40" homemade cast dome

[purplehaze]

Countertops are stained, sealed and look like brown leather. The photos were added to photo bucket library in post #29

[purplehaze]

The stone veneer is New England blend of three different cuts.

[Gulf]

You really should try to use the Share Photo icon on this forum. Photobucket is rendering your build build thread as useless as it did mine.

just sayin'

[cobblerdave]

g'day Gulf
Just checked out your build the thread, what a mess! Photobucket has made a mess to the forums the world over. Its a damn Crime!
Regards Dave

[purplehaze]

I will look into the Share photo icon thanks.

[Gulf]

The Share Photo icon works on a new post. However, it is not an option if you decide to go back and edit a post. When editing, use the Upload Attachments icon. Both will allow you to upload directly from your computer to this site. The Upload Attachments icon will give you an option of what size photo to insert. I usually select the large size. The full size may be too large for the page depending on the size of the pic.

I hope this helps.

[purplehaze]

Fixed the photos, thanks Gulf.

[purplehaze]

Finished the veneer

[Gulf]

Now, that is sharp! Very sharp! I really love the wrap around design to the work area. Aside from it looking great, that will also make the oven much easier to work .

[Patrick.S]

Wow! This looks outstanding. How is the homebrew holding up for you? Any issues that have developed over time? Would you do it again the same way?

[purplehaze]

Overall I would construct it the same and still use the Home-brewed concrete. It has held up great as a cheap alternative to commercial refractory cement. There are some cracks but they have not gotten any worse. From what I have read you should expect cracks. The oven holds heat very well for days. I cook everything in it including smoked brisket. What would I do differently, lots of things.

- I would have rounded the area where the oven side meets the dome inside and outside to reduce some of the cracks.
- I attempted to make the mold reusable and removable. It was wasted effort.
- I would make the transition more shallow by curving the chimney back further onto the oven. This would make cooking easier.
- I would have built the oven base taller so I would not have to stoop so much to look into the oven.
- I would have lowered the roof a bit and saved some money on materials. The veneer was very expensive.
- I would have mixed the color into the concrete countertop instead of putting the pigment on the surface.
- I would have filled the void between the oven and metal frame with perlite before closing it up.

[rwiegand]

Nice!
A couple questions on your stone veneer-- I've been reading and watching youtube videos and am thoroughly confused.

Are you putting it directly on the durock backer with no scratch coat or lath? Using mortar or thinset? (are you in a feeezing climate?) Has everything stayed stuck? Did you include a waterproofing barrier?

How did you flash the joint between the oven wall and countertop?

I'm building a steel stud frame and wanted to use all fireproof materials. Most masonry sites say to use lath and a scratch coat over durock (with two layers of felt paper as a water barrier between the durock and scratch coat, but I'm unconvinced that the durock will hold screws or nails to attach the lath at the required distances

[purplehaze]

Rwiegand, I research everything before beginning. That includes picking the brain of some local masons which proved to be the most useful information.

I applied the veneer directly on the durarock, no scratch coat or lathe. Yes we do have severe winters in New England and it is holding up with no issues. I did scuff up the durarock and cinder block but it is not necessary. I did it because I got some sealer overspray on it while coloring the countertops. I have never seen anyone apply a water proof barrier so I didn't. I used a bag of mortar with a small trowel of portland to give it some strength. I also added some polymer concrete adhesive to the mortar as well as painting it on the durarock and cinder block surface. I would paint it on a small area just before adding the veneer which helped it stick. Dipping each piece of veneer into a bucket of water before adding the mortar helps wash off the stone dust and keeps it from robbing moisture from the mortar. I also bought a diamond blade for my grinder to cut the veneer.

I did add fiberglass seam tape to the joint between the countertop and oven wall.

The only flammable materials in my build is the plywood for the roof and wood trim. If insulated properly there should be no issues with it catching fire. I can put my hand on any exterior part of the oven and it will be cool. The only exception is the transition, which will be warm.

Make sure you use the proper self tapping screws with the small heads to assemble the steel studs. The less than experienced people at the local big box store steered me in the wrong direction. Be wary when they hand you a box of screw and say these SHOULD work.

[rwiegand]

Thanks very much for the additional info. I hadn't really planned for the extra thickness that a full scratch coat would give me around the door, so was hoping I could go directly onto the cement board. It helps that the walls are short. In terms of adhesion that makes more sense to me than introducing a flexible layer. I've tone tile mud jobs before, but the tar paper there is to keep the wood behind from rotting from transmitted moisture. With no wood that should be less of a concern.

I was planning on a fire-rated plywood for the roof deck. I'm hoping to use slate shingles and need something substantial to nail to. As you say, with as much insulation as I've planned it shouldn't get significantly warm outside the oven, so this is probably all overkill.

I got my steel framing material at a place that specializes in it, they gave me self-drilling screws which seem to be the right thing for structural steel studs.

[Allie]

I'm impressed by your oven cast. I'm still not quute understanding how it's done. Did you pack the concrete mixture on it like icing a cake? Or use plywood to the shape of the mold and pour it in?
and you used your own mix you didn't buy refractory cement? Are there a lot if cracks inside done? Thanks