Casa 90 corner build (and outdoor kitchen) begins....

[RandyJ]

Looks like you are making good progress. I hear you on the cement. I think I went through 142 60# bags. So I was pretty tired by the time I got it all done. I can't wait to see how things progress. Keep up the good work

[terdferguson]

142. What?

[RandyJ]

Yeah I had like 78 in my foundation slab around 20 in core filling 38 in my support slab and 6 in the lip out the front. Oh and 5 in the counter tops. I mixed the 78 in a mixer with a friend in 2 hrs the rest were done by hand in a wheel barrow with a hoe. It took about 2 hrs to do 38 for the support slab. I went a little thicker to gain a little more height. I think it is 6" thick. I know it won't go anywhere that is for sure.

Randy

[terdferguson]

Impressive stuff. I still have to pour my slabs for my counters. I'm going to home depot to rent a cement mixer for that.

[terdferguson]

I'm interested in retaining heat for multiday cooking. The guy at forno bravo told me over the phone that for me it would be a good idea to put a layer of vermiculite and cement over the joints in my dome (after mortaring them). He said the mortar may crack over time with expansion/contraction and this layer will help with that. Any thoughts on this? I would mix vermiculite and cement at 10/1 and then add 3 parts water right?

[UtahBeehiver]

Aren't you enclosing your oven? After your blanket, you could just dry pour the perlite or vemiculite material over the oven.

[RandyJ]

I agree with utah. That is what I did. I think that will serve you better in the long run. Did you put 4 " of ceramic board insulation under the oven?

Randy

[terdferguson]

No I haven't placed anything yet. Utah, I think the idea was to put the vermiculite/cement mixture directly on the oven (before the insulation). That was if the mortar of the joints cracked you still have that covering it. But I guess it really shouldn't matter much if the mortar cracks. I am putting tons of insulation on top of this thing. I think I'll skip that part.

[terdferguson]

So tomorrow I'll start putting things down on my slab. As recommended by Randy this will be my order.....vapor barrier, pavers, FB board, sand, oven floor. Am I supposed to get any particular type of sand? Visqueen for the vapor barrier?

[david s]

Sounds like you are golden then. I invited my neighbors each side of me over for the maiden voyage of the oven to thank them for putting up with all the noise and mess I made during my build, Word spread and now I have the whole block of neighbors who want to be my friend when I fire up the oven...........Something like "the little red hen" nursery story.

A great insurance inviting the neighbours in, but it is better not to do it on the maiden voyage. You wouldn't want a Titanic situation. Most new oven owners have difficulty the first time, sliding pizzas off the wooden peel into the oven. Better to perfect this first with family (where mistakes are excused but not forgotten ) before inviting guests over to witness your culinary skills. You'd probably prefer to be known as the neighbourhood legend than neighbourhood laughing stock.

[RandyJ]

I do not know what visqueen is but I would assume it is some kind of plastic sheet. If so it should be just fine. Also I would put the vapor barrier on top of the paver stones. Otherwise you might get holes in it. Other than that you should be just fine. Good luck. I can't wait to see your progress.

Randy

[RandyJ]

As to the maiden voyage if you have been cooking on a pizza stone for a while then you might be ok. If not then there is a leaning curve to proper oven management and useage. Try a few on you later curing fires and go from there.

Randy

[UtahBeehiver]

David is right about the "maiden voyage", I have made many accidental calzones full of coals and ash, LOL. The vapor barrier is just that, since you are following Randy J process of placing pavers on your hearth, this raises the CF board about where water could or may migrate from the hearth slab from the outside. The whole point of the exercise is to keep the CF from getting wet. So up to you, I think even David S or one of the long time members drilled a weep hole in the slab to give any errant moisture a place to go. Good luck

[RandyJ]

Just a note. I did not put a vapor barrier in my build. I did not think about it till it was to late, and I was not going to tear it apart to put one in. And so far I have seen no problem.

Randy

[terdferguson]

When I put up the durock for my enclosure, how do I seal the seams to make it waterproof?