Choosing the Right Cladding for Your Shed

Author: Lisa Smith

When you’re investing in a shed for your property, one of the key decisions is what to clad it with. Cladding isn’t just about appearance, it plays a critical role in protecting your building from New Zealand’s often harsh and changeable conditions. The right choice can mean the difference between a low-maintenance shed that lasts for decades, and one that quickly starts showing its age.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the most common cladding options for sheds in NZ, their pros and cons, and how to decide what’s right for your outdoor shed or shelter.

Why Cladding Material Matters

Cladding is your shed’s first line of defence against rain, wind, heat, salt air, and UV exposure. It also affects:

• Durability & maintenance costs: How long your shed will last before requiring repainting or repairs.
  

• Aesthetics: Whether you want your shed to blend with a farmhouse, or stand out as a purely functional building.
  

• Compliance: Exterior walls must meet the New Zealand Building Code requirements, especially regarding external moisture (E2) and durability (B2). You can read more about these in MBIE’s guidance.
  
  

The Main Cladding Options for Farm Sheds

Zincalume® Steel

Zincalume is a zinc/aluminium coated steel widely used on New Zealand farm sheds, such as the kitset sheds offered by Outpost Buildings. It’s often chosen as a functional, cost-effective material for rural buildings.

Pros:

• Highly corrosion-resistant, the alloy coating allows it to outperform standard galvanised steel.
• Excellent value for money, especially for utility sheds and shelters.

• Long service life when correctly detailed and maintained.

Cons:

• Unlike COLORSTEEL®, it isn’t pre-painted, you’ll get the raw silver metallic look unless you paint it.
• Can weather unevenly in high-UV or coastal zones (Oxidation effect).
• Still requires periodic washing in coastal environments to maintain performance.

Learn more from NZ Steel - Zincalume®.

Profiled Steel (e.g. COLORSTEEL®)

Probably the most common cladding choice for rural sheds in New Zealand.

Pros:

• Tougher and more durable than Zincalume, with coatings designed for our coastal climate.
• Easy to install, which keeps shed build costs down.
• Low maintenance if washed down occasionally (especially near the sea).
• Wide range of colours and profiles to suit modern or traditional looks.
  
  

Cons:

• Can dent if hit by heavy equipment.
• Needs more regular washing in severe coastal zones to maintain the warranty.

For more inspiration and to see real life examples of the colour range, check out the Outpost Buildings Colorsteel range.

Fibre Cement Weatherboards or Panels

A popular option when you want your shed to look more “house-like.”

Pros:

• Non-combustible, making it a good choice near boundaries or workshops.
• Resistant to rot and insects.
• Can be painted to match other buildings.
  
  

Cons:

• More expensive than steel cladding.
• Heavy to install and requires sealing of cut edges to ensure weather tightness.
• Can chip or crack if knocked hard (something to consider on a busy farm).
  
  

Plywood Sheet Cladding

Often used on utility sheds and workshops where speed and practicality matter most. This is a good base cladding material, especially for smaller sheds.

Pros:

• Quick and cost effective to install large panels.
• Strong and impact-resistant due to the laminated structure.
• Can be easily painted your desired colour.
• Plywood can be treated to be fire, termite and moisture resistant.
• Less prone to expansion and contraction compared to solid wood.
  
  

Cons:

• Edges and joints must be carefully sealed to avoid moisture damage.
• Can require painting every 8-12 years depending on exposure.
  
  

Vinyl Cladding

Less common in farm sheds, but an option if you want a very low-maintenance, residential-style finish.

Pros:

• Won’t rot, rust, or require painting.
• Easy to clean with water and mild detergent.
• Lightweight and quick to install.
• Available in different profiles and colours, often mimicking weatherboards.
  
  

Cons:

• Less impact-resistant than steel or timber, so can crack if struck hard.
• Limited colour range compared to options such as Colorsteel®.
• Can fade over time in high-UV New Zealand conditions.
• Not as “farm-tough” as steel or plywood for heavy-use sheds.
• Low heat and fire resistance, which could be a particular problem when using tools or cooking nearby.
  
  

Factors to Consider Before Choosing

Your Site Conditions

• Near the coast? Salt spray can reduce cladding life if the wrong product is chosen.

• High wind zone? You may need additional fixings or a drained cavity system
  
  

How You’ll Use the Shed

• Machinery and livestock create high wear-and-tear. Colorsteel®, Zincalume, or plywood often outperform fibre cement or vinyl here.
  
  

Maintenance Appetite

• Do you want to wash it down once in a while (Colorsteel®, Zincalume, vinyl), or are you happy with repainting cycles (fibre cement)?
  
  

Final Thoughts

For most farm sheds in rural New Zealand, Colorsteel® or Zincalume cladding offers the best mix of cost, speed, and low maintenance. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s up to spec with NZ Building Code requirements, and matched to your wind and corrosion zone. 

Outpost Buildings has 20 years experience designing and delivering kitset buildings built to be strong & functional. Genuine Zincalume® cladding is utilised as the standard cladding on all Outpost kitsets, which has a 10-year manufacturer’s quality guarantee and provides long-term corrosion resistance in moderate conditions. For aesthetic reasons you can upgrade to Colorsteel. If your building site is coastal then we recommend you upgrade your Outpost kitset to Colorsteel® Endura® cladding. Explore the Outpost kitset shed range online or get in touch and the team can recommend a kitset with cladding tailored to your site conditions and budget.