Ready-to-Finish vs. Finished Fire Pits: Which One Are You Actually Buying?
Ready-to-Finish vs. Finished Fire Pits: Which One Are You Actually Buying?
If a fire pit kit is advertised as "ready to finish," it is not finished. It is a bare frame — steel, aluminum, or concrete board — waiting for someone to clad it in stone, stucco, or tile before it looks like anything you'd want on a property.
That's not a flaw. For some properties it's the right call. But I see this phrase trip up more buyers than almost any other term in the fire pit category, so let's settle it before you order one.
What "Ready to Finish" Actually Means
A ready-to-finish fire pit kit is a frame and a burner, nothing more. You're buying the skeleton. Everything that makes it look good on a patio — the stone veneer, the stucco, the tile, the cap — is a separate purchase and a separate trade.
That means a mason or a tile setter, a wait for their schedule, and usually another few days of work after the kit itself arrives. None of that is included in the "ready to finish" price tag, and most listings don't say so clearly.
Ready-to-Finish vs. Finished: Head-to-Head Comparison
Here's the Firefly 36" Square against a close match-up: the Warming Trends FS3636, a popular ready-to-finish kit sold through fire pit dealers. Same burner family, same size class, two completely different buying experiences.
Ready-to-Finish vs. Finished: Quick Feature Comparison
| What You're Comparing | Ready-to-Finish (e.g. Warming Trends FS3636) | Firefly 36" Square (Finished) |
|---|---|---|
| Enclosure | Concrete hardiboard, unfinished | Welded aluminum, powder-coated wood-look finish |
| Arrives looking like | A grey box | The finished product |
| Burner | U140 Original, 140,000 BTU | Same U140 Original burner, in the package options |
| Still need a mason or tile setter | Yes | No |
| Typical added cost to finish | $800–$1,500+, before you've paid a contractor's schedule in time | $0 — nothing to clad |
| Weight once finished | Heavier — a factor on a deck or a slab without footers | Lighter — aluminum throughout |
| Timeline to "done" | Kit delivery, then wait on a trade | Set it, connect the gas, done the same day |
| Warranty | Varies by cladding material, if any | 20 years on the frame and finish |
The Real Cost Math
On paper, the ready-to-finish kit looks cheaper. The FS3636 runs around $2,618 with free delivery. Our 36" Square with the same burner and a match-light ignition runs $3,573.
That $955 gap disappears the moment you price out a mason. Stone or stucco cladding on a box that size is routinely $800 to $1,500 once labor is in the number — and that's before you've lost a week or two waiting for a trade to show up. Add it up and the "cheaper" option often lands at the same price or higher, with more coordination on your end.
The finished version has one more advantage that doesn't show up on a price tag: nobody is supervising a contractor. You set it, you connect it, you're done.
Which One Actually Makes Sense for You
If you already have a mason you trust and want real stone to match an existing patio, a ready-to-finish kit can be the right call — it saves time on the job site, which often means lower labor cost. The tradeoff is weight: a stone-clad structure is heavier, and that matters if you're setting it on a deck or a slab without footers.
If you're running a rental property and every day a space sits unfinished is a day it's not earning, the math changes. You don't have a slot in a mason's schedule to wait for, and you don't want to coordinate a second trade between guest turnovers. A finished unit goes from delivery to lit in an afternoon, not weeks.
Fire Pit Ignition Options
Whichever enclosure you choose, you'll still pick between a match-light valve and a safety pilot ignition. That's its own decision — see Match-Light vs. Mercury Safety Pilot: Which Fire Pit Ignition Do You Need for the full comparison, since it changes what happens if the flame goes out with guests standing around it unsupervised.
Common Questions
Is a ready-to-finish fire pit actually cheaper?
Only if you already have a trade lined up and don't count their time. Once a mason's labor and schedule are in the number, it's usually a wash against a pre-finished unit, and the finished one is done faster.
What does "ready to finish" mean on a fire pit listing?
It means the enclosure is a bare frame — concrete hardiboard, steel, or similar — built to accept stone, stucco, or tile. The burner may be included, but the exterior finish is not, and neither is the labor to apply it.
Can I finish a fire pit myself instead of hiring a mason?
Some stone veneer products are DIY-rated, but a gas fire pit also needs the finish to clear the burner correctly and meet the manufacturer's ventilation spec. If you're not experienced with masonry or gas appliances, that's where a professional earns their fee.
Does a finished fire pit cost more up front?
Usually, yes, on the sticker price alone. It's the all-in cost — kit plus finishing labor plus the wait — where the gap closes or reverses.
Final Verdict
Buy ready-to-finish if you have a mason already lined up and want a specific stone to match your property. Buy finished if you want one delivery, one afternoon of work, and a fire pit that's done the same day it's set — which is the case for most rental properties on a turnover schedule.
Not sure which fits your patio, or whether square, round, or rectangle suits it best? Read Square vs. Round Fire Pit: Which Shape Fits Your Patio, browse the full Firefly fire pit and island collection, see the 36" Square, 48" Round, and 48" x 32" Rectangle fire pits directly, or call or text 1 800 914 0074 or 352 274 6387 and we'll work it out with you before you order.