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A circular crazy-paved backyard fire pit outdoor entertaining area using Tuscan Path porcelain pavers on a crushed rock base surrounded by synthetic grass.
The project
This project was designed with a creative mind, not only to add contrast, but also imagination to our backyard fire pit area. This area both excited my thought process but also entertained the idea that things don't always have to be perfect, and that sometimes being imperfectly perfect is exactly how it should be.
Steps
Step 1
The first step is choosing the pavers that you want to use. Purchase and then place the pavers around the space that you plan on working on.
Step 2
Now this is the best part; grab yourself a hammer, a towel, your safety glasses and earmuffs, and get smashing. During this step I put the towel over the paver and hit it once with a hammer for the bigger pieces; then for the smaller pieces I would hammer on each of the bigger breaks - these are the pieces that you use to fill in the gap. Definitely wear your safety gear here because the noise can really hurt your ears.
Step 3
Next up is working where you are going to start laying your pavers from. I picked a section along the edge of the circle because I needed the pavers to end up flush with the fake grass. On this project I used a mix of water, sand and cement mix to form a bed base of mortar. I would mix half a bag each time and laid firstly around a quarter of the outside of the circle, and then started moving in towards the middle of the circle - almost like working with pieces of a pie.
Step 4
The biggest thing to keep in mind with laying paving is to wash the pavers after every few sections that you have laid, whilst the mortar is still wet. I had a bucket that had clean water in it at all times to wash down the top of the pavers and clean any excess mortar away. Trust me this stage is crucial and can save a lot of work down the track. I learnt this the hard way on my Crazy paving front porch.
Step 5
Methodically work with your pavers, laying the bigger pieces first in a section and then go in with your smaller pieces. At all times I always had a range of smaller sized broken up pavers ready to go.
Step 6
If like me you have a circular space that you are paving, work around the external and slowly fill the internal as shown.
Step 7
As you continue to place the pavers remember to go over them with a wet sponge to remove all excess. Let your masterpiece dry for 24-48 hours, especially if you are laying on a bed of mortar straight onto compacted crushed rock like I have here.
Step 8
Now this part is controversial to a degree; some like to wet grout the pavers, however I wanted to try dry grouting, so I used a mix of three parts white cement to one part sand. This enabled the pavers to remain intact but gave them a very rustic look. To complete this process, mix your ratios in a wheelbarrow and then tip it onto the pavers, broom the dry mix all around from side-to-side, in a circular motion, back and forth. Repeat this process until you can see that every little gap has been filled.
Step 9
Once you know that each space has been filled with the dry mix, grab your hose and put the nozzle onto the mist mode, and fine mist water the mix into the cracks. Reminder here is to not shower the area as you risk lifting the dry mix out of the cracks, the fine mist will allow enough water to sink in to the spaces. Leave this for about half an hour and then repeat the process but this time use your broom again to ensure that any excess is removed from the top of the pavers.
Step 10
Lastly, once your grout is dry, and your pavers are clean, you can complete the finishing touches which is sealing the pavers and grout. I went over the whole area twice quite liberally with the sealer. Leave that to sit for 24-48 hours and then lastly enjoy the space.
Tools and materials
Materials used in the project:
Tools used in the project:
More inspiration for your fire pit area
Bunnings Workshop member sannear used Besser blocks for a backyard fire pit with bench seating.
Community member ashleesellen used Merbau panels on concrete blocks for a sunken fire pit with seating.
Get more ideas from our members Top 10 most popular fire pit projects.
