How to Make Fire Bowls: A Home and Garden DIY

Keeping your home exterior warm and inviting is important in the fall and winter months. With so much time spent indoors, it’s imperative to have an outdoor space that feels just as cozy and comfortable as the interior of your home. Fire bowls are a sure-fire way to make your outdoor living area feel just as inviting during the colder months as you want it to be. But with such a variety of fire bowls available on the market, how do you know which one is best for you? To help you answer this question, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite fire bowl DIY tutorials. From small-scale projects that take only an hour or two to build, to more complex designs that take several days to finalize, there’s something here for everyone looking to add this beautiful DIY feature in their own backyard.

Lantern Bowls

If you’re looking for a fire bowl DIY project where you really don’t have to do any actual “building” at all, lantern bowls are a great option. This is a project that will take a great deal of time, as it’s very much a slow-and-steady-wins-the-race type of process. But once your lantern bowls are finished, you’ll be able to enjoy them for years to come. What You’ll Need: – Large jars – Large mason jars – Stove-top burner – Clay – Water – Glaze – Painter’s tape – Paint (optional) Step One: When choosing jars for this project, it’s best to go with jars that are bigger rather than smaller. The wider mouth jars are best for this type of project as they will allow a larger flame to be placed inside the jar. If you’re using mason jars, you’ll want to use the wide mouth ones as well, but you can also make a smaller flame fit in the regular mouth mason jars as well. Step Two: Place your jars on a stove-top burner and heat them on low. You want the jars to be as close to the flame as possible without actually touching the flame. Step Three: Once the jars are hot, pour a small amount of water into the jars. Because these jars get very hot, you don’t want to add too much water at once, as it might evaporate before you have a chance to pour it out. Step Four: When the water is evaporated and the jars have cooled, you can begin to pour the clay into the jar. At first, the clay will be very liquid-y, but as it cools down, it will begin to set. Keep adding clay to the jar until it’s about three quarters of the way full. Step Five: Allow the clay to fully set. The longer you allow the clay to set, the thicker the walls of your jar will be. Depending on how thick you want the walls of your jar, you may want to allow the clay to set for a few days. Step Six: When the clay has completely set, use a knife to carefully remove the jar from the jar. Step Seven: Use painter’s tape to mark the jar at the desired height where you want the top of the bowl to be. Step Eight: Pour water into the jar and allow it to evaporate. Step Nine: Use paint to add colour to the jar if desired. Step Ten: Once the paint has dried, remove the jar from the bowl. Step Eleven: With the jar removed from the bowl, you can use a wooden spoon to smooth out the inside of the bowl and help it to dry more quickly. Step Twelve: Once the bowl is completely dry, you can use it as a fire bowl.

Fire Pits

Fire pits are a backyard staple that can easily be DIY-ed if you’re on a tight budget and don’t want to spend a lot of money on a pre-made option. With so many different materials and styles to choose from, no two DIY fire pit builds will look exactly the same. This is a great project if you’re looking to add a unique, one-of-a-kind feature to your backyard. What You’ll Need: – Round/square fire pit container – Shovel – Landscaping fabric – Gravel – Sand – Fire brick – Burner (optional) – Fire pit cover (optional) Step One: Decide on the type of fire pit container you want to use. A round container is a very common choice, but you can also use a square-shaped container if you’d prefer a different shape. Whatever type of container you choose, you’ll want to make sure it’s large enough to fit the burner, bricks, and desired amount of gravel and sand. Step Two: Create a fire pit base by digging a hole in the ground slightly larger than the container. The depth of the hole will depend on where you live as you’ll want the fire pit to be below ground level to avoid burning the top of your grass. In most locations, 1-2 feet below ground level is ideal. Step Three: Add landscaping fabric to the bottom of the container and then layer the gravel, sand, and fire brick in the order that you prefer. Depending on where you live, you may need to add a fire pit cover to your fire pit as well. Firebowl

Round Bowls w/ Covers

If you’re looking for a fire bowl DIY project that will only take about an hour to complete, round bowls with covers are a great option. These bowls are smaller in size so they’re great for small spaces and patios. These bowls can be decorated in a number of different ways and will look great no matter what style they’re decorated with. What You’ll Need: – Round bucket – Decorative stones – Decorative items – Sand (if using a bucket) – Fire bricks – Fire glass – Fire pit burner Step One: Decide what type of bucket you’d like to use for your bowl. If you’re using a plastic bucket, be sure to use a bucket that’s rated for outdoor use. Step Two: Place the decorative sand (if using a bucket) or decorative stones in the bottom of the bucket. Add the decorative items that you’d like to use for your bowl. Step Three: Layer the fire bricks and fire glass on top of the decorative items. If you’re using a bucket, make sure your bricks and glass are smaller than the diameter of the bucket. Step Four: Place the fire pit burner on top of the decorative items.

Round Bowls without Covers

If you’re looking for a larger fire bowl that can fit plenty of guests around it, round bowls that don’t have covers are the perfect option. These bowls are great for larger spaces like patios and backyards. These bowls can be decorated in a number of different ways and will look great no matter what style they’re decorated with. What You’ll Need: – Round bucket – Decorative stones – Decorative items – Sand (if using a bucket) – Fire bricks – Fire glass – Fire pit burner Step One: Decide what type of bucket you’d like to use for your bowl. If you’re using a plastic bucket, be sure to use a bucket that’s rated for outdoor use. Although plastic buckets are more affordable than wooden ones, they are more likely to melt in direct contact with high heat. Step Two: Place the decorative sand (if using a bucket) or decorative stones in the bottom of the bucket. Add the decorative items that you’d like to use for your bowl. Step Three: Layer the fire bricks and fire glass on top of the decorative items. If you’re using a bucket, make sure your bricks and glass are smaller than the diameter of the bucket. Step Four: Place the fire pit burner on top of the decorative items.

Concrete Fire Pits

Concrete fire pits are a great choice if you’re looking for a project that takes a bit of time and effort, but will last for years to come. With so many different materials and styles to choose from, no two concrete fire pit builds will look exactly the same. This is a great project if you’re looking to create a one-of-a-kind feature for your backyard.

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