Great Ways to Finish Your Outdoor Fireplace

There are some great ways to finish your outdoor fireplace. Basically, there are endless of ways to add the finishing touches which will make your outdoor fireplace a one of a kind. Even if you build the basic rough structure that another person constructed, yours will look different.

If you pay attention to detail, your fireplace and backyard landscape can look like something in a magazine. We will cover five of the big finishing touches and things you can do to give your fireplace the wow factor.

1. Low voltage lighting

Even when the fireplace is not being used, low voltage lighting is a great way to add a great night time visual aspect to it. The lighting is powered by a transformer specifically designed for these types of lights. By connecting the fireplace lights to landscape lighting in your yard, everything will be illuminated at the same time.

Lighting adds a great look to any fireplace

2. Natural stone seating surface

By using a natural stone material for the seating, you will have a very durable, and inexpensive surface. There are a couple widely used stone options, such as flagstone and bluestone. Both can be purchased at landscape supply retailers and you will have tons of colors and patterns to choose from. Cutting the stone is as simple as using a diamond blade for a smooth edge or a chisel and hammer for a rough rustic edge.

Natural stone was used for the seating surface, shelves, and top.

3. Stacked Stone Veneer

Stacked stone is a great way to finished the vertical surfaces of the fireplace, but it can be somewhat expensive as compared to other finish options. This type of material is purchased in arrangements that will fit together seamlessly. The stone is real and engineered during the cut process, meaning that it will be very easy to install. Cutting this stone will take a bit more time and patience as it is sometimes brittle.

Stacked stone added to the fireplace hearth.

4 . Faux Veneer

Faux veneer is a fabulous way to add a cheaper finish to the outside of your fireplace than natural stone. The great thing about faux veneer is that you can find virtually any texture, color, shape, and size imaginable. The faux stone is basically a manmade product that is painted and finished to look just like a real material. The faux stone is very easy to cut but it may take a bit of extra time fitting it together. There is no “one way” to put it together most of the time, so using your Tetris skills will come in handy. Faux veneer will usually require corner pieces that will give you a great finished look as the material wraps from one vertical surface to another.

faux veneer outdoor fireplace — DIY built fireplace with faux veneer.

5. Wrought iron accents

Wrought iron accents will add both a décor and some functionality to your fireplace. First, add an elevated fire grate in your firebox. This will both give you a great look, but it will aid in keeping your burning wood elevated for proper air flow. Fireplace tools will give you the capability of working and stoking your fire as you need to. Many tools sets will come with a holder as well keeping it nice and neat.

outdoor fireplace wrought iron — Adding wrought iron definitely adds character.

Well there you go, five considerations that if done right, will set your fireplace on a pedestal. You don’t have to do them all to achieve a great look, but they certainly won’t hurt.

If you want to build your own outdoor fireplace, check out www.backyardflare.com for some great ideas and inspiration. We are sure you will get a vision for how you can transform your backyard into a great destination.

Building a Dream Backyard

The latest fireplace profile comes to you from South Carolina. Builder and homeowner Nick had plans of building a dream backyard and he contacted Backyard Flare, LLC for help. Nick is a DIY enthusiast and he knew he could build his own outdoor fireplace. He chose the Douglas design and got his construction plan from Backyard Flare.

Starting Off With a Blank Slate

Nick had an existing stamped concrete patio in his backyard with a small flowering garden on one corner. The patio wasn’t designed or constructed with weight bearing in mind so Nick poured an additional slab for the fireplace. Nick built a wood frame to see the footprint of the structure as well.

Drainage was added to the slab so that water would not accumulate. This is a very smart move when building a non-linear structure. The drainage was built through the entire slab so any water drained behind the structure.

Nick’s DIY Construction

The cinder block work was started with the wing walls built to the same height as the main seating section. The normal Douglas design has the side extensions higher than the center seating section so this modification was Nick’s vision.

Ready for Veneer — Nick finished the rough build phase of construction.

The entire structure was built in rough form, then it was time for veneer and finish work. Nick covered the horizontal surfaces with a neutral flagstone. The edges were left rough for a great outdoor look. Nick chose a great looking faux stone with a relatively small pattern. The pieces were not all the same size so there was a bit of puzzle piecing the veneer together. This task slows down the construction but it makes for a great looking veneer pattern.

After the construction was completed, Nick added a couple colored deck chairs and a rustic piece of log for a small “beer holder”. The chimney was adorned with a great looking wreath and a log holder was added for spare firewood.

Nick used veneer on the backside of the fireplace for complete finished look.

Build Your Own Dream Space

If you would like to explore the possibility of building an outdoor structure such as a fireplace or outdoor kitchen visit us at www.backyardflare.com. We will help you with all your design needs so most of the guess work will be taken out of it for you. Thanks for reading and we hope to hear from you. Happy building!

Build a Stunning Outdoor Living Area

Build Your Stunning Outdoor Living Area

This week’s backyard profile goes out to Adam in the great state of Washington. What a great job Adam did, building his stunning outdoor living area, with the help of Backyard Flare and their design team. But… Adam went the extra mile and he constructed an outdoor destination complete with a fireplace, outdoor kitchen, and patio cover on steroids.

Wood framing of patio cover — Patio cover is framed

The blank slate started with the building of the wood framed pergola. A pitched roof with a decorative underbelly and drop lights covered a large footprint. This cover offered the living area with a respite from the sun or the probable Washington State rainfall. The support beams of the patio cover were stained darker than the wood slats. What a great look.

Pitched roof patio cover — Patio cover with pitched roof

Finishing the Patio Cover

Brilliant white trim accented the beautiful gray tone siding and then fantastic light sconces were set on the vertical corner sections. These lights provided ample light and amazing ambiance for the outside of the patio cover. A rugged transition to the ground was accomplished by covering the bottoms of the corner pillars a great faux stone veneer.

Outdoor Living Area — Great looking flagstone walkway

Flagstone was laid in an erratic pattern to form the approach to the covered patio. The earth tone colored stone was broken into large sections and then placed into the soil.

Outdoor Kitchen Construction

One corner of the structure was used as a partial wall for a very large outdoor kitchen. The structure was then equipped with a stainless-steel drop in barbecue grill, stainless access door, and several linear feet of counter top for cooking preparation.

Outdoor Fireplace Construction

Afterward, lots of cinder block was delivered for the Backyard Flare designed fireplace. Adam used the construction plan from Backyard Flare to build his fireplace structure with ground level storage voids. Subsequently, these storage voids worked well aesthetically on each side.

After the cinder block rough build was completed to the top of the two-tiered chimney stack, the veneer was then applied. This veneer matched the veneer used on the outdoor kitchen and the bottoms of the patio pillars which added a great overall look. The horizontal surfaces of the fireplace were covered with a dark stone, complimenting the veneer perfectly.

Outdoor fireplace design — Backyard Flare designed fireplace

A mantel was added to the front width of the fireplace and then veneer was added to the structure. Adam took a blank section of his yard and then transformed it into a very welcoming outdoor living area. I’m sure he and his family and friends have spent many days and nights making great memories.

If you would like to build an outdoor structure such as a fireplace or outdoor kitchen visit us at www.backyardflare.com. We will help you with all your design needs and can take most of the guess work out of it. Thanks for reading and we hope to hear from you. Happy building!