DIY Faux Concrete Fire Pit!

After building my two couches I was so excited to start on this project! My inspiration for this build was this firepit on Amazon! So modern and beautiful but sooo out of my price range!

I ended up changing the look a little and kept it simple and square. This is a very beginner friendly DIY believe it or not and really you can’t mess it up! FULL PDF PLAN DIGITAL DOWNLOAD HERE!

What you will need:

7- 8ft 2x4s $35

2 sheets of 1/4″ cement board $27

1 sheet of 1/2″ cement board $17

Cement Shears

1 bag of thin set $16

trowel to smooth thin set out

220 girt sandpaper

1 box of 2″ wood screws $9

1 box of 1 1/4″ cement screws $7

grout sealer $16

fire pit insert $70

gas line with key $37

10lb bag of glass rocks $30

Step 1:

Using 4 of your 2x4s cut the following:

4 – 45″ pieces

4 – 35.5″ pieces

Then assemble into two separate boxes like the picture. (I used scrap wood I had on hand which is why the wood in my boxes are not all 2x4s!)

When assembling secure with wood screws, 2 at each joint.

Step 2:

Take another 2×4 and cut four 9″ pieces to be attached vertically in each corner. These will be what you attach the other box you made in step 1 to.

Since none of this will be seen I toenailed in all of these screws rather than making pocket holes. Here is a little video showing what I mean in case you don’t know how to do that.

Step 3:

Attach the other box you made in step 1 to this structure at the corners of the 9″ pieces by toe nailing them in. This is essentially your structure!

All of these dimensions can be customized to fit your specific area. Once covered with the cement board this fire pit with these cuts will be 3ft x 4ft and 16.5″ tall.

Step 4:

Add supports. Using your last two 2x4s you will cut four more 9″ pieces to go between the vertical sides, one on each side.

Then cut two 45″ pieces to go across the top length just outside of where your fire pit is. This is so it is close to support it but not touching the fire pit edge.

Step 5:

Get your 1/4″ cement board and hold it up to the shorter sides and draw a line across as a template to cut. You should be able to get both the front and back out of one sheet with some left over.

To cut cement board it can be done with a very sharp razor but it is way quicker to use what I used, metal shears that create no dust and are super fast!

Secure these pieces to your frame with cement screws. Repeat with the other sheet of cement board for the long sides and secure in place.

Step 6:

Next take the 1/2″ cement board and place on top. Mark the areas that need to be cut off and once cut secure to the top of frame.

Next find center. Measure out the size of your fire pit, if using the one I went with it is 6″ x 30″. Next using a carbide drill bit drill into the inside of the four corners so you can get a blade tip inside to cut the opening out. Check to make sure the pit fits and now lets make this pretty!

Step 7:

Next you want to mix the thin set. I went with gray as I wanted a concrete look but the great thing is you can get it in a bunch of different colors, easily found is white, gray and beige/tan. Mix according to the bag usually to a batter consistency.

Then you just take a trowel and spread it over, using the smooth side to even it out. You can really get creative here and do any technique you want. I did approximately 3 very thin coats (the first coat is the thickest especially on all of the seams!) If you mess up you can always add more, like I said anyone can do this!

I let my coats dry 1-2 hrs, as you can tell in the picture it is easy to see the difference in color as it dries.

 

Step 8:

Using a 1 1/2″ carbide hole saw drill a hole on the side you want the gas key on/off to go.

The flange on the gas key will cover the hole for a very clean look.

Step 9:

Next use 220 grit to sand the entire surface. I used my orbital sander to make it very easy and fast. This will make your corners and edges seamless and blend all of it together! I would do a light sanding between each additional coat of thin set.

Extremely dusty and not good to breathe so be sure to wear a mask and have good ventilation!

Once sanded you are basically done! Wipe it down and use an outdoor grout sealer over the entire surface.

Step 10:

Last step is to place your insert in and attach it to the propane gas line. We hooked ours up to natural gas from under our deck which is why I didn’t have to worry about housing a propane tank. If I did, I would probably just use the small propane tank and keep inside the hollow box. 

FOR PLANS TO PDF DIGITAL DOWNLOAD WITH HINGED DOOR FOR PROPANE TANK CLICK HERE!

Add the glass rocks and viola you have a one of kind faux concrete firepit that doubles as a pretty nice size coffee table!

Before After

This was such a fun project and I am a little surprised at how good it came out! In total this would cost approximately $260 if you have to purchase everything.

Link to products: HERE

In my case I used all scrap wood and some of the cement board I had already and I have screws, tools etc. so my total was $180. Compared to most I have seen that are $600-$1,200 I would say it is a win either way! Any questions leave them below and if you are a visual person you can check out my YouTube showing the entire process!