Metal gazebos have gained significant popularity in the United States because they provide less maintenance and are more durable and flexible than heavy-duty gazebos made from wood, vinyl, Bamboo, Fabrics, and composite materials.
Most home buyers consider wood to be the best material for constructing a gazebo; this is because wooden gazebos offer natural aesthetics and warm appeal that blends with your outdoor setting; it’s essential also to note that traditionally lumber was easy to source because different types, of lumber available such as cedar, redwood, and pressure treated wood.
However, Metal has gained popularity and is replacing wooden gazebos because metal gazebos reduce construction time and costs of the gazebo. According to Rodger Ford, the CEO of Framecad, homeowners prefer fully assembled gazebo kits. They put it together on-site, with Brad Cooper, who has been building in residential construction for the last 25 years using wood, saying he now embraces metal as an alternative to wood and prefers metal to wood when building residential structures.
Some factors that make metal ideal for gazebos are that metal offers superior gazebo building material, is faster and easier to handle than wood, saves on labor costs and time, and offers straighter walls resulting in a sturdy frame, visual solid lines, and a beautiful finish. Unlike wood, steel gazebo posts do not warp, split or shrink; they offer a strong gazebo frame structure yet are lightweight for building semi-permanent, pop-up gazebos, and hardtop gazebos which are easy to put up, put down and store; they are also not affected by outdoor elements such as mold or termite issues.
Metal Gazebos are also available in various types, including metal hardtop gazebos, metal pop-up gazebos, and metal soft-top gazebos. Due to the flexibility of metal, such as Aluminum, manufacturers can offer various shapes of all metal gazebos, with a wide range of colors and styles, to meet the growing demand for gazebos.
What is a metal gazebo made of?
Metal gazebos are either made of powder-coated Aluminum or steel, the choice between powder-coated Aluminum or steel depends on the homeowner’s needs and preferences; we recommend Aluminum for homeowners looking for a lightweight, easy-to-assemble, take down, and low-maintenance gazebo if you require a heavy-duty, and durable gazebo a steel gazebo, is the best option.
Is a steel or Aluminum gazebo better?
When choosing between a steel or Aluminum gazebo, the choice depends on the client’s preferences and needs, such as mobility, assembly, durability, maintenance, and budget; in addition to the intended use of the gazebo, it’s also essential to consider the corrosive properties of steel or Aluminum gazebo, a factor that is determined by the environmental conditions of your home.
We have listed and explained factors to consider when purchasing a steel or Aluminum gazebo in greater detail below:
Strength and Durability of Metal Gazebo.
When choosing between a steel or Aluminum gazebo, it’s essential to consider the strength and durability of each metal gazebo; some factors include intended use and environmental factors.
For example, suppose you are in an area affected by high winds that can blow your gazebo or an area affected by heavy snow loads. In that case, you can consider a steel gazebo with a metal roof which offers exceptional strength and durability compared to an Aluminum gazebo; on the other hand, if you are looking for a pop-up or soft top gazebo that is easy to assemble, take down and store gazebo, you can consider an Aluminum gazebo which is more applicable for lighter and mobile applications.
For permanent applications such as hardtop gazebos, you can consider a metal frame gazebo made from steel that can handle all-year-round weather elements and outdoor environmental factors.
Weight of Metal Gazebo.
You should also consider the overall weight of the gazebo, which can affect the mobility and applicability of the metal gazebo; for easy-to-transport metal gazebos, such as pop-up gazebos, we recommend Aluminum gazebos which are lighter than steel gazebos, Aluminum gazebos are also easy to assemble, take down, transport and store, it’s advantageous where extensive workforce for assembly or heavy assembly and transport equipment is not readily available.
Corrosion-resistant metal Gazebo.
Outdoor weather elements such as moisture, saltwater, acidic rain, air pollution, extreme temperatures, humidity levels, and UV radiations of your location are also some of the factors to consider when choosing between an Aluminum or steel gazebo; this is because these weather elements are responsible for eh formation of corrosion.
If any of these factors are experienced in your location, we recommend going for an Aluminum gazebo, Aluminum framed or roofed gazebo is corrosion resistant than steel framed or roofed gazebos; Aluminum forms a protective oxide layer that helps resist corrosion when exposed to outdoor and weather elements, steel framed or roofed gazebos, on the other hand, are prone to rust unless you plan on applying corrosion-resistant finishes to your steel gazebo.
Cost of Metal Gazebos.
Its also important to compare the cost differences between steel and aluminum gazebos; the costs are associated with the raw materials required to build a metal gazebo; in addition to the cost of raw materials, it’s essential to consider the size of the gazebo and the utilization of metal materials in respect to the frame size, as a large metal gazebo is expensive than a smaller metal gazebo, an all-metal gazebo is also expensive compared to a gazebo with mixed types of materials such as metal frame and canvas top gazebo.
Due to the rising demand for metal gazebo kits, manufacturers can offer low-cost metal gazebo kits, making it cheaper to buy than to build your gazebo due to the economies of scale for the manufacturers.
Flexible Metal Gazebo.
When it comes to gazebo design flexibility, we recommend looking for Aluminum gazebos; it’s easy to find different types of Aluminum gazebos because Aluminum is highly malleable compared to steel and can easily be formed into intricate gazebo shapes such as square, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal, oval, round, and style traditional, Victorian, colonial, modern/Contemporary, Asian styles, Rustic/Country, Mediterranean, transitional, pavilion style, or pergola style metal gazebos.
As you can see from the list of metal gazebo shapes and styles outlined above, Aluminum can offer more flexibility in architectural and engineering options for a metal gazebo.
You can also consider a steel gazebo if the shapes and style of your gazebo require a sturdier and more durable frame, which can also accommodate large metal gazebos and more structural stability.
Environment-Friendly Metal Gazebo.
For environmentally-conscious homeowners, Aluminum gazebos offer more environmentally friendly gazebos because Aluminum is a recyclable gazebo parts option; it will require less energy to recycle an old Aluminum gazebo compared to making a new one, reducing Aluminum gazebos’ footprint.
Steel gazebos are also recyclable but require more energy than Aluminum.
Which is better, steel or wood gazebo?
We recommend a steel gazebo for long-term use when choosing between a wood or steel gazebo. Since most homeowners choose wood or steel for a permanently placed gazebo due to the weight and sturdiness of both materials to withstand all seasons of use, we recommend a steel gazebo.
A steel gazebo is far more durable than a wooden gazebo; it’s also easy to build a steel gazebo to building or assemble a wooden gazebo; however, it’s essential to consider that steel is easily affected by rust, depending on your location and environmental conditions and weather you can opt for steel or wooden gazebo, wooden gazebo, on the other hand, is also affected by weather conditions, and rots and wraps when exposed to extreme weather conditions.
Is an Aluminum gazebo better than wood?
Aluminum gazebos perform much better than wooden gazebos for long-term use, which is why we do recommend Aluminum gazebos over wooden gazebos.
Aluminum gazebos are the best option when looking for a permeant gazebo, pop-up gazebo or soft top gazebo; the durability of Aluminum gazebos is due to the ability of Aluminum to withstand harsh outdoor weather conditions and environmental factors compared to wooden gazebos. Aluminum is also flexible, and you can customize your gazebo into various shapes and designs compared to a wooden gazebo.
Are Metal Gazebos Worth It?
Yes! Metal Gazebos are worth it compared to wooden, vinyl, bamboo, fabric/canva, or composite-made gazebos; in the long-run metal gazebo offer a good investment because they are more durable compared to a list of other materials that can be used to build a gazebo, metal gazebo are also trendy because they can be customized into different shaped and styles of gazebos; furthermore, they are easier to assembly take down and require less maintenance making metal an ideal material for hardtop gazebos, pop-up gazebos, and soft-top gazebos.
