We had a little time to prepare for Mother’s Day, since finals ended a few weeks ago. Instead of buying something, we decided to make something for Mom. I actually originally saw this on a DIY instragram account, and I knew it would be perfect for her. We have a canopy on the back porch, which makes watching country sunsets a joy. Sometimes we light a lot of candles and drink tea in the semi-darkness. I wanted a way to make the whole fire thing less messy and more presentable, and so we decided to build a tabletop fireplace!

First, we took measurements of the table and the sterno cannisters and I set up the whole thing in Fusion 360, making sure everything would fit.

After this, we built and inner and outer wood frame and poured the concrete. After two days of drying, everything seemed fine, but we realized that upon rubbing the surface of the block, the concrete would just fall off. It hadn’t dried properly. Dad had decided to cut a corner and pick a different kind of concrete. This was not a good decision. Don’t cut corners! Do it right the first time. We had to cover the conrete in cement adhesive and then sponge on an outer layer of touch-up cement.

After this, we applied the backsplash and maple frame on the bottom. Then we grinded down some angle brackets and joined it with wire mesh. Lastly the fire-glass went in.

I’m pretty satisfied with how this turned out! I think Mom is too.

Good work, team, and Happy Mother’s Day.