Oven Floor

[Les]

I got the floor cut this weekend. Cutting fire brick is almost therapeutic compared to the pavers. Cutting the insblok on the other hand is NASTY. I couldn't believe the amount of dust that flies out of that stuff.

I need to get the surface a lot smoother but will wait until I get these locked in.

Les...

[Archena]

Re: Floor

Coolness!

[asudavew]

Re: Floor

Looking good!

How did you cut the curves in the bricks?

And how thick is your slab? 3.5 inches?

And one more question.

Are you going to mortar the bricks down and is the insblok mortared down?

I guess that was two.

And I assume your walls are going around the floor....

( I sure sound like an excited noob........ I guess because I am)

[Les]

Re: Floor

Dave,

The bricks were cut with the harbor freight saw that a lot of us have purchased. It?s not that hard to do, you just kinda spin the brick as you feed. The slab is 3.5 inches ? you can see it here http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/phot...ndex.php?n=201 I went outside the box a bit when I built the hearth, I wanted as much height as possible for the wood storage area.

The insblok is sitting on mortar, in hind sight, I would have set it on the clay/sand mix that the bricks sit on. The product is so dry it will suck the moister out of your hair. I am not going to mortar the floor bricks. I?m thinking they will get locked in when the walls go up, and yes, the walls are sitting on the insulation around the floor.

Les?

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: Floor

Looks great Les!

[asudavew]

Re: Floor

Thanks!

I'm still trying to get it all straight.

Everyone has a different way......

But I think I have it.... for the most part.

[Les]

Re: Floor

OK - my floor has been there for over a day and I'm a little concerned. When I bought the bag of "fire clay" it had the label of mortar clay. I called the store and they assured me that it was fire clay. Generally. not trusting anybody behind a counter, I called the manufacturer. It's NOT fire clay. Question: even if the heat compromises the product, can it do any harm. One would think that the bricks would just settle evenly. Any and all opinions are welcomed - now would be the time to replace it

Les...

[Hendo]

Re: Floor

Les,

Your floor looks great! Seeing it, I recall the feeling I had after that first major step on the way towards a real live dome in my own back yard. Like the first tangible evidence that things have actually started!

Down to earth now - how thick is your insulation? It looks like it is around 5" or so. What material did you end up using?

As for the 'curved' bricks - I just did a series of straight cuts on each brick, but if you look at the photo, it sure does look like the bricks are curved.

Cheers, Paul.

[james]

Re: Oven Floor

Hey folks - I can't say guys :-),

Nice thread. I have moved this back into the Pompeii construction section. I think it fits better here and will help other builders. My thinking is that the general construction section will be for non-oven related questions -- the stuff we run into renovating our houses and working on other parts of our outdoor spaces (not the ovens and grills).

OK?
James

[christo]

Re: Oven Floor

Les!!!

You are on your way and it looks great!!!

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: Oven Floor

As to the fireclay/not fireclay question...if it is not fireclay...what is it? If it is refractory mortar, I say it is fine. It is probably fine anyway, but as you say, now is the time to consider it...

Drake

[Les]

Re: Oven Floor

Thanks for the complements folks. James, when did you move to Pebble Beach? - are you giving up wine and pizza for golf??? (after working my butt off all summer on this project it seems like a brilliant choice)

Les...

[james]

Re: Oven Floor

Hey Les,
Your oven is looking great. If it is refractory mortar, it will set. Fireclay (which can be packaged as a "refractory" additive to Portland based products), won't. Setting your floor in mortar isn't bad, but it is a design choice.

We've been here about 5-6 weeks. It's not a house; it's an adventure. The house needs everything, and even worse, I think I'm the only person here who doesn't play golf. I'm still looking for a consistent tennis game, in between sledge hammer/Home Depot sessions. :-)

Still, our oldest daughter just started high school, and the countryside is very pretty. And we are excited about what we can do with the house, including indoor and outdoor pizza oven. I know where to find those.

Keep building.
James

[Les]

Re: Oven Floor

Hendo,

The insulation is 4 inches thick. The product is Insblok19.

Les...

[Unofornaio]

Re: Floor

OK - my floor has been there for over a day and I'm a little concerned. When I bought the bag of "fire clay" it had the label of mortar clay. I called the store and they assured me that it was fire clay. Generally. not trusting anybody behind a counter, I called the manufacturer. It's NOT fire clay. Question: even if the heat compromises the product, can it do any harm. One would think that the bricks would just settle evenly. Any and all opinions are welcomed - now would be the time to replace it

Les...

I think it was the person behind the phone from the company...mortar clay is commonly referred to as fire clay and vise versa.