Herringbone or Not to Herringbone......

[yorkshireknight]

My apologies for playing the devils advocate but, out of curiosity

I see most people have usually gone with the herringbone pattern and the reason is given that it is easy for the paddle to slide in and out of the oven easier without chipping the bricks.
Is this a proven fact?

Now I have never placed a paddle inside an oven and so will stand to be contradicted ( but one day with your assisitance I will) but in my mind surely which ever pattern you have, there is an equal amount of chance of catching the edges.

I have read oven users have chipped their bricks even with the herringbone pattern, so if the argument, ....nay,! opinion, was for astetic reasons then maybe there is a valid point, beauty being in the eye of the beholder and all that but otherwise what is wrong with a straight on pattern.

Now all you straight on pattern users out there are maybe in the minority but I would like to hear your opinion too and your experience of use.

are more bricks used in one pattern over another?

I look forward once again to the expert knowledge that is always readily given here on this forum to those of us still baffled by it all

Paul

[cobblerdave]

Re: Herringbone or Not to Herringbone......

Gudday Paul
Sorry herringbone is not recommended for stop chipped edges but rather for less edges to catch a peel on. All the long and short edges are at 45 degrees so if one edge does stick up the peel will tend to slide along rather than coming to a dead halt.
It also helps to lock the brickwork in together. Locked in to the brick along all sides rather than rows were movement can happen. Think of pavers layed square it's a disaster waiting to happen. If you by chance have bricks which are not matched ie 2 ends don't equal the length of a brick your better to lay brick bond on the 45.
No pattern uses more more brick really only the cuts on the end will make a difference.
Regards Dave

[yorkshireknight]

Re: Herringbone or Not to Herringbone......

Gudday Dave,

That was a good prompt answer! after reading it through several times, I am beggining to get the picture.
I see what you mean about the extra strength the herringbone bond would give
but cannot defend my thoughts on the peel getting stuck on sticky up edges so must concede to your brilliant explanation of the reasons why it twud be better to adopt this fishy pattern.

Has the 'child bride' discovered the true cost of your oven yet?
Im sure it was well worth it and she wouldnt have had it any other way

Nice one Dave

Paul

[cobblerdave]

Re: Herringbone or Not to Herringbone......

Gudday
Visiting a friend he offered me a stack of bricks, before I could answer she said "Yes well take them"......Yes !!!! We loaded them that day...

Regards Dave
Happy wife happy life!!!!

[michelevit]

Re: Herringbone or Not to Herringbone......

The Herringbone pattern is easy to lay down. I just installed my brick floor in a herringbone pattern in less than 1 hour. Use a taught string as a reference and a carpenters square to line up the bricks in a 45 degree offset. A Harbor Freight rubber mallet is good to tap the bricks in alignment.

The herringbone pattern isn't more difficult than just laying the bricks in a linear pattern.

[boerwarrior]

Re: Herringbone or Not to Herringbone......

another comment on the peel movement question....

I have a herringbone pattern, so naturally I was curious if indeed it makes a difference. If I hold my peel at 45 degrees (so the edges are face on) and try to push it along the floor then it indeed does 'catch' on some of the edges. There is no 'catching' whatsoever in normal use in my oven.

So speaking for myself I am very glad I laid a 45 degree herringbone!

[yorkshireknight]

Re: Herringbone or Not to Herringbone......

In the end I adopted the herringbone, and like Michelevit had no problem achieving it, yes it does look nice and wouldn't take any more time than laying straight on or running bond, whatever the terminology.

I was curious as to whether the arguments for hb were valid.

The answers given thus far lead me to believe that THEY ARE and so anyone who is at the stage of laying the floor, imho, should think again if thinking that it a rather complicated affair, trust me, if I can do it, anyone can.

[Tscarborough]

Re: Herringbone or Not to Herringbone......

Herringbone or 45, either is fine.

[Mitchamus]

Re: Herringbone or Not to Herringbone......

This is an old thread but....

It's one of those things - no-one will ever say "I wish I didn't do herringbone"

The reality is you'll only ever catch your peel if you mess up laying the floor to begin with.

I haven't done herringbone in either of the two ovens I have built - and my peel never catches because I made sure the floor was layed properly.

I didn't do herringbone because I don't like it. *shrug*

It's not a big issue really - although others here will condemn you to Hades for not doing it... but you get that for having a different opinion to the collective anyway

[wotavidone]

Re: Herringbone or Not to Herringbone......

The one advantage of using clay pavers is that they have a rounded edge, so it doesn't matter if you don't do herringbone, you still won't catch your peel.

However, having done one floor straight and one floor herringbone, the simple conclusion is herringbone looks cool whether you actually need it or not.

[stonecutter]

Re: Herringbone or Not to Herringbone......

If for nothing else, the best reason to lay brick in a herringbone pattern would be because no other pattern is better at locking together. It is a superior way to lay a oven floor or paving for that matter.

[jeeppiper]

Re: Herringbone or Not to Herringbone......

Herringbone looks cool....that about says it all.

[NCMan]

Re: Herringbone or Not to Herringbone......

Thinking of doing mine in a basketweave pattern. No real reason, other than it's a favorite of mine. I'll do it on a 45, though.