I stumbled upon this DIY Fire Bowl situation in one of my pool groups on Facebook so this isn’t my original idea. This is simply my version of a popular DIY. With that said, there are may ways to complete this and I’ll give you some alternatives after I show you how I made my own DIY fire bowl.

Supplies:

A planter that isn’t flammable – I’ve seen folks use plastic planters but I really wouldn’t chance it. While the planter itself doesn’t really get hot, the flames can dance across the top. I used a concrete planter but you could also use a ceramic one. Any big box store will give you lots to choose from. Pick one that fits into your outdoor decor and it will become part of the landscape.

Fill material – This is so that you don’t have to dump a ton of rocks into the planter. If your planter is large it will help take up some of the mass. Also, it can make the planter easier to move around. I chose to put mine on a stand with casters since the pot itself is heavy. I used heavy duty grill foil. It’s cheap, withstands heat and fills the pot up nicely. Plus I like that I can bend it to the shape I want.

I’ve seen people use a fire retardant foam to fill the bottom but this may cause some drainage issues. You want the rain to be able to drain freely through. That way you can leave it outside with no worries.

If you want, you can just put the pot on a plant stand with wheels like I did and fill the whole thing with rocks.

Optional – Lava Rocks or fire glass. You could fill the bottom with regular rocks and then add the pretty glass rocks on top. I used Lava rocks to fill my whole pot on top of the foil. I would’ve used regal rocks but I threw my back out a few days ago and couldn’t lift the bag.

Tiki cans – I used the refill canisters. You could use whichever you want here. Just don’t use the candles because it won’t give you the same effect. Note: Don’t go roasting no smores over a tiki flame! I like that it makes a pretty fire bowl and also helps keep the mosquitoes away. They make a clean burn option too that I will use the next go around.

Step by Step:

Take your bowl…mine is concrete from Target

Add your fill material:

I added a small terra cotta planter to the middle of mine to ensure proper drainage. I didn’t want to chance water pooling on the foil. This way I know it can make its way down.

I just wrapped the foil very loosely. Enough so that the rocks wouldn’t fall through. The lava rocks I used are lightweight. If you use a heavier rock, it could be too heavy and you may need more foil.

Here are the rocks I used:

Finally, stick your tiki cans in. I would add them in before you fill to the top with the rocks. After you add them, you can backfill with whatever rocks you chose.

And that’s it! Make sure you don’t have too much of the wick sticking out or it will be really smoky. I plan on swapping mine out with a refillable canister so that I don’t have to keep pulling these in and out every time they run out.

I picture these around the pool (set back of course!) or dotted around the patio. Just remember to be safe. I don’t plan on lighting these while any little ones are around.

Next up for this patio is painting the red concrete to match the new decking and getting the furniture all moved in. I’m excited to see this space come to life over the next few months, yes months because that’s how long it will take (maybe longer!) to pull it all together.

Let me know if you have any questions and if you want in depth video, check out my IG highlights.