What bricks can you use for a fire pit?

[Jasmine93]

I'm wanting to build an outdoor fire pit, and I've seen online that regular bricks are not recommended, though I'm having trouble finding fire bricks and/or fire inserts at a reasonable price..

If I create an inner lining (approx. 1inch thick) inside the fire pit with a heat resistant mortar/cement (e.g. Scandia 1kg Air Set Mortar), and be sure to leave air holes around the pit.

Would this allow me to use regular bricks only without needing a fire insert or fire bricks ? 

Thank you.

[EricL]

Hello @Jasmine93 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's marvellous to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about building a fire pit.

The Scandia 1kg Air Set Mortar is meant to be used with fire bricks which means that any heat that passes through the mortar will get passed on to the bricks. I don't recommend using it as a stand-alone insulator for your fire pit. I suggest having a look at this guide - How to build a fire pit by @Adam_W. In the guide you'll see that they used a fire bowl and basically used the bricks as legs to increase its height.

There are a few fire pits at the store that have lips on them and can be used in a similar manner as seen in the guide. They come in various sizes and finishes, I suggest visiting your local store and having a look to see which size is suitable for your needs.

Here is a link for ideas and inspiration: Top 10 most popular fire pit projects

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric