Found a Few Loose Bricks in My Hearth Newbie Forum Discuss Found a Few Loose Bricks in My Hearth in the Good Background Information forums; I noticed that my hearth has a few loos firebricks in it. Loose in that I can remove it if ...

[DaveDQ]

I noticed that my hearth has a few loos firebricks in it. Loose in that I can remove it if I wanted to. The hearth is now surrounded by vermiculite/concrete (5:1) and everything is level. Should I not mind the loose bricks?

I mean, it won't one day pop out, run a route out of my oven and smack me in the head, will it?

[jcg31]

Loose as in I have a 1/4" space between bricks and this thing is going to move every time it is touched - - which would be a problem.

OR

I don't have anything adhering the brick to whatever is under it, it moves if I try to move it, but it is snuggly positioned between the surrounding bricks - -which would be how many folk install their floor, so that if there ever is a problem with the brick it can be replaced.
Jim

[DaveDQ]

Jim, thanks for the reply. If I wanted to pull it out, I would have to use something sharp to wrestle it out. Everything is snug and evenly layered with the vermiculite.

The main reason I ask is I had a guy who works in masonry come have a look at what I'm doing. I mainly wanted to see if he would help build the arches for the dome. He said I needed to lay the mortar again for the firebrick before I do anything else. His thought was that, while it's level, it's not secure.

Do some not even use mortar?

Thanks again for replying.

[dmun]

No no no! Don't mortar your floor. The mason is wrong. Those few cracks will fill up with wood ash, and be perfectly sound. I was worried in my oven because the floor would creak and rock slightly while I was standing on it to lay bricks, but in use the floor never shifts, and if I should ever need to replace a cracked or broken brick I could pull it right out.

This is one of the problems with getting masons to build brick ovens. They come in with all sorts of preconceived notions which are plain wrong.

[DaveDQ]

Originally Posted by dmun

This is one of the problems with getting masons to build brick ovens. They come in with all sorts of preconceived notions which are plain wrong.

You are very right. He referred to it as a "short-cut." That got under my skin and my inner voice shouted, "No pizza for you!"

[jcg31]

(inner voice)

[Frances]

Maybe the brick will pop out, run round the oven and smack him on the head...?