McNichols Wire Mesh vs. Perforated Metal: What a $2,100 Outdoor Shower Mistake Taught Me

I've been specifying metal materials for commercial and residential projects for nine years. I'm not a metallurgist, and I don't pretend to know every load chart by heart. But I've placed enough orders with McNichols to learn what happens when you skip the details. In June 2023, that lesson came with an outdoor shower floor, a wire mesh order, and a $380 replacement cost plus two weeks of delay. The mistake wasn't McNichols' fault. It was mine. I picked wire mesh because it sounded strong and I needed good drainage. Both things were true. Neither one mattered.

First, a quick clarification for anyone who searches 'mcnichols scrap iron & metal detroit mi' and expects a scrap yard. The McNichols operation in Detroit is a metal service center, not a scrapyard. They stock and cut grating, wire mesh, perforated panels, and similar products. I walked into that Detroit location to pick up samples before the shower project, and the counter rep tried to ask me what surface I was covering. I remember thinking it was a routine question. It was the exact question I should've listened to.

So this article is a comparison between two products in the McNichols lineup that people confuse all the time: wire mesh and perforated metal. I'll compare them across four practical dimensions—strength and safety, open area and drainage, insect protection, and appearance—and I'll give you the checklist that didn't exist for me back then.

1. Strength and Safety: Wire Mesh Is Not a Floor

Here's what I learned the hard way: wire mesh, especially the woven type, is not designed for people to stand on. A woven wire sheet is made from individual wires that can shift where they overlap. Under a load, the intersections move, the panel flexes, and the surface becomes uneven. On bare feet, that feels terrible. The first time I stepped onto my 'finished' shower floor, I knew I had made a mistake.

Perforated metal is different. It starts as a solid sheet, and the holes are punched out of that sheet. The remaining material keeps its shape. A 16-gauge stainless steel perforated sheet with 1/2-inch holes is noticeably stiffer than most wire mesh of the same gauge. For an outdoor shower, where someone will stand on wet metal, that stiffness is a safety issue, not just a comfort issue.

Does that mean wire mesh never belongs on a floor? No. There are heavy welded wire meshes designed for mezzanine decking and similar uses. But when you're looking at the standard stock at a metal service center, don't assume. Check the product's intended use. I didn't, and I paid for it.

2. Open Area and Drainage: The Numbers Lie Without Context

Wire mesh looks like the obvious winner for drainage. You can find woven wire mesh with 60-70% open area. Water passes through almost instantly. Perforated metal, depending on the hole size and spacing, often comes in somewhere around 40% open. So on paper, wire mesh should drain faster.

But drainage isn't only about open area. A flexible sheet that sags under weight creates low spots where water lingers. My first shower floor did exactly that. The wire mesh had plenty of holes, but the panel bent in the middle, and puddles formed in the depression. The perforated metal replacement stayed flat, so every drop that hit the surface ran straight through. The effective drainage was better, even though the raw open area was lower.

So if you're choosing a material for a shower floor, a drain grate, or any other surface that has to support weight, don't make your decision based only on open-area charts. Stiffness matters just as much.

3. How to Get Rid of Gnats in the House: Fine Wire Mesh Works

Now, a completely different problem: how to get rid of gnats in the house. Spraying helps temporarily, but the real fix is stopping them from coming in. Gnats can fit through very small gaps—around windows, attic vents, and dryer vents.

For this job, I keep a roll of McNichols 20x20 stainless steel wire mesh in the truck. The '20x20' means 20 wires per inch in each direction, creating openings around 0.034 inches. That's small enough to keep gnats and most small flies out, while still letting air move through a vent without choking it. Perforated metal with holes that tiny would be heavy, expensive, and much more restrictive to airflow.

This is the dimension where wire mesh is the clear winner. If your goal is ventilation plus insect exclusion, you want wire mesh. Don't substitute perforated metal for this application unless you truly need the impact resistance of a solid sheet.

4. Protecting Stained Glass Windows Without Hiding Them

The third project that changed how I compare these two products involved stained glass windows. The homeowner wanted protection against weather and potential break-ins, but they didn't want to cover decades-old glass with an industrial-looking metal panel.

Perforated metal is strong. A decorative pattern can even look nice from a distance. But from inside the house, a perforated panel changes the window completely. Colors get muted, and the glass looks like it's behind a sieve. For an architectural feature that lives or dies by transmitted light, that's a deal-breaker.

Wire mesh, by contrast, can be mounted on the exterior frame with standoffs. A bronze or stainless square mesh is invisible from most angles, and it doesn't block the light. Is it as strong as perforated metal? No. But for stained glass protection, the goal isn't to stop a car crash; it's to discourage someone from throwing a rock and to keep the glass in place if it cracks. Wire mesh does that without ruining the sightline.

5. My Selection Checklist (Built From Three Mistakes)

If you're comparing McNichols wire mesh vs. perforated metal for a project, here's the checklist I wish someone had handed me before June 2023:

1. Will a person stand or walk on it? If yes, choose a product rated for flooring—usually perforated metal or bar grating, not generic wire mesh.
2. Does the open area really matter, or does stiffness matter more? For drainage surfaces, a flat panel outperforms a flexible sheet with a higher open area.
3. Are you keeping gnats or other insects out? Use fine wire mesh with a mesh count of at least 20. Check the actual opening size, not just the product name.
4. Will people look through it? If so, wire mesh tends to preserve sightlines better than perforated metal. Order samples and view them from the intended distance.
5. What's the cost of being wrong? The replacement material was $380. The delay, the labor, and the lost weekend were more. In hindsight, a 10-minute phone call with the McNichols technical team would've been the cheapest insurance I never bought.

That last point is the whole philosophy behind this article. Prevention is cheaper than correction. A couple of minutes spent verifying load requirements and open area can save a week of rework and a chunk of budget. The same thinking applies to any building product: check twice, buy once.

McNichols carries both wire mesh and perforated metal for good reasons. They aren't interchangeable, and the difference isn't obvious if you're staring at product thumbnails on a phone. I know that now because I made the mistake, not because someone warned me. Hopefully this comparison saves you the same invoice.

One more note: this was based on my quotes and product knowledge as of early 2025. Prices, stock, and specs change fast in this industry, so verify current options before you finalize anything.