Keep Firewood Dry In Your Yard With A DIY Storage Rack

It doesn't get much cozier than curling up next to your fireplace during the winter months, armed with a cup of tea or cocoa, a fuzzy blanket, and your favorite book. One thing that can put a major damper (literally) on your cozy nights spent by the fire is wet firewood. As anyone who has experience getting fires going will tell you, it's not impossible, but it can take ages to start a fire using damp wood. 

Because you should never store your firewood indoors where it's nice and dry, it can be difficult to keep logs from collecting moisture. This is especially true during wet winters. A few good solutions for keeping the wood dry in your yard include stacking it properly, keeping it stored off the ground, and even covering it with a tarp. However, one of the best solutions for keeping it dry is storing it in a firewood rack. With that said, storage racks aren't always cheap. The good news is, you can save money and keep your wood dry at the same time by building a DIY firewood storage rack out of a cylindrical fire pit.

A huge plus of this DIY storage rack is that it's not only stylish, but it is also simple and affordable to build. There are plenty of fire pit rings for sale on Amazon in the $40 to $50 range, like this metal fire pit ring, so you really don't need to break the bank finding one. Considering heavy duty round firewood storage racks typically cost more than that, you'll definitely save money with this DIY firewood rack.

Once you've acquired a fire pit ring, you'll need to also gather two 2-inch-by-4-inch boards for the feet of the storage rack, whatever color of spray paint you'd like to paint your rack, and a drill. Paint your fire ring, and give it an appropriate amount of time to dry. Any metal fire ring may start to rust over time. This is likely not a major issue when you're using it for its intended purpose. However, if you're going to be in constant contact with your storage rack handling firewood, you don't want it to rust. To prevent this from happening, treat it with a rust primer before you paint it.

Next, attach the feet of the rack so that it doesn't roll away when you set it upright. To do this, simply screw your 2-by-4s to the exterior of the fire ring. Space them so that the ring is stable and won't roll in either direction. Drill some drainage holes to the bottom of the fire ring so it doesn't accumulate excess moisture. Another tip for keeping the wood from gathering moisture is to avoid packing the storage rack too tightly, so the logs still have airflow. Since this cute firewood storage solution has open sides, you should store it under a covered shelter that will keep it dry during heavy storms. Whether that's under a patio awning or a tarp you hang up over the rack is up to you, just be sure to place the storage rack at least 5 feet away from your home to keep pests out of your house.