Nothing says summer better than a fire. Unfortunately, fires are generally frowned upon in suburbia. But with a little elbow grease and an old firepit, you can have an attractive area to have your backyard bonfires.

Also, this my entrance for the Dadcando Family Fun Contest. Please vote for me.

Step 1: Materials

The list of materials is fairly inexpensive.

You will need:

1) A firepit (duh). We got ours from our neighbors trash, and it's quite obvious why it was there.

2) Some river stones. We picked ours up at a hobby store for a little under $3.

3) Black, rust-proof, fire-proof, paint. We got it a a hardware store for about $4 a can. We needed 2 cans.

4) Liquid Glue of the variety that goes in a caulk gun. We got it for about $15.

5) Wire brush, which we had on hand.

A total of $26 for an attractive firepit.

Step 2: Brush the Firepit

First, we needed to remove the rust spots for the firepit. With a little work, most was either removed or leveled out with the wire brush.

Step 3: Prepare Decorative Ring

This was also fairly simple. We took a hammer and an old screwdriver and chiped out the old tileling. Then, we took a coarse grit sand paper and sanded the whole ring.

The process was easy and effective, providing an area for the glue to hold.

Step 4: Paint the Firepit

Now it's time to paint. We laid down plastic matting so the grass wouldn't be painted as well. Remember to paint several coats. Also, the rust spots need to be covered really well. This prevents rust from advancing or occuring in the future.

Step 5: Lay the Stones

This was the most labor-inducive step.

First, open your bag of rocks and place them in a container that you can easily reach your hand into.

Next, take the blue and begin spreading it along the ring area. You may need a paint stirrer to proberly spread the glue.

When you have a layer of glue coming up about one thinrd to one half of the may up the walls of the ring, begin pressing rocks into the glue. Do this by taking a handful of rocks and placing them in the glue, all the way around the ring. Then, go back and fill any holes with smaller rocks. After all the rocks are in place, press your hand downwards along the top of the rocks.

Finally, allow the glue to dry.

If you missed any spots in the ring and the glue is dry, go back and fix them with a little bit of glue placed in the spot needed along with a few rocks.

Step 6: Enjoy Your Fire

Finished!

Now you have an awesome firepit to house your infernos as you cook your marshmellows, roast your hot dogs, or just enjoy a talk with friends.