Our Favorite DIY Recycled Metal Projects

Recycled metals (like the kind you can find at our Austin recycling center) provide interesting and versatile materials for all kinds of DIY projects, from art sculptures to more utilitarian structures like shelving or tables. Whether you’re looking for inspiration for your next art piece or just want some ideas for how to recycle your own metal materials in your home, the DIY recycled metal projects below demonstrate the wide variety of uses for recycled metals.

Sculptures and Other Art Pieces

One of the most popular DIY recycled metal projects is to create original sculptures or other art pieces that can be used as home decor or outdoor decoration. The types of materials you use and the shape they take are only limited by your own imagination. Here are a few of our favorites:

Robot Chess Pieces

These robot chess pieces made from recycled metal materials are simple yet fun, offering a unique take on the classic chess game pieces. While these are fairly easy to make and comprise materials you may already have in your home, they are quite interesting and sure to be a conversation piece.

Garden Scrap Metal Art

One of the most common places you will see scrap metal art is in the garden. Recycled metal sculptures help add a unique and artistic touch to your garden or yard. These birds made from recycled metal offer a neat alternative to plastic flamingo yard ornaments.

Here’s another of our favorite examples of recycled metal garden art. These metal dog sculptures make for fun yard or garden ornaments.

Metallic Hunting Trophies

We love this take on the traditional hunting trophy. Made from recycled kitchen utensils and bowls, this recycled metal hunting trophy is simple yet chic, offering a unique statement piece for the living room, bedroom or even kitchen wall. Use different materials to create your favorite animal.

Functional Pieces

Another great DIY recycled metal project is to create functional pieces that you can use in your home. From furniture to lamps to shelving units, there are many different types of unique and beautiful functional pieces that you can create from recycled metal materials. Here are some of our favorite pieces:

Industrial Metal Lamp

Looking for a DIY recycled metal project that will be useful in your home? We love this industrial metal lamp from Salvaged Moto. This is more than just a lamp—it’s a statement piece! The different colors and types of light help create a creative environment in any home.

Recycled Metal Drum Furniture

Metal drums are a popular material for functional DIY recycled metal projects. This is most likely because their shape and size lend themselves to creating furniture. We love the look of metal drum furniture because it has a distinct shape and texture but can easily be made into a comfortable, long-lasting furniture piece for your patio, deck or porch.

Whether you’re looking to recycle an old DIY metal project or just want to sell your brass, steel or other materials, Gardner Metals provides a clean and organized space for metal recycling in Austin. We also offer computer recycling and electronics recycling at our Austin recycling center. For a free, fast and fair price quote, contact us today.