mortor for floor

[waynebergman]

I am liking the look of the mortor joint between firebricks. I have done this at the vent landing in case winter rain and freeze blow in the entrance arch way.

I am setting the majority of floor bricks as recomended with fireclay and fine mesh sand. However the heiring bone pattern is giving me some spaces between bricks bigger than I thought. The reason for this is the length of my bricks is slightly different than the width times 2, so things are not comming together without some gaps between bricks.

My question is this.Is it ok to fill in these spaces with my "SUPER 3000 MORTOR"? This mortor is for thin joints only and seems to run into the thin spaces ok. I like the look of it but it would only probbably squish down about a 1/4 " deep from the top of the brick. Not sure how this will stand up to day to day use of the oven. My wet saw is not great and if I try to cut a 1/16th of an inch or so off some of the bricks that are giving me the spaces the bricks would just end up non symetrical and probably look worse.

oven progress at new site now
http://picasaweb.google.com/wayneber...PizzaOvenWorld

Thanks Wayne Bergman Garden BC Canada

[asudavew]

Re: mortor for floor

It looks good Wayne, but I haven't reached that point yet. So I can't really help you. I would imagine someone here will have advice for you shortly.

Would it be better just to lay them "normal"? Like, just horizontally to minimize gaps?

[dmun]

Re: mortar for floor

My question is this.Is it ok to fill in these spaces with my "SUPER 3000 MORTOR"? This mortor is for thin joints only and seems to run into the thin spaces ok. I like the look of it but it would only probbably squish down about a 1/4 " deep from the top of the brick. Not sure how this will stand up to day to day use of the oven.

My experience with laying up a pattern, taking it apart, and trying to mortar it together was not successful. My advice? lay out the bricks, gaps and all, level them the best you can, then sift dry refractory mortar mix between the cracks, brush it in, wet the bricks, clean three hours later, repeat if there are still cracks. The dry mix should get to the bottom of the cracks better than wet mortar, even sloppy wet.

Remember, any small cracks in the floor will fill with wood ash. Don't get crazy at this point, there's plenty of time for that later.

Speaking of which, this brush, wet, repeat, will be exactly what you will be doing when you build your dome. you'll be splattering mortar on the floor like crazy and scrubbing it off. I'd lay it dry, then fill more later if needed.

[waynebergman]

Re: mortor for floor

Thanks dmun. Sounds like good advice. This is exactly what I will do. Glad I posted the question....wayne

[Ken524]

Re: mortar for floor

sift dry refractory mortar mix between the cracks, brush it in, wet the bricks, clean three hours later, repeat if there are still cracks.

I'm a bit confused (hope I'm not opening a can of worms). The "official" Pompeii oven plans indicate that we should not set the floor with mortar. I like Wayne's idea of mortaring the bricks coming out of the dome for weather resistance, but shouldn't the floor bricks be free to "float" for expansion?

I was thinking of sifting fire clay in the larger cracks of my floor, but would consider using mortar if others think it's a better idea.

[n2iko]

Re: mortor for floor

That is the finest forming job I have seen in a long time. I just love the agragate finish.

--mr.jim

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Still planning and dreaming.

[wlively]

Re: mortor for floor

Ken

You are correct about what the plans say. I don't think this is a hard rule and I used mortar to put mine down. You can see further details here;

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f8/l...-bed-2494.html