5 Pieces of Metal Furniture You Can Build Yourself

Finding just the right piece of furniture to complete your home can be a difficult and stressful thing, especially if you know exactly what you want and none of the stores seem to carry it, or you prefer something that is a little bit more unique. When that happens the best thing you can do is head down to the steel supermarket and check out their selection of materials for a DIY steel furniture building project. Here are five pieces of furniture that just about anyone can build with the right stuff from Wasatch Steel.

Tables
Building a table is one of the most basic and simple things you can do. Whether you want to build a dining room table or something you can keep in your living room like a coffee table, side table, or couch table, the basics on building it are the same. Start with the right metal pieces to create sturdy legs, then find the perfect table topper. You can mix steel and wood for an interesting visual effect, or use metal for the surface as well to create a specialized appearance.

Bookcases
Looking for more storage around your home? Finding places to put all your trinkets, books, and odds and ends can be difficult, which is where a great bookshelf can come in. You can build metal shelves using just about any kind of material, and in a wide variety of different shapes and sizes. Whether you want to cover a whole wall or you just need a little nook to keep your books, metal shelving is simple and stylish.

Desks
Purchasing a desk can be pretty expensive, but when you decide to do it yourself, metal from Wasatch Steel is a great option. You can get functional and beautiful giving your office an industrial appeal, or you can use metal for the framework and add style with wood or other materials for the surfaces.

Chairs & Barstools
There are endless possibilities when you are building metal chairs and stools, including barstools, chairs for your kitchen table, or for your outdoor living space. You can even create a steel bench for a farmhouse style table, or add some banquet seating in the corner of your dining room. Adding metal drawers and topping them off with some comfortable padding can help add seating and make your home look chic.

Headboards
Looking for a way to decorate your bedroom that is different from ordinary wood? Metal headboards are a great choice, and something you can make on your own. Whether you decide to use ornamental metal with spindles welded together or you get some sheet metal and create a solid headboard, it will look amazing. Supplies from Wasatch Steel offer you the opportunity to get creative with your headboard and make something that is anything but boring.

Metal furniture is a great way to add character to your home, bringing in an industrial or minimalist look, or just adding some interesting textures to your space. To find exactly the pieces you need to create the perfect metal furniture, come to the steel supermarket today.

Benefits of Steel-Reinforced Concrete

Steel has long been a popular material for use in various different types of construction because of its strength, durability, and affordability. When you’re building with concrete, steel can also play a big role by helping to strengthen the concrete through the use of reinforcing bars (also called rebar) embedded throughout the concrete structure. Concrete has a relatively low tensile strength and is not generally very ductile, but steel helps to create higher tensile strength and better ductility to allow the use of concrete in a variety of different construction settings, from roadways and bridges to buildings and homes. Here are some of the benefits steel-reinforced concrete offers.

Increased Flexibility for Designs
By adding rebar from Wasatch Steel to a design, it enables architects to create better and more flexible spaces. Steel-reinforced concrete allows for open designs and long-span layouts so building owners have the flexibility to change and update space as needed based on their tenants. This is particularly helpful in the construction of large office spaces and other similar buildings—the ability to install equipment quickly, change and update space as needed to meet the demands of each unique tenant can make a big difference in a landlord’s ability to lease empty space.

Energy Efficiency
When you design buildings using Wasatch Steel rebar to reinforce the concrete, you can create more energy efficient floor designs that allow you to fit more space into each building without worrying about zoning restrictions. Since steel is a lightweight material, it also improve the efficiency of delivery, cutting transportation costs and reducing the carbon footprint of your construction project.

Buildings with Benefits
There are many benefits that steel offers to the occupants of buildings—everything from increased fire resistance to lower vibration levels and reduce noise transmission from the outside in. These comfortable, secure, and safe buildings are ideal for tenants in a wide variety of industries. Steel-reinforced concrete also allows you to improve indoor air quality and reduce wind resistance for a comfortable and quiet office environment. These environmentally-friendly buildings help boost employee productivity and boost your “green” credentials.

Minimized Costs

Using steel-reinforced concrete instead of more expensive stone means you can save money on transport and materials costs without giving up any of the aesthetic benefits or strength that you would get from more expensive materials. If you are working toward LEED certification but also need to keep costs down, finding steel reinforcing bar fabricators nearby (such as Wasatch Steel, which is conveniently located right in Salt Lake City) is an important step is reducing material transportation costs, which can help build up LEED points. Steel is also beneficial in these cases because it is often made from 100% recycled material, which lowers energy costs to produce the steel and increases your LEED score.

When you need a material to help you build strong, durable, and long-lasting structures, look at the benefits that steel-reinforced concrete can provide.

The Benefits of Using Steel to Reinforce Buildings

When you are in charge of building construction, there are several different things that you think about during the construction phase—not only do you want to create buildings that are sustainable and affordable, you also want buildings that are durable and can stand the test of time. When it comes to construction materials, using steel reinforced concrete is the best way to achieve both. Here are some of the benefits of this building material.

Durability and Longevity
Any structural building needs to be both aesthetically pleasing and durable, and steel reinforced concrete, made with raw materials from Wasatch Steel, can be both. Because steel has extremely high tensile strength and can withstand many of the forces of time, it eliminates the need to build new structures in future years.

Safety
Today’s building codes require that any structure is able to withstand whatever natural disasters might come, which include floods, earthquakes, and (although rare) even tornadoes in the state of Utah. If you use another material, or just decide to use concrete alone without any additional reinforcement, the building will likely not meet building codes and will not provide the safety that its occupants want.

Resisting Fire
In addition to natural disasters, steel reinforced concrete is a great way to increase the ability of a building to withstand damage from fire. Steel and concrete can get extremely hot before melting, making them ideal for buildings that need to meet even stringent fire codes without requiring any additional fireproofing applications, which can add to the cost of your building project.

Good for the Environment
Steel reinforced concrete is a very efficient building material to use, since concrete has the ability to absorb more heat throughout the day and release it during the evening hours. The result is a reduction in heating costs for your building. In addition, since steel is one of the lightest metals available, getting it to and from your worksite is even good for the environment. It costs less to get the materials from Wasatch Steel to your building site, which means you can feel good about helping to save the environment and you can also help keep your project’s budget on track with steel reinforced concrete.

With improvements in the steel production and concrete manufacturing, many green building programs, particularly the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program, recognizes it as a good way to achieve environmentally-friendly building designs.

Minimal Maintenance
Its durability also means that steel requires very little maintenance in the long term. Your building will withstand the elements of everyday wear and tear without needing additional fixes or harsh chemicals for patching problems.

Building Aesthetics
Steel reinforced concrete also offers builders the opportunity to create beautiful designs without compromising in any area of maintenance, sustainability, durability, and energy efficiency. The strength of steel allows for buildings to have more open space for interior layouts and gives building owners the options to modify and expand the existing space, creating more or fewer offices to generate revenue and accommodate different tenants.

Materials from Wasatch Steel allow builders the opportunity to create the perfect space no matter what the building demands.

6 Ways Steel Builds Our Economy

Steel has become one of the most important materials for building things in our economy, providing what we need to create items both large and small. Since the process to make steel was first discovered in the mid-1800s, it has been refined to create metal that has one of the highest strength-to-weight ratios, and can be utilized in an array of versatile ways. People shop at Wasatch Steel for all types of projects, using steel in some of these six ways to build our economy.

Steel Buildings
Construction companies for both commercial and residential property have been building with steel to create everything from the tallest skyscrapers to the homes in your neighborhood. Since steel has both a high tensile strength (a measure of how much force material can withstand before breaking) and a high yield strength (a measure of how much force a material can withstand before it suffers permanent deformation), it is great for creating large, open spaces like the ones commercial building owners want. It also offers a superior level of fire resistance, which makes it ideal for both commercial and residential buildings.

Steel Transportation
The roads, bridges, and railroads that make up our transportation infrastructure are also largely built using steel. Steel forms the backbone for the support structures built underneath major transportation arteries, such as bridges, freeways, and highways. In addition, most vehicles that we use for transportation are made of steel—including ships, cars and trucks, trains, and airplanes. Plus innovations in steel are making mass transit easier, more efficient, and more environmentally-friendly, reducing friction, improving load capacity and passenger comfort, and reducing noise levels and vibration for trains.

Steel Energy
Efforts to improve renewable energy also benefit from the use of steel. From wind turbines to solar panels, steel is making energy from the sun, wind, and water more affordable and within reach than ever.

Steel Manufacturing
If you are in the manufacturing industry, chances are you use steel on a regular basis. You probably have machines and vehicles that are made of steel, and you may even use it to create your products. At Wasatch Steel, we understand that manufacturers are always looking for reliable, strong materials, which is why we have a huge selection of the best steel available for you to choose from.

Steel Design
Artists are always finding creative ways to express their talents, and steel and metalworking provides yet another opportunity to make something beautiful. With an array of shapes, styles, and finishes available, steel makes a great accent in artwork, or can provide the basis for your designs. At Wasatch Steel, artists often find the perfect pieces they need to create a masterpiece.

Steel Connections
Steel is also a critical material in the manufacturing of pipes that connect our world, transporting things from utility companies to our homes and businesses, and bringing raw materials like oil and natural gas from drilling sites around the U.S. into our communities. The strength of steel makes it ideal for building pipes that will last and can withstand pressure, while the lightweight nature of steel makes it an economical choice to reduce carbon emissions during manufacture and transport to the site. With proper coatings, steel pipes can withstand erosion and last for decades to come with very little maintenance and environmental impact.

Steel holds up structures, takes people and goods from place to place, and creating things that we use in our daily lives. It plays a major role in everything we do, and you can find the steel you need for every project at Wasatch Steel.

Why Steel is Ideal for Construction

Steel is a major component of construction in the U.S. and around the world today. The steel market has steadily increased over the past century as more and more uses are discovered for the strong, lightweight, versatile, and durable metal. It is used in a variety of construction applications, ranging from residential and business buildings to industrial complexes, stadiums, landmarks, and more. If you’re considering new construction, take some time to determine whether steel would work for you.

Cost-Effective
Steel is one of the most cost-effective metals available for construction today. Part of the reason it is so inexpensive is that the process to make steel has been refined over hundreds of years, since the Bessemer process was invented in the mid-1800s, and today steel mills can quickly and efficiently create steel using iron, one of the most abundant metals on earth. In addition, steel is very lightweight, which means shipping it from the mills to your job site requires less fuel, and saves you money.

At places like Wasatch Steel, where you can find an array of steel products in their steel supermarket, you can also look at different types of steel—including new steel, excess prime steel, and used steel.

Durable and Flexible
Steel is an extremely durable material, having both a high yield strength (the force it can withstand before deforming) and high tensile strength (the weight it can bear before breaking). This durability also makes it ideal for construction projects, because it means the space can be flexible and adaptable. When you use steel for building columns, floor joists, and other support roles, it can bear a high load, which means you can have more open, airy space in the building.

Sustainable
Steel is also a very eco-friendly material, because it can be recycled almost indefinitely without losing any of its characteristics for strength and quality. More than half of all new steel produced today worldwide is recycled from previous steel, and the process to recycle and reuse steel produces little to no waste.

In addition to being earth-friendly, it is also a sustainable material because it offers many economic and social benefits too. Steel construction is a relatively dry process, with little dust, and is pretty quiet compared with other materials, so there is less impact on surrounding buildings or homes. Steel can also help create a safe working environment when it’s used to create support structures, scaffolding, and other materials for worksites.

Safe
One final reason to build with steel on any construction project is the safety factor. Unlike wood structures, steel has exceptional fire resistance capabilities, and after many decades of studying steel structures’ behavior during a fire, engineers can now build very safe homes and commercial buildings that are more fire resistant.

At Wasatch Steel, you can find a wide array of steel components for your construction project, including columns, beams, pipes, and more. Come see the selection available at the steel supermarket.

Building a Modern Economy with Steel

Steel has become one of the most ubiquitous materials in the world today, as an integral part of transportation systems, infrastructure, housing, manufacturing, healthcare, food service, agriculture, energy, and water industries. There are many uses for steel in all these applications, and it is often chosen because it is an extremely strong and versatile material, available in many different forms and grades from steel suppliers to meet different needs. It is also an environmentally friendly material, so as we work toward a greener economy and a more sustainable future, recycled materials from places like Wasatch Steel will likely continue to play a big role.

The Building Blocks of Steel
Steel comes primarily from two ingredients today: iron and recycled steel. Iron is one of the most abundant natural resources available, and has long been used for its strength and durability for construction, weapons, and more. New steel today is also primarily made from recycled steel—it is one of the only materials that can be recycled indefinitely without losing any of its quality or strength. For that reason, it is a popular choice because of its almost endless life cycle.

Fueling Economic Growth
A report by World Steel Association shows that the total global production of steel has nearly doubled from 851 million tons in 2001 to 1,581 million tons just 10 years later in 2011. Most of the growth has come from increased production and use in China and other fast-growing global economies. Of those 1,581 million tons produced, the top four uses were construction (51%), mechanical machinery (14.5%), metal products (12.5%), and automotive (12%). The other 10% was divided among other transportation, electrical equipment, and domestic appliances.

In addition to its availability, steel is also helping to fuel growth because it is so affordable and versatile. There are several thousand different types of steel that can be made depending on what it will be used for. By adding other elements to the iron, steel can be designed with specific properties such as ductility, stiffness, and strength. With so many variations available in the chemical composition and the micro-structures (for both nano and sub-nano scales), a very wide range of steel can be made for several different purposes. In addition, manufacturers today continue to come up with new and innovative variations that continue to make steel even lighter and stronger.

A Greener Economy Building with Steel
There are two main things that contribute to steel being so planet-friendly. First, it is one of the longest-lasting materials in use today. By using a durable and long-lasting material for infrastructure, construction, and more, you will have to replace the materials less often. What that means is less energy used to produce and transport new materials around the world. The second reason steel is so green is that it is universally recyclable. There have been over 22 billion tons of steel recycled since 1900 according the World Steel Association, and 98% of raw materials used to make steel are reused to create new products and byproducts, with a goal of zero waste. Wasatch Steel provides a variety of used steel options, as well as “excess prime” steel. Excess prime is new steel that has been exposed to the elements and may not look brand new anymore, but is in great condition other than the aesthetics.

When you need the best building material, steel suppliers like Wasatch Steel can help you find the strength, durability, and versatility you need from a wide variety of products.

Steel for All Size Operations & Projects

Steel is one of the most universally used materials in our world today, and for many different reasons. The main reason so many people like building with steel is that it provides a very strong and reliable building material no matter what you are planning to construct. Its uses range from supporting the tallest skyscrapers and the longest bridges to more simple applications, such as anchoring the foundation of a home with steel rebar. In fact, steel has one of the highest strength-to-weight ratios of any metal in the world. In addition, it is often a favorite because it is widely available and often less expensive than other metals you might use in construction.

If you are working on a building project, no matter the scope or size, you should consider using steel. Here are just some of the applications you can use it for, and some of the reasons it makes such a great choice.

Residential Building & Construction
Whether you are an individual looking to build your dream home, or you are a large-scale contractor who is building several homes every day, Wasatch Steel in Utah has the materials that you need to create a beautiful, durable home. Unlike wood, which is often used as an alternative to steel for framing residential homes, steel can provide you with a stronger base and it is more resistant to fire or severe weather, which makes it a safer option. Wasatch Steel is the Utah steel supermarket, offering several different types, grades, and shapes of steel that you can use as an individual do-it-yourself home builder, or as a contractor. There are no minimum orders, which means you can get exactly what you need regardless of the scope of your project.

Commercial Building Construction
If you are someone who works on commercial construction, buying quality steel is important. You can find a wide selection of all the sizes and shapes that you need, from I-beams to angle iron and more at Wasatch Steel in Utah. If you try to buy it direct from the mill, they often have large minimum order requirements, which makes it difficult if you’re not a high volume construction contractor. Instead, get the same quality steel from Wasatch Steel’s Utah steel supermarket and get better service.

Infrastructure Projects
Steel is all around us in our infrastructure, from the bridges we use to the roads we drive on, the schools our children attend, and more. When you have an infrastructure project that requires a strong, durable, affordable metal, steel is the way to go.

Smaller Scale Steel Projects
Even if you are not a large-scale commercial construction manager, or a residential contractor building with steel, there are still many uses for steel. It is great for landscaping, do-it-yourself building projects around the house, deck and stair railing, and more. You can also use it to add flair to your artwork and projects, or as a decorative element in your garden or your home. Wasatch Steel is your Utah steel supermarket, with a wide selection of unique pieces of excess prime and used metal so you get a great price and beautiful steel for everything you need.