Make Your DIY Propane Fire Pit and Light Up Any Party

This approach to making a DIY propane fire pit is more involved, time-consuming, and expensive than the flowerpot method. However, if you follow the steps, you’ll create a stylish fire pit table that has a sleek, contemporary look and multiple uses. 

First, you’ll need to build the table. Put your burner kit to one side and start with the framework for this hardwood table unit. Cut the frame’s four main posts first. You can slice these to any length you want, but remember that you need to fit a 20 lbs. or 33 lbs. tank of propane and the bottom half of your rectangular burner inside this unit, so don’t build a structure that’s too shallow. The standard height of most fire pit tables is somewhere between 12”-15”. 

Buy three 2” x 4” beams from a hardware store, each cut to a standard length 8’, then cut these into separate pieces so that you can create four rectangular frames. Two of these frames will slot into the front and back of your table, and the other two will slot into the sides. Pick your own dimensions, depending on how wide or long you want your fire pit table to be. Screw these frames into the sides of your corner posts to create a basic table structure, adding angle braces if you wish. 

Use construction adhesive to stick four trim boards to the base of the framework for extra stability, then attach suitably sized planks to the back and sides. You can create a door frame for the front of the structure, inserting a ball catch in the bottom so that the door can swing either way. Board up half of the table’s front frame with the rest of the plank pieces, leaving space for your door. Apply caulk and finish to the frame. 

Cut some galvanized steel roof flashing into suitable pieces so that you can fit it into the top of your box, then install a drip edge so that it’s face-up on top of this roof flashing. This process creates a heat shield that protects the rest of your frame from the propane burner’s high temperatures. 

Cut the melamine tabletop form to size with a chop saw. This is the mold for your concrete, so you need to build a trench in the middle of the melamine for your rectangular propane burner tank. Mix and color your concrete, then pour it into the melamine template so that you have a walled, indented space in the middle for the fire pit itself. Let the concrete set, then screw the tabletop unit to the top of the wooden frame. 

Use the space in the front frame panel to insert your propane tank under the tabletop and connect all the hoses and gas lines between the canister and the burner. You can connect your door frame to this front panel and drill a hole for your key gauge.