First course of dome bricks. Getting Started Discuss First course of dome bricks. in the Pizza Oven Design and Installation forums; Hi All, I'm just about to lay the first course of bricks for the dome onto the hearth floor. Do ...

[I burnt my fingers]

Hi All,

I'm just about to lay the first course of bricks for the dome onto the hearth floor. Do I cement this first course onto the hearth brick floor or shouldn't I use any mortar at all?

[Tscarborough]

Just enough to level the course.

[cynon767]

Most people here don't mortar the first course down. The general interpretation of the plans has been a half-brick soldier course (meaning bricks set upright on end), although there are almost as many different versions as there are ovens. It has been said that mortaring the first course to the floor is unnecessary and might actually cause stresses to the dome due to differential expansion of wall and floor bricks, although I can not personally testify either way; it's all still purely speculative for me, as I am not even to my curing fires yet.

[papavino]

I'd say let it float on the floor. I didn't mortar mine in place. I put fireclay/sand underneath the soldier course and oven floor to level it.

[jmhepworth]

Mortar the bricks to each other, not to the floor. Gravity keeps it in place. I didn't find that I needed to use any sand under the soldier course (set on FB ceramic board).

[I burnt my fingers]

Thank you all. Dome is now under construction.