Okay, so I wanted to build a fire pit in my backyard. I’m not talking about some fancy, professional job – just a simple pit where I could roast some marshmallows and enjoy a chilly evening. First thing I needed was fire bricks, but here’s the thing: regular bricks? They just crack and crumble when it gets too hot. So, fire bricks it was.
Now, I’m no expert, so I did what anyone would do – I started asking around. Some folks said I should check out the big hardware stores. You know the ones, they’ve got everything from screws to lawnmowers. I figured, why not?
First Stop: The Big Box Stores
I went down to a couple of these places. Walked around, asked the folks in vests where the fire bricks were. They had some, sure, but not a lot. And to be honest, they didn’t look like they could handle much heat. Plus, they were kinda pricey for what I needed.
- The selection was pretty limited.
- The staff were helpful, but they didn’t seem to know much about fire bricks specifically.
- The prices were a bit steep, especially considering I wasn’t sure about the quality.
Next Up: Specialized Stores
After that, I thought, maybe I should try places that deal with fireplaces or stoves. You know, specialty stores. I found a couple nearby and gave them a shot. These places were a bit better. They actually had a decent selection of fire bricks – hard bricks, soft bricks, even some fancy-looking ones. Castable and rammable refractory cements some in a variety of insulating and heat-reflecting properties. Mizzou is the equivalent of hard firebrick, but much tougher. Flux-proof. Kast-o-lite is more like soft firebrick in that it insulates quite well, and it is also fluxproof, and just as durable as Mizzou.
- More variety here, which was good.
- The folks working there knew their stuff, which was a relief. They explained the difference between hard and soft bricks and all that.
- Prices were still a bit high, but I felt more confident about what I was buying.
A Wildcard: Farm Supply Stores
Then someone suggested I check out farm supply stores. I thought, “Farms? What do they need fire bricks for?” Turns out, some farms use them for kilns or something. Anyway, I drove out to a couple of these places. It was a bit of a long shot, but I figured it was worth a try.
- Not a huge selection, but they did have some fire bricks.
- The prices were actually pretty good!
- The downside? They didn’t have many, and they were kinda out of the way.
So, after all that running around, I ended up getting my fire bricks from one of the specialty stores. They weren’t the cheapest, but they were good quality, and the guy there gave me some tips on building my fire pit. Now, I’ve got a nice little fire pit in my backyard, perfect for those marshmallow-roasting evenings. It wasn’t a huge project, but it was definitely an adventure finding those fire bricks!
