Advice on re-surfacing oven

[Tom H.]

I bought a pizza oven kit for another maker BelForno many years ago. Love it. Use it all the time.

Unfortunately a couple years ago the cooking surface stone started to buckle and crumble. Moisture over the winter I suppose? I'm in the Northeast.

IN any case, it would be really difficult to take the thing apart and rebuild the surface.

My initial plan was to use refractory cement to fill the big holes and create a new, smooth surface.

This worked out okay - but then my wife asked if it was safe to cook on? To be honest, I couldn't be sure. And also, there is apparently a product called "FOOD GRADE REFRACTORY CEMENT" which seemed like what I was looking for. But A) it was basically impossible to buy and B) the fellow on the phone there didn't think it was really intended for creating a "castable" surface - unless you were making it very thick. My plan was just to add a 1/2 inch of it. And he said it was really intended as a mortar.

So I scrapped that.

My new thought would be to buy a set of Cordierite pizza stones (good for up to 1400 degrees) and lay them in place (or possibly cement them) inside the oven. New smooth (safe?) surface.

Do you have any advice or thoughts to offer?

[Tom H.]

Update. My Second idea - I think it was suggested somewhere in these forums - would be to buy the relatively thin fire bricks that are available and lay those in. But i lose a little more height that way...

[UtahBeehiver]

That is probably a better option. The thinner refractory bricks are called "splits" and are typically 4" x 9" X 1.25" and readily available.

[Tom H.]

Thanks. I've actually settled on four 12" square stones from CALIFORNIA PIZZA STONES. They say they are guaranteed not to crack and will work in ovens. Will send an update after I install.

[Tom H.]

Updating for anyone searching with a similar issue. Stones working great for me. Created a smoother more workable surface. Minor issue that it is harder (impossible) to get all the ash out of the sides, where the square of four stones ends but the circle of the oven continues, if you can visualize that. But the ash just gathers there anyway. No harm no foul.

[Gulf]

Hi Tom,

It's great to hear that your oven floor is back to normal. I was able to visualize what you described. There is an old oven tool that may help. It is an easy DIY project to fab to your ovens's specs. It is called a "rooker". navyintel layed it out here some years ago. Rooker-what is old is now new. He found it in a 1730's French encyclopedia. Very cool imo. I built mine to my ovens specs and it is way more efficient than using a plain old garden hoe. You may decide to build two of them. One wide bladed for a quick clean out and one narrow bladed to get in to that area where the ash is sets between the floor and dome. You could even fab a double bladed rooker to fit the angle both left and right.