Soapstone Oven Floor

[deejayoh]

Re: Soapstone Oven Floor

My math is not based on opinions. It's based on math. That's the awesome thing about math, it is not subject to opinion.

Perhaps you are using smaller bricks.

If you're trying to drum up business here, I'm not sure you're helping your business by being so prickly.

there are hundreds of ovens built here, and maybe one or two that use soapstone. The cost is the issue. Glad you are having success selling them. To the original poster's question - I stand by my advice - which is that its a lot more money for an uncertain performance benefit.

[shuboyje]

Re: Soapstone Oven Floor

I'm so with you. I can't even tell you how many times I've drooled over the soapstone firebricks Texiera sells.

I would use soapstone brick in a minute if they were at all cost competitive, but the difference in thermal characteristics is not worth the premium (unless money is no object, of course).

Note that I said "brick" not "slab", I prefer my cracks to be pre-engineered.

[Tscarborough]

Re: Soapstone Oven Floor

Being porous is not an issue in the dome, that is the beauty of building a fire directly on the surface: It is clean and sterile every time, no matter what kind of gunk you manage to embed into it. If you are getting water into the dome surface, you have issues not related to the material itself.

[Stevenb]

Re: Soapstone Oven Floor

My math is not based on opinions. It's based on math. That's the awesome thing about math, it is not subject to opinion.

Perhaps you are using smaller bricks.

If you're trying to drum up business here, I'm not sure you're helping your business by being so prickly.

there are hundreds of ovens built here, and maybe one or two that use soapstone. The cost is the issue. Glad you are having success selling them. To the original poster's question - I stand by my advice - which is that its a lot more money for an uncertain performance benefit.

Lol. I'm not being prickly. I counted the brick I used. It adds up to what I stated. As for it being an uncertain performance benefit, that is completely dependent on the owner. The ones I've done swear by it and love it. I shop for the best price for them when building these ovens. I found a recent returned counter top for $250 that I could have bought and used for the floor in our next one. I didn't buy it because we won't build it until spring. I also found a slab that would have done six ovens for $2400. I didn't buy it because I don't have money laying around. My customers all cooked on firebrick before we installed the soapstone, and after swore they'd never go back. Firebricks have a pretty varied density, in my limited experience, and can lead to hotter and cooler spots. The soapstone is almost perfectly even everywhere we've cooked. The fire brick also worried one of my customers because he uses big pots and was worried about damaging the bricks and getting that wonderful grit in his food when he cooked pizzas.


I started using soapstone in my own electric oven and it took 4 minutes off of a ten minute cook time, and the crust is far better than it was on my ceramic stone. I paid $40 for two 3cm stones one inch smaller than my ovens. Deals can be had is my point. Until you cook on soapstone you can't say for sure what its worth. What if you found it for $200? Would you go buy it to try it? $400? $600? Where the line of cost is up to each person. I didnt make my customers use it, they talked to the others who had and decided it was worth it. Its like granite counter tops in a home. Do you need them? Probably not. Do most people want them? Most i know do. As for soapstone, will I use it in my own oven? Maybe. If I can afford it. I don't have the bank accounts my customers have. Maybe if more people knew how easy it is to add to an oven and how nice it is to cook on, they would save up and buy it. From my experience, I like it much, much better than cooking on firebrick with joints all over. That's it. If you've used it and didn't like it, that's cool. I'm not trying to say go buy it. I am just saying I have used it and think its wonderful. Cost and all.

[Stevenb]

Re: Soapstone Oven Floor

I'm so with you. I can't even tell you how many times I've drooled over the soapstone firebricks Texiera sells.

If you want "bricks", I could possibly get you pieces probably for almost free. They are scraps from countertops and get thrown away by a counter top place here. They would only be around the size of sink cutouts and smaller. Have you checked with any counter shops in your area? They'd probably only be 3cm thick, but I bet you could find them for next to nothing. Thats how this we use. You can cut them yourself with a tile saw or even a skillsaw with a masonry blade and just sand the corners off so they aren't sharp and chip.

[Laurentius]

Re: Soapstone Oven Floor

Hi Steven,

Where can I see an example of your oven?

[Stevenb]

Re: Soapstone Oven Floor

Facebook if you have it. Brick pizza ovens.

[Laurentius]

Re: Soapstone Oven Floor

Hi Steven,

I'm on FB and there's hundreds of Brick pizza oven, since I know that your location is Spokane, I came up with Brick City Pizza, is that you? Its a pizza parlor, where can I see example of your oven?

[brickie in oz]

Re: Soapstone Oven Floor

Ok guys like it or not but its firebricks versus soapstone at ten paces at sundown, be there.

Draw..........

[david s]

Re: Soapstone Oven Floor

I've not had experience cooking on soapstone so can't offer any opinion in that matter, but i have had a lot of experience in sculpting it. Soapstone is the softest stone you can get and that is its attraction as a sculpting medium apart from its inherent beauty. It is way softer than firebrick, you can cut it with a hand saw, sand or rasp it easily. The resultant powder that it produces is talc powder, dust a little under your arms. Another name for the stuff is talc stone. Look up Talc Alf, an interesting sculptor who carves soapstone. My question is how does is stand up to the continual abrasion of metal peels, pokers and logs of wood abrading the surface as it's so soft?

[Tscarborough]

Re: Soapstone Oven Floor

David, "soapstone" is a broad term covering a wide range of variation. I have seen soapstone that I could break with my hands and soapstone that was almost as hard as granite and been in use as a counter for a 100 years. You have to specify what the use will be for your soapstone.

[Stevenb]

Re: Soapstone Oven Floor

Hi Steven,

I'm on FB and there's hundreds of Brick pizza oven, since I know that your location is Spokane, I came up with Brick City Pizza, is that you? Its a pizza parlor, where can I see example of your oven?

Try Trimwerks LLC. It and brick pizza ovens are my pages on Facebook. If you come to town I can give you my phone number and let you look at a couple.

[Stevenb]

Re: Soapstone Oven Floor

David, we have had great use with almost no wear in three years. Not even any really noticeable scratches. We always try to choose what is considered "cooking grade" soapstone, and luckily that is what most suppliers up here get.

[Laurentius]

Re: Soapstone Oven Floor

Try Trimwerks LLC. It and brick pizza ovens are my pages on Facebook. If you come to town I can give you my phone number and let you look at a couple.

Thanks Steven,

I try Twimwerks, so, that pizza parlor wasn't your? I live in Japan, don't thinking I'll be seeing your ovens, up close and personal.

[Stevenb]

Re: Soapstone Oven Floor

No. Sorry. Pizza parlor wasn't mine. Trimwerks LLC and Brick Pizza Ovens on fb are mine.