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hey there welcome to DIY projects with
Pete today I'm going to show you the
process of building an outdoor gas
fireplace let's get
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started the first step is to determine
the size for your tabletop I'm using a
30in x 10in stainless steel burner pan
that's part of a kit I ordered online
and I chose to have 12 in of concrete
around it on all sides to hold food
drinks and to use as a
footrest measure 1 and 1/2 in thick foam
to a size slightly larger than the box
of the fire pan this will create a
rectangular void in the center of the
concrete for the pan to sit next cut the
bottom of the mold for the tabletop
using a circular saw always use safety
gear when making cuts and take your time
for the detailed instructions photos and
plans to build this project head over to
diy.com outdoor gas fireplace head over
to the table saw to cut the sidewalls
for the mold you'll cut a total of four
strips to a width of 2 and 1 qu in
attach them to the base piece using 1
and 5/8 in screws always pre-drill to
prevent the wood from splitting and I'd
recommend using a screw about every 6 to
8 in you want to work your way around
all all four sides and cut the lengths
down using a miter saw wrap the four
sides of the foam with clear packaging
tape to seal it then Center and attach
it to the bottom of the mold using
silicone next lay the metal
reinforcement into place use a bolt
cutter to trim the square mesh down to
size keep about an inch gap between the
reinforcement and the sidewalls around
the entire perimeter then cut
reinforcement around the foam knockout
and once that's cut out use your hand to
kind of bend the wire if needed to
flatten it out as much as
possible we'll move on to creating the
mold which will form the concrete base
for the tabletop cut the boards to size
using a table saw then lay them on a
flat surface and assemble that outer box
pre-drill and then use three or four
screws at Each corner next we'll cut the
boards for the inside box use a pocket
hole jig so we'll easily be able to
remove the screws from the inside later
in the demolding process C put three
pocket holes on the sides of each
shorter inside board then start forming
the inner box and attach from the inside
with screws once the inner box is
assembled we'll grab that outer box
we'll cut a base piece to size and then
attach from the bottom to that larger
outer box using screws the base piece is
going to hold the concrete in the mold
and it's going to also Square it up next
drill pocket holes on the insides of the
smaller box toward the bottom will use
these to attach the inner box to the
base piece of the mold work your way
around all four
sides next cut foam to create vents in
the base unit for air to flow through
according to the manufacturer's
recommendations do make sure to consult
with the manufacturer and a licensed
plumber to determine the best vending
solution for your specific project and
to learn about any special requirements
needed that depend on the type of gas
being used whether it is propane or
natural gas I cut foam knockouts that
were 3 in by 9 in and placed them toward
the bottom of the table base on opposite
sides I also created Knockouts for the
gas line and the key I used 1in piping
for this and wrapped with tape to help
make it easier to remove during the
demolding process use silicone to seal
the corners of the box and to help
create a slightly beveled Corner put the
smaller box into place and then check to
make sure there is approximately 1 and
1/2 in between the two boxes because
this is the channel we'll be pouring
concrete in to form that concrete base
make sure the boxes are squared up and
then attach the inside box using screws
in the pocket holes then use rubbing
alcohol compressed air or a vacuum to
clean out any debris on the molds prior
to the pouring process you can also
figure out reinforcement for the box at
this time depending on the concrete mix
you go with I've had really good luck
Mixing concrete fibers in for added
reinforcement or you can be creative
using Square reinforcement or mesh it's
also a good idea to seal the edges of of
the table mold with silicone which will
give the top edge of the table a slight
bevel round over the silicone with your
index finger or a caul tool and remove
any excess using a paper towel now it's
time to start mixing up the concrete I
mix one to two bags at a time in a
plastic tub using a Mason's hoe mix the
concrete until it's about a peanut
butter to pancake batter consistency you
can add plasticizers to help reduce the
amount of water needed and to increase
how well it flows into the mold you can
also use additive to give you more time
to work with the concrete if you're
working with a mix that sets up more
quickly for most standard bag mixes
though you'll have plenty of time to
work with the concrete slowly pour the
concrete evenly around each side between
each pour you'll want to vibrate the
concrete by either shaking the table or
hitting the sides of the mold with a
mallet this is going to help remove air
pockets from the concrete then insert
reinforcement as needed and use a bolt
cutter to cut off any excess keep the
reinforcement in the center of the
concrete as best as as possible so it
doesn't poke through toward the outside
remember you can look into using fibers
in the concrete or using special mixes
that will eliminate or minimize the need
for metal reinforcement during the pour
I realized the weight of the concrete
was pushing the mold walls out a bit so
to fix this I placed a couple 2x4 boards
on the inside to prevent it from Bo
Inward and a few clamps to pull it back
in from the outside I'd recommend
putting the holds and braces in place
prior to the pouring process when you
build yours
do another round of vibrating the
concrete once the mold is full to help
it flow into all corners and to minimize
air pockets the molds will become very
heavy so do have a second person to help
when shaking the table or whenever
lifting the concrete use a Trel or a
scrap board to level off or screed the
concrete so you have an even base that
will rest level on the ground when it is
put into place and fill any low spots
with additional concrete if needed now
we'll move on to pouring the concrete
for the tabletop pour the concrete
evenly and spread it out using your
hands and fingers to push it into the
edges and the corners remember to always
wear rubber gloves when working with
concrete and a mask Whenever there is
concrete dust in the air fill the mold
slightly more than halfway and then
vibrate the concrete next add the steel
reinforcement and make sure it is as
flat as you can get it then continue to
add concrete until the mold is
completely filled mix up additional
concrete if needed and continue to
vibrate thec rete a few times during the
process level the concrete at the End by
using a scrap board and moving it back
and forth in a saw likee motion to even
out the surface you'll want to screed
from one end to the other multiple times
until the mold is filled evenly fill low
spots as needed with additional concrete
or remove excess and put it back into
the mixing tub then do a final leveling
and vibrate the concrete again to remove
air pockets use a Trel to help smooth
out the surface after screeing and
lastly cover the concrete and wait for
the concrete to cure as recommended by
the supplier some mixes take days to
cure while some have properties that
allow them to cure in just a few hours
once the concrete has had plenty of time
to cure we can take it out of the mold
start by removing the screws on the
sidewalls use a chisel or a flathead
screwdriver to carefully pry the
sidewalls away from the concrete you'll
want to pry between the sidewalls and
the base piece making sure to always
against wood and never against concrete
then use sandpaper to smooth over all
the rough edges always work from the
corner outward so you don't blow out a
corner accidentally continue around all
four sides next remove the sides from
the table base you want to undo the
screws on the sides and then slide the
mold on the table so you have access to
the screws that are on the underside as
well you'll slowly pry and pull away one
side of the mold at a time and once all
of the outer boards are removed it's
time to remove the inner boards so you
can take all the screws out of the
pocket holes and then remove one board
at a time some can be kind of stubborn
so plan on taking extra time for this
process and you don't want to put too
much stress on the concrete always pry
between wood surfaces and never against
the concrete you may need to be a little
creative in removing the boards I found
that chiseling through the middle of the
particle board part of the melamine
worked the best then Tap Out The
Knockouts and clean up all the debris
after the demolding process now we'll
move the base piece from the concrete
top with the help of another person flip
the concrete top right side up position
foam or towels under the sides during
flipping to protect the concrete and
then slowly pull the melamine away from
the concrete make sure you have wood or
foam under it so air is able to evenly
flow around the piece and continue to
cure it allow both concrete pieces to
continue to cure this could be anywhere
from a few hours to a day or so
depending on the type of concrete used
the base had very few voids and I really
like the organic look it had without
filling the voids and so I didn't fill
any um I just used an orbital sander to
do a quick sanding of the base next I
sanded the underside of the table
portion to smooth it out and to remove
any rough edges next I rotated the
concrete right side up sanded the edges
and then lightly sanded the top surface
my top surface came out super super
smooth without air pockets so I didn't
want to sand and mess anything up too
much but if you have more air pockets
and need to fill them I'd recommend
checking out my concrete dining table
project to see the process after sanding
you can seal the concrete I'd recommend
a water-based acrylic sealer made for
concrete or stone do a couple coats on
the base first it's going to dry quickly
so you don't have to wait long between
coats next apply a concrete sealer to
the top I apply about six thin coats on
the tabletop using a microfiber rag I
dilute the first couple coats with about
one part water to two parts sealer and
then the final coats go on full
strength have a licensed plumber install
the propane kit and burner as
recommended by the manufacturer feeding
the lines through the knockout areas
installing the key making sure there are
no leaks and that the project is done to
code in your area then put the concrete
top on over the base you can run a bead
of silicone along the top of the base to
prevent the top from moving if you'd
like
and have a plumber install that burner
pan and set it in place lastly pour the
firass in the pan and enjoy your brand
new outdoor gas fireplace thanks so much
for taking the time to watch this
tutorial if you found it helpful please
give it a thumbs up subscribe to the
channel and tell your friends then head
over to
diy.com outdoor gas fireplace for more
instructions plans and links to the
materials and supplies used in this
project best of luck with your upcoming
DIY projects and cheers from Montana
for more DIY inspiration and project
ideas check out some of the other videos
on the channel click on the left
thumbnail to see how to build an outdoor
concrete coffee table and on the right
thumbnail for a link to the patio
projects playlist cheers
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