Patio Fire Ring Gets New Life
Patio Fire Ring Makeover
A patio fire ring instantly warm any veranda. There’s something mesmerizing about a fire’s dance. It calms and engages. Best of all, it encourages visitors to stay and chat a little longer.
I’m a big fan of using fire elements in yard design. Fire brings light, warmth and a little mystery to the outdoors, so why shouldn’t you use it to elevate your backyard?
A small patio fire ring is great because it’s portable and can be incorporated into any patio design with ease. But what happens when your fire ring is practically crushed in the moving truck and then left forgotten on the side of the house for a year? It looks like this. Not like something I want in my patio design.
SPACKLE AND PAINT
This old girl needed some love and attention. We removed the rust colored lava rock from around the ring and hosed off the entire unit. Then Kevin fixed the broken corner with wood spackle, since fiberglass repair isn’t one of his many skills.
The patio fire ring had nicks and scrapes that we really didn’t want to repair. We opted for a stone textured finish spray paint that would hide the flaws.
GOLD FOIL AND BLUE ROCK
The patio fire ring was presentable, but blah. I wanted it to be a standout element on the porch. Gold leaf foil added just the touch of shine needed to reflect the firelight and to highlight the design on the sides of the fire ring.
Blue is an important color in my backyard design. Crushed fire rock in blue replaced the lack-luster rust lava rock surrounding the ring. Now the fire dances on a sea. I love it.
REPLACING THE LID
The lid to the patio fire ring was demolished in the move. I wanted a beautiful lid to protect the gas element when not in use, but I didn’t want to spend very much on this project. Although mosaic tiles would have been gorgeous, the ones I liked would have set me back $40.
I purchased a stock tile from Home Depot in white and depended on my Cricut Explore Air Die Cut Machine to imitate the mosaic tile design element I was looking for. The blue vinyl worked perfectly. We added rubber stick-on feet to the tile so that it rests solidly on the top of the patio fire ring when not in use.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We purchased 4 cans of stone veneer paint ($21.96), a tile ($2.00), and rubber feet ($2.57), for a total of $26.53 for this fixer upper. Looking at what you already have before you head to the store can really save you money when you’re sprucing up a garage sale find. I know that if I can get creative with the design, that I will have money left in my pocket for the next project.
Let me know what you think. What do you prefer, purchasing everything you need for your exact design or do you like to see if you can incorporate something you already have?
WHAT WE USED:
