Don’t want to spend a lot of money on a fancy outdoor set up? No problem! You can cast your own affordable, modern concrete fire pit all in the comfort of your own backyard. It’s durable, waterproof, and even portable, making it a great option to break out the marshmallows and get ready to stargaze. Get ready, because your weekends are about to get a whole lot more relaxing.
Before we get started: Safety first! Be sure to do this project outside in a well ventilated area and wear proper safety gear like work gloves, safety goggles, and a mask when handling cement.
Step 1: Lay out a tarp to protect your work surface. Prep two mixing bowls; one that’s about 18 inches in diameter, and one that’s slightly smaller at about 15 inches. Spray the interior of the larger bowl, and the exterior of the smaller bowl with non-stick cooking spray.
Step 2: In a large bucket, mix about 50 pounds of cement mix and 2 liters water by gradually adding smaller amounts of water and cement and mixing as you go until the whole amount of cement mixture has been combined. Fair warning: this gets very heavy so you might want to do this in a place where you won’t mind leaving the firepit overnight while it dries.
Step 3: Pour half of the cement mixture into the larger bowl. Place the smaller bowl on top and press down a bit so the space between the larger bowl and the smaller bowl is even on all sides. Then fill the gap between the two bowls with the remaining cement mixture.
Step 4: Once you’ve filled in your fire pit mold with the wet cement mixture, apply 20 pounds of weights to the smaller bowl and let dry for at least 48 hours.
Step 5: Once the cement has set and dried, use a rubber mallet to carefully hit and loosen the bowls from the cement. Don’t hit too hard or you may crack your cement masterpiece! When the bowls are loose enough remove them from the firepit and set aside. Use a sanding block to smooth out any rough edges, especially along the rim.
Step 6: Decorate your brand new fire pit with some flat spray paint in the colors of your choice! We used pretty pastels and a bright blue to create a tie-dye look we love.
Step 7: When the paint has dried, place 3 fuel canisters inside the bowl and place a grill directly on top. Finish it off by adding fire safe decorative stones on top! We used decorative jade for ours that we picked up at the hardware store.
With this awesome new addition to the back yard, you’ll be enjoying your outdoor space all year long. So grab a mug of something delicious, invite some friends to make some epic s’mores, take some time to enjoy the fresh nighttime air.
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