Popular Steel Accents Around Your Home & Yard

Steel has become one of the most popular ways to accessorize your home for many reasons. It is a versatile metal that can be painted or finished with a wide variety of colors, it is lightweight and can be formed into many different shapes and sizes. In addition, it is widely available from places like the steel supermarket in Wasatch Steel. Here are some popular ways that people use steel accents to spice up the interior and exterior of the home.

Metal Accents
Whether you find something with a shiny stainless steel finish, or you prefer a more “industrial” look with a rougher finish on it, metals can really bring a room to life. Even subtle metal accents can give a room the perfect finishing touches, from the rustic and worn look to the more modern. Popular accents you might consider include:

• Hardware on cabinets and drawers 
• Steel beams in the ceiling or around the edges of the room 
• Metal brackets or pipes to support tables and shelving 
• Visible duct work or other metal in the home 
• Iron, steel, or other metal spindles or stair railings

Metal Backsplash
Whether it’s the kitchen, bathtub, or sinks in other areas of the home, a backsplash can add color and personality to the space. Whether you decide to use a single sheet of shiny metal, several different varieties of metal, or a combination of metal and tiles or glass, you can create a beautiful mosaic with visual appeal.

Metal Garden Ornaments
Whether you decide to find some old metal “antiques” or you want to have something specially made, garden ornaments are a great way to add depth and interest to the outdoors. You can find metal containers to plant flowers in, or have a custom metal archway built to welcome guests to your outdoor space.

Metal Lighting Fixtures
Lighting is a subtle way to bring life to any room. Boring lights can be instantly transformed by adding interesting metal fixtures, and you can coordinate several areas of your room by bringing them together with metal fixtures. The right metal lighting can add grandeur and formality to a room, or bring in a more modern and casual vibe.

Metal Furniture
While it may sound a little strange at first, bringing in metal furniture is tremendously popular today. Re-purposing old office furniture, painting benches for your entryway or outdoor living area, or building your own metal tables and accent pieces from what you can find at the steel supermarket at Wasatch Steel can be a great departure from the more traditional (and often more expensive) furniture options.

Metal Ceilings
Adding embossed paneling to the ceiling has been common in libraries and entertaining buildings for many years, and now it’s something you can bring to your own home. You can find panels with a faux finish to look like precious metals, or bring out the industrial look of stainless steel. Whether you want to create a spacious and stately room or a cozy ambiance, metal can help.

When you’re looking for creative ways to decorate and improve your home, Wasatch Steel has the best steel selection in Utah to help you pick out just the right pieces to create exactly the décor you are looking for.

Benefits of Wear-Resistant Steel

There are several different types of steel, and one of the reasons that it is such a popular material for many people to use is its diversity. Being able to choose from a wide variety of steel types means you can get the exact metal to meet the needs of your project. For many projects, you might need a particularly strong steel that can withstand harsh conditions without showing signs of wear and tear, and in those cases wear-resistant steel makes a great choice. Here is an overview of this type of steel from Wasatch Steel, as well as some of the benefits it can offer.

The Basics on Wear-Resistant Steel
Wear-resistant steel, often referred to as abrasion resistant (AR) steel or wear plate, generally comes in rolled form, or it can formed or drilled to meet your specifications. This material is designed for use in harsh conditions without breaking down or weakening, and is often designated by its hardness, measured in Brinell units. The most common is 400 Brinell, but it can come as high as 500 Brinell or higher when necessary. It can be quenched and tempered, and generally comes with a martnsitic or martensitic-bainitic structure, made with chromium as an alloy to increase its stability and decrease the likelihood of deformity.

Common Uses for Wear-Resistant Steel

Wear and tear on machinery and other steel can cost money, and if you are using materials from Wasatch Steel in an application where they may be subjected to excessive conditions, having a material that is specifically hardened to resist some of the most common wear will save you lots of time, money, and hassle. The most common places where people use abrasion-resistant steel include:

• Mining and quarrying 
• Conveyor belts 
• Material handling 
• Construction 
• Manufacturing 
• Earth-moving 
• Plant operations 
• Excavation 
• Crushing or cutting machinery

It is often available in a variety of forms and thicknesses, ranging from as thin as 3 mm to as thick as 150 mm or more.

Customizing Your Wear-Resistant Steel
One of the main reasons that people use steel from a place like Wasatch Steel is its versatility, and abrasion-resistant steel is no different. It can be fabricated and welded for a variety of different projects, but because it is so strong and has such a high level of hardness it is important that you use caution when fabricating this type of steel. Alternately, you can contact the experts at the steel supermarket in Utah to help you figure out the best way to fabricate it.

Another way to customize your abrasion-resistant steel is to get it with the right hardness level. It is commonly available in Brinell or HB levels of 300 to 600.

• 300HB would be suitable for low-level wear and tear 
• 400HB is the most common, and is about five times more durable than the conventional structural steel 
• 500HB is also commonly used in many different applications where a generally hard steel is necessary 
• 600HB offers a superior hardness level for extreme situations where only the most highly resistant steel will work

There is also a special class of wear-resistant steel that is particularly resistant to ballistic damage. It includes alloying elements of carbon, chromium, vanadium, nickel, and molybdenum, helping to protect against ballistics while also maintaining a reasonably light weight for general applications.

If you’re looking for some great wear-resistant steel, check out the selection at the steel supermarket in Utah.

Different Types of Perforated Steel & How to Use It

Steel is one of the best materials for a wide variety of different uses, and whether you are planning to frame a house or building a major highway, it is often the metal that people turn to for strength, durability, performance, and beauty. One type of steel that is very popular is perforated steel. It can be used for many different things and comes in a wide variety of patterns and sizes at Wasatch Steel. Here are some of the most common types of perforated steel available, and ways that people use it.

Hole Types
Perforated steel is defined by its holes, and there are a variety of different hole styles, shapes, and sizes that you can get when you purchase from the best steel wholesaler in Utah. Some of the most common hole shapes include:

• Round – evenly spaced round holes. These are the most popular shape, and give you the option of the widest selection of gauges, diameters, different materials, and sheet sizes for your perforated steel at Wasatch Steel. 
• Square – a great alternative to the traditional round holes with several staggered or straight row patterns at the steel supermarket, including uniform squares and rectangles. 
• Slotted – for areas where you need longer holes and longer areas of steel between each hole. These elongated holes can have round or square ends, and come in several different gauges and patterns to meet your needs. 
• Hexagonal – for areas where you want maximum area to view in between the perforations, since they have about 80% open area and only 20% steel between. Hexagons are staggered and can be customized for different sizes. 
• Decorative – shapes and styles that include a variety of geometric designs for areas where you want a strong barrier, but one that looks good as well. Popular designs include cloverleaf, Grecian, honeycomb, octagons, Windsor triangles, crystal, diamond, jewel, and basketweaves.

 
Reasons to Choose Perforated Metal
Perforated metal is used for many different reasons, but primarily because it offers several features that are beneficial. You can choose from a wide variety of opening sizes and areas, several different gauges, and it is an economical choice for a strong and lightweight barrier whether you are using it for walkways, enclosures, fences, or more. It offers superior safety and security while also providing great aesthetic appeal in many different situations. It allows for the flow of air, light, sound, liquid, and gases. Plus you can get it with good load-bearing capabilities for walking and working.

Common Applications for Perforated Metal
While you can use perforated metal from Wasatch Steel for just about anything, some of the most common places that people use it include:

• Walkways 
• Stairs 
• Screens and security panels 
• Fencing 
• Ceilings 
• Display panels 
• Security enclosures 
• Benches 
• Guards and grates 
• Furniture and fixtures 
• Ladders 
• Non-slip surfaces 
• Partitions 
• Plant screens 
• Building facades 
• Shading or awnings

The use of perforated steel is not limited to these things—you can use it for anything that you can imagine. Come to the steel supermarket at the best steel wholesaler in Utah today to shop for perforated steel.

Measuring and Using Steel Pipe

When you think of pipes, you probably think of something industrial—the pipes that are buried underneath our roads, businesses, and houses that transport things like water or natural gas from one place to another. If you are considering a project that involves steel pipe, it’s best if you have a basic understanding of the different types and sizes of steel pipe available so you can get the correct one for your needs.

Common Types of Steel Pipe
There are two common types of steel pipes that are used almost interchangeably—galvanized steel and wrought iron. Both have great corrosion resistance and look similar, so they are often used in place of one another. For most plumbing and other projects the one you choose will depend on what is available from Wasatch Steel and what sizes you need to complete the job.

Steel Pipe Sizes
When you are planning to use steel pipes you need to know how to get the size that will work for your project. The right steel pipe size from the steel supermarket ensures that it will fit in the area where you plan to use it, and it has the appropriate diameter to transport the materials that will pass through it regularly without causing too much pressure build-up, which can lead to burst pipes.

The diameter of steel pipes comes in a wide variety of sizes, ranging from just ⅛ of an inch all the way to 20 inches or more. When measuring steel pipe, the measurement listed is for the interior diameter—remember that the exterior diameter will be slightly larger depending on how thick the walls of the pipe are. It is available in ⅛ inch increments up to ½ inch, then in ¼ and ½ inch increments up to 5 inches, then even inches up to 20.

Common Uses for Steel Pipe
Steel pipe can be used for a wide variety of things, including underground lines, as well as cold water and hot water plumbing. You can also use steel pipe for natural gas or other underground transport systems into and out of a home or business.

Creative Uses for Steel Pipe
You don’t have to limit yourself to just the most common ways to use steel pipe. In fact, with the variety of sizes and styles to choose from at Wasatch Steel, it’s the perfect place to get creative with this material.

• Use wide steel pipes to create outdoor planters in your yard, cut to various heights
• Use very large steel pipes fastened together (and painted) to create a DIY shoe rack 
• Use smaller steel pipes to build shelving or as the support for tables and shelves around your house
• Create unique door handles or chandeliers with steel pipe

If you need some help finding just the right steel pipe for your next project, come to the steel supermarket at Wasatch Steel. We have all the shapes and sizes you need, including the materials to put it together. We can even cut it to your exact specifications to save you time and hassle. See what we have to offer in steel pipe today.