable to disassembly and reassembly.
• Plastic sheds are usually recyclable, making them an Earth-friendly alternative to wood and metal sheds, which usually end up in the landfill when past their operational life.

Plastic Garden Shed Cons

• Plastic garden sheds simply aren’t as structurally durable as wood or metal sheds.
• The resin components of a plastic shed are liable to bend, expand, contract, or even crack under extreme temperatures, compromising its overall durability.
• A plastic shed isn’t as secure as metal or woods sheds and thus may not offer the burglary protection you want.
• Because plastic garden sheds are lightweight and portable, they’re also susceptible to breaking apart or flying away in high winds; you’ll therefore need to secure yours when preparing for tropical storms, hurricanes, or other gusty weather.
• Resin garden sheds may be low maintenance, but they’re prone to sun fade over time — especially if situated in an area with direct sunlight.

My Experience With A Resin Garden Shed

I can tell you all about the advantages and disadvantages of plastic garden sheds. Yes, I had one for many years. But I’ve also owned metal and wood garden sheds. So, I can pretty readily compare the three types of sheds against each other. I can further vouch that each has its own distinct pros and cons.

Yes, someone broke into my Rubbermaid shed many years ago. The perp twisted the lock off by torquing the plastic latch off the door (oddly, they didn’t steal a thing. Guess they were curious what was inside?) Yes, wind-driven water blew into my plastic shed during several tropical storms. What should I have expected? Some strategically placed weather stripping helped mitigate this issue in later years. And the walls began bowing a tad over time. I guess heat and the weight of a shelf mounted inside from the walls took their toll over the years.

But you know what? The shed cost less than $200 at the time my parents bought it. And it kept all of my garden tools safe from the elements 99% of the time. The 1% of the time we had tropical weather coming, I’d simply seal the rust-prone or other sensitive stuff inside large plastic bags or tarps. And by golly that shed still stands today more than 20 years later — that’s pretty cool (even after at least two reassemblies)…

If my family member ever decides they no longer need that resin garden shed, I’m pretty sure I’ll take it back and find a use for it. After all, I fell in love with the affordability, versatility, and functionality of resin garden sheds a long time ago!