7 Creative Ways to Use Steel in Your Outdoor Landscape

Now that the weather is warming up, it’s time to start thinking about what you want to do with your yard. If you want to have a beautiful yard, but you don’t want to go with some of the more conventional yard decorating ideas, steel can be a great way to add color, texture, and style without following the crowd. Here are seven creative ways you can add steel from Wasatch Steel to your outdoor landscape.

Metal Garden Sculptures
Anyone can plant flowers and shrubs in their garden, but what really adds character are the small details. If you’re looking for something that will create a little personality beyond just the colors and shapes of your floral arrangements, steel sculptures can be a great idea. You can purchase metal sculptures, or if you are the artistic type, come to the steel supermarket and find some odds and ends to make your own.

Custom Steel Name Signs
Another popular trend that is a little different from the usual metal numbers on the front of the house is to get a custom steel name sign. Include your family name and your address, and even some designs that show your personality and the things you love.

Steel Outdoor Fire Pit
Nothing says summer quite like an open campfire, but if you don’t want to have to load up the family and find a recreation area where you can sit in front of a fire every weekend, think of all the fun you can have with a steel fire pit. Wasatch Steel has all the tools and pieces you need to build one, from something simple to elaborate, or anywhere in between.

Custom Steel Outdoor Kitchen
If you love to live in your outdoor area and you want to be able to cook and entertain outside as well, steel can be a great addition as a custom outdoor kitchen. Building with steel ensures that you will get a sturdy outdoor kitchen unit that is resistant to heat and weather and will last for many summers to come.

Metal Waterfall
Building a water fountain or waterfall is another great way to use metal in your landscape. Steel offers a durable and long-lasting material that can withstand decades of use, and comes in an array of colors and patinas to choose from.

Metal Walls
Instead of building a rock wall, talk to your landscaper about putting in a metal retaining wall. You can use different thicknesses and different metal colors to create texture and depth in your landscape, and keep dirt and flowerbeds in their intended place. In addition you can create levels or steps with steel walls that allow for planters and other visually interesting landscape ideas.

Steel Landscape Lighting
Dramatic landscape lighting is another way to add flair and fun to your outdoor space. Steel landscape lights offers you the ability to get several different shapes and sizes that are resistant to weather and fading, plus you can get custom designs cut just for your yard. You can also get protective finishes such as powder coating, painting, or galvanizing that will prolong the life of your lights.

Steel from Wasatch Steel is so versatile that it can be used for many different things in your outdoor landscape. Use these seven creative ideas to add some spark to your landscape design this year and be the envy of the neighborhood.

4 Ways to Create a Beautiful Yard with Steel

You already know that you can use steel for a wide variety of building and construction projects, and for functional things like pipelines and support beams, but did you also know that items from Wasatch Steel can make a great source for outdoor decorations? Using steel in your yard is a fun way to add color, dimension, and character beyond just the basic grass, trees, shrubs, and flowers. Here are some ways you can creatively use steel to get a beautiful yard.

Steel Fences
If you need to build a fence around your yard, whether it’s your backyard, front yard, or both, you can use steel to create a timeless, classic look and also give you the added security that you need. Forego the hassle and upkeep of wood fences, and the bland, uniform look of vinyl for something that expresses your individual style. You can choose from a wide variety of spindles that come in any size you need to build a tall or short fence, and you can get ones that are ornamental, functional, or even something custom that you want designed. Wasatch Steel has a huge selection of ornamental steel to choose from for your fencing needs.

Steel Stair Rails
In addition to your fence around the edges of the yard, steel makes a great addition to your backyard deck and garden areas. If you have a second story deck, you can even use steel to build a staircase and stair rails for a one-of-a-kind look in your yard. Perforated or raised steel make great non-slip surfaces for the stairs, and because steel has exceptional strength and durability it can withstand even the harshest weather conditions with requiring a lot of maintenance and upkeep. You could even try some spiral stairs for a fun look in the backyard that is different from the usual style.

Steel Landscaping Materials
Another way to add steel to your yard is in the landscaping materials. Instead of getting concrete edging or hassling with building brick or stone walls, use steel plates as your edging materials. You can get them in a variety of patinas and colors, as well as different widths and thicknesses, to create a beautiful dimensional landscape look.

Signs & Accessories
Finally, finish off your yard with some steel signs and accessories. You can add steel numbers to the front of your house for the address sign, or even have a custom steel sign cut with your family name and house number. Then use steel signs in the garden and on the back deck for fun décor. You can bring any design to Wasatch Steel and we can help you make that vision a reality with the perfect sign for your home and garden. If you’re looking for interior décor, we can even make signs for the inside of your home as well.

There are so many different ways that you can decorate with steel around your yard. With spring arriving it’s that time of year to start thinking about it, so before you do anything more, come check out the selection of different items available at the steel supermarket so you can find something that will truly make your yard unique.

Popular Steel Furniture Designs

There are a lot of different ways that people use steel, and it is found in so many different aspects of our lives today, including our vehicles, small appliances, and the support structures for everything from tall skyscrapers to bridges and roads.

In addition to these functional applications for steel many people like to use it as a decorative metal for various different artistic applications. One such instance is the use of steel to create furniture for your home. Here are some popular ways that people use the steel they purchase from Wasatch Steel to create beautiful and lasting designs for home furniture.

Tables & Chairs
Steel can be a popular choice to create tables and chairs for your home, providing you with a sturdy material that will be able to withstand a significant amount of force and pressure. That makes it a great choice for furniture that you plan to use a lot, such as the chairs in your kitchen or the coffee table in your family room. The great thing about steel is that you can create more contemporary or modern looks, or you can use ornamental steel from Wasatch Steel to create a classic look for your home. If you’re worried that chairs will be uncomfortable or hard, add cushions and other decorative pillows to soften the look and make it more appealing.

Patio Furniture
Since patio furniture is going to be outdoors, it needs to be something that can withstand all that Mother Nature brings, whether it’s wet, cold weather during a Utah winter, or the hot, dry heat of a Utah summer. Steel is often chosen for outdoor applications because it is extremely durable and can withstand the forces of nature. If you purchase galvanized steel from the steel supermarket, you will get building materials that include an extra layer of protection to prevent steel from the oxidation process (exposure to moisture and air) that accelerates rusting.

Desks & Entertainment Centers
Your home office and entertainment needs are also something that you can satisfy with steel furniture. Many beautiful minimalist designs can be created using steel to build either entertainment centers for your television, movies, and other electronics, or desks that will house your computers and important files. The great advantage of building your own steel furniture versus purchasing it from a home furnishing store is that you can build something that is completely customized to fit your exact needs, and it will still be functional and beautiful at the same time.

Steel is even a metal that can be painted, which means you can go for the “industrial” look of unpainted silver steel, or you can go with a more “polished” look of painted steel to match any décor in your home. You can also add curves to any metal piece to make it more visually appealing if you prefer that look over a more boxy, industrial appearance.

Bookshelves & Storage
Finding a convenient and sturdy place to store your books and other storage items requires furniture that is high quality and functional. Fortunately steel in your home in the form of bookshelves or other storage spaces can be both of these things. You can create shelves and other storage spaces from materials at Wasatch Steel that will go in your basement or storage areas, or you can create something that is beautiful and meant to be displayed in your home.

Steel furniture can be a great way to make a bold statement in style and function. Find what you need to create steel furniture at the steel supermarket of Wasatch Steel today.

The Basics on Steel Grades

The term “steel” is used to describe a very wide variety of products—the World Steel Association identified that there are actually 3,500 different steel grades that you can select from when using this kind of metal. Steel grades are assigned based on the different properties of steel, including chemical, environmental, and physical properties.

The most basic form of steel is a combination of iron and carbon, then from there the different levels of carbon and other impurities or additives determine its grade. Steel can be broadly categorized into four groups:

• Carbon steel
• Alloy steel
• Stainless steel
• Tool steel

Here’s a brief overview of steel categories and grades to help you sort through the information next time you plan to buy some from Wasatch Steel.

Carbon Steel
This is the most popular type of steel used, and accounts for about 9 out of 10 tons of steel produced worldwide at steel mills and sold in places like the steel supermarket at Wasatch Steel. It ranges from containing about 0.3 percent carbon to over 0.6 percent, and contains only trace amounts of alloying elements.

Alloy Steels
These types of steel contain some additional elements, the most popular being:

• Manganese
• Silicon
• Nickel
• Titanium
• Copper
• Chromium
• Aluminum

By adding these different elements you can change the property of the steel to make it harder, more corrosion-resistant, stronger, more malleable and formable, more weldable, and more ductile. Alloy steels are commonly used for things like building pipelines, parts for automobiles, and power generators.

Stainless Steel
This is a commonly known type of steel because it is used in many consumer products, such as small appliances. It has chromium added to make it better able to resist corrosion—the amount of chromium is between 10 and 20 percent, and determines its corrosive resistance levels. For example, steel with about 10-11 percent chromium is 200 times more resistant to corrosion than regular steel. The most commonly used stainless steels worldwide are Austensic, meaning they are non-magnetic and cannot be treated with heat. Other stainless steel alloys include Ferritic (which include nickel and molybdenum, aluminum, or titanium) and Martensitic (which include a small amount of nickel).

Tool Steel
This type of steel includes tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium and cobalt in different quantities that help the steel become more durable and better equipped for cutting, drilling, hammering, and more. They are very resistant to heat and extremely durable, which is why they make such a great material for tools. You can find a wide variety of tool steels at Wasatch Steel.

Steel is further divided into categories based on its shapes, including tubular shapes (rectangles, circles, squares, rods, and rails), flat products (coils, sheets, and strips), and miscellaneous products (piping materials, fittings, flanges, etc.).

Beyond these broad classifications, steel is further divided into smaller categories depending on its specific properties and what is added. When you have questions about the type of steel you might need, or you’re not sure what might work best for your next project, talk to the experts at Wasatch Steel to get some guidance and assistance.