How to Prep for a brick Veneer Exterior

[John and Susan Foster]

Hello, this is our first post. We have been busy constructing a 42" inside diameter dome oven following Forno Bravo's plans. In a nutshell, we built our dome out of fire brick as instructed, covered it with 3" of ceramic fire blanket, followed by a layer of portland/vermiculite concrete. Ultimately we intend to have an exterior of brick veneer on the oven. What is the next step? We want to increase strength ( assuming the portland/vermiculite concrete is not very strong), and to have a waterproof layer that will block any moisture seeping through the mortar in the joints on the brick veneer. We don't want to add unnecessary weight or increase the size of the oven unnecessarily, but we also want a strong weather proof oven. What are our best options?

Thanks

[Gulf]

Hi John and Susan,

Welcome to the forum. I used mesh hardware cloth (wire mesh) to reinforce about a 3/4" layer of stucco over the vcrete. I included a latex acrylic concrete fortifier and bonding agent into the mix to increase water resistance. The stucco is in three layers but, I did not do the usual scratch/brown/ finish method. I just smoothed each layer out with a wet sponge and painted on a coat of the same material as a bonding agent between coats. This further increased the water resistance for the stucco shell. Next was 1/2" brick flooring splits glued into place with thinset and grouted joints. Of course, I painted another coat of bonding agent on before the brick veneer was applied. The brick and mortar joint can also be painted over with the product as it dries to a clear simi-gloss finish. That is about as thin, strong and water resistant of brick veneer method that I know of.

All that said, I still put a roof over my oven. That increases the number of days per year that I a can comfortably operate it. It is an open span so I can still show off the shape of the dome. Y'all may want to consider a vent at the apex of the dome since water proofing a shell also traps moisture within. Also, a storm door to protect the oven entry opening. Anything you can do to stop moisture intrusion will be a big plus on the overall performance of your oven.

I would normally include pics in my posts. However, I am limited at the moment on my internet speed. The best that I can offer is for y'all to look at my build pics in my signature line.

I hope this helps

[Gulf]

[Gulf]

[Gulf]

[bbracy]

Gulf, I had a question about your mortar joints specifically. I assume you used a mortar bag to squeeze in the material in between the brick veneer, can you confirm? I am going to be attempting the same design with veneers. I hit the jackpot on some veneers that were left over from a project in town. The project manager gave me a bunch of 90 degree corner pieces that i can cut down and use for the this pizza over project to finish it up. Appreciate your feedback in advance.

[Gulf]

bbracy, I'm sorry for the late reply.

I actually tried using a bag, for the first time, on my oven. I did not have good results. So, I went back to the old school tuck pointers and jointing tools. The brick slits on my oven were Old Chicago. As long as mortar is not "mashed" on to the face and let to set for a bit before tooling, cleanup is fairly easy.

However, a friend of mine chose a modern brick that had color added to the clay face. They are not as forgiving. Brick veneer needs to be cleaned of all residue from the wet saw after cutting. They also need to be completely dry for the thin set to bond properly. A good quality painters tape adheres very well to the face of a clean and dry brick.

I applied the tape even before applying the veneer to the dome. That kept the face clean throughout the process. There are always s few cuts that need to be made on the fly. I just made those few cuts, cleaned, and dried them quickly with a hair dryer before applying the tape.

If they were still around my dad and uncle would probably laugh about me doing this. But, cleanup was a breeze, and I would definitely do it again the same way.




.

[mongota]

Wow. I'm impressed you went to that level with the blue tape, great care for certain.

Grout bags, I've used them for large and small projects. It took a try or two to dial in the consistency of the mix and to figure out the ergonomics of how to manipulate the bag to easily dispense the grout. From that point, I do what you wrote. Fill the joints, when starting out I'll err on the side of slightly overfull versus underfilling the joints. Let the mortar set up a bit. Once it sets up some, tool the joint to get good compression into the joint. If you have squeezeout from the joints, leave the partially cured squeezeout alone for now, the goal is to let it cure even more. Come back later and lightly brush the squeezeout away with a brush, it'll break away cleanly and not stain the face of the brick.

[UtahBeehiver]

Mongo, I have had the pleasure to meet Joe (aka Gulf) and also see his Missisippi Queen (huge oven) in person while traveling in his neck of the woods. Knowing Joe, he does quality work to the extreme. Here is his wood storage shed to give you an example.