Relaxing on the patio with wood gently cracking in your fire pit is one of life’s simple pleasures. You get the warm, welcoming embrace of the fire as you sit back perhaps enjoying a well-earned glass of wine with friends or a bite to eat with the family.
However, choosing the right wood burning fire pit for your patio is important, otherwise, you may end up with a product that damages your outdoor space.
There are many factors to take into consideration like how much space you have, how much smoke the fire pit might produce, what material, what style of fire pit you want, and so on.
There are so many options available too, which can feel pretty daunting.
You get the idea - choosing the right wood burning patio fire pit is not always easy!
The good news is we are here to help with our handy guide to help you find the perfect patio fire pit for your needs.
Let’s dive in…
Choosing a Patio Fire Pit
When you think of wood burning patio fire pits you probably instantly think of the traditional bowl-shaped container that holds the fire in its centre. Fire pits actually come in all shapes and sizes, however, and knowing the different options will help you make that all-important decision.
Fire bowl - the classic fire pit design. Usually made from metal, the bowls vary in shape and size, with a large space for burning wood. These are a good choice for most, offering a nice source of heat while being a stylish addition to your patio. Below is the class Fire Bowl shape in corten steel.
Fire baskets – are often used for burning garden waste, but they also make an excellent fire pit for your outdoor space.
Fire Baskets usually have a more raised design, the flame often sitting higher than a fire bowl. The bowl section itself tends to have more gaps in the metal, this allows for more air to fuel the fire and fire baskets often burn harder and hotter.
Chimenea - A great choice for your patio and, unlike a fire bowl’s open design, a chimenea is an enclosed fire pit bowl with a stack or chimney on top. Chimeneas are ideal for smaller spaces and patios in particular, especially as they sit on a stand.
Key Considerations for Your Wood Burning Fire Pit
When choosing the right wood burning patio fire pit there are a few considerations to bear in mind:
Size
When we talk about the size we mean the size of the patio and the space you want your fire pit to occupy.
The amount of space and how you want that space to work will have a big impact on what the right fire pit is for you.
For example, if you are wanting your fire pit to be a centrepiece of the space with everyone sitting 360 degrees around it then a fire pit or basket would be the better choice.
If you think you may want to use as an occasional barbecue, then a fire bowl or a chimenea would be the better choices.
If you’re wanting to have the fire pit to one side, with a little more intimacy then a chimenea is probably a better choice as it directs the heat out in one direction and you’ll have less wasted heat at the back.
Materials
Fire pits are built from all sorts of materials; corten steel, cast iron, clay, mild steel, stainless steel. Each with its own charm that can set off just about any aesthetic you are wanting to build for your patio space.
Corten steel’s natural rust layer that forms to protect the metal is a beautiful coppery red/orange and is incredibly popular these days. Corten Steel fire pits are also incredibly durable and require next to no maintenance.
Cast Iron and Mild Steel are also favoured choices that are sturdy but do require a little more upkeep than corten steel. With both the thickness of the steel is important as both will rust. The thicker the material the longer it will last.
Clay Fire Pits do no not suffer from rusting and maintains its appearance, these can come in a variety of colours and can often match a colour scheme in your garden. Clay fire pits do need extra care, make sure to protect the clay, especially in the colder winter months.
Protecting Your Patio
The other big consideration is actually protecting your patio from the fire pit. After all, the idea is to produce a lot of heat in a small area. This can have effect both concrete or paving stones.
Some fire pits will more naturally lend themselves to being better for a patio, like a chimenea on its stand, or a fire bowl that’s on raised legs.
Many build a a small fire pit area on their patio dedicated to house a fire pit. This is often a small section with gravel with the patio stones surrounding the gravel/fire pit.
That’s not to say that these are your only options. There are some great accessories that you can get to help protect your patio, like a good heatproof mat under the fire pit.
Safety Considerations
A patio is often right next to the house or other structures. Care must always be taken when using a fire pit near buildings and you should always extinguish a fire pit safely.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right wood burning fire pit for your patio is a wonderful journey to go on and we are so excited for you and all the options for you to explore.
We hope that this short guide has given you an idea of the key considerations you need to keep in mind as well as some of the options that are out there for you.
We are incredibly proud of our range of fire pits and the brands we work with. We have no doubt that you will be able to find exactly what you need. We are here to help you every step of the way so please do get in touch if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you.
