A Real Newbie question

[ftaylor74]

Hi all,

I'm about to mix and pour the the 3 1/2 inch concrete hearth, per the Pompei oven PDF. But before I do, I want to be quite sure that I'm using the right concrete.

I plan on using Sakrete High Strength Concrete mix, which is a mix of gravel, sand and portland cement, I assume in a 3 -2-1 ratio.

Am I missing the boat here? Should I be using just sand and cement?

Please advise...

Thanks

[pluscwc]

Re: A Real Newbie question

You do NOT want just sand and cement.
High Strength Concrete mix sounds like the right product.
I wouldn't recommend fast setting concrete.

Have you already built the stand? Or is this pour the foundation under a stand? What reinforcement are you using? What did you do for drainage? (I assume that'll be a potential problem in FL)

Some advice: Start a build thread. Post lots of pictures.

[boerwarrior]

Re: A Real Newbie question

yes, you want high strength concrete mix. 3 1/2 inches is reasonably thin. High strength concrete is used for counter-tops and is especially important to use if you have any parts of the heath that extend out and are not directly supported underneath.

[ftaylor74]

Re: A Real Newbie question

Thanks for the responses.

I thought Sakrete was the right product, but I wanted to be sure, before I lugged 18 more bags of concrete from the Depot.

As I noted, this slab will be for the hearth. The slab for the base has already been poured and the blocks stacked, filled and bond coated. once I get the hearth poured, I will finally be able to start the fun stuff.

I'll start to post pictures as soon as I have something that is recognizable as the beginnings of pizza oven.

Thx and regards

[Novaslo]

Re: A Real Newbie question

You are probably on track and doing it but if not, make sure and use rebar. There is a lot of weight on the hearth slab. More weight than people realize.

[oasiscdm]

Re: A Real Newbie question

Hi Novaslo

Listen to all the above and I will add once the base is layed, troweled and now going off if it is extremely hot I would, like I did put some wet towels over it and keep them wet. I did this for a fortnight so it goes off slowly. But it was 40C when I layed mine for about a month [or at least it seemed like that]. Haven't got one crack not even a hairline one but then again mine is over 12inch thick [due to position more than anything].

Cheers