Fire clay between bricks in floor (time to start over?!) Pompeii Oven Construction Discuss Fire clay between bricks in floor (time to start over?!) in the Pizza Oven Design and Installation forums; Hello: I have been working together with my friend on my oven. Although I have been up to speed at ...

[Carlos]

Hello:
I have been working together with my friend on my oven. Although I have been up to speed at every step, today I couldn't be around for the laying of the brick floor.
I came home and found that he had filled in the small gaps between the bricks in the floor with fire clay. Having read the plans and previous posts I know this is a "no no" (they fill in with ash etc).
How bad a move was this? Should we tear up the floor and start over? Obviously I would like to avoid this option...Should I try to dig out the clay between the cracks?
Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Hi Carlos,
Im not an expert, but I dont really see what it could hurt, It will surely harden up once you start your fires,, and whatever spaces are left open will fill with ashes like you said,,
Keep going and smile

Mark

[dmun]

Most brick floors have only minimal cracks if they are laid with uniform sized modern firebrick. It really doesn't matter what ends up in the cracks, wood ash or fireclay. Did you brush in dry fireclay, or lay them with a wet layer like mortar?

[Carlos]

He used wet refrax and set them in between each cooking tile. The mortar has now hardened. It sits slightly below the surface of the cooking floor so it shouldn't catch a peel or anything.

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Sounds good,,, so dont worry and enjoy

Mark

[asiapizza]

would like to get some advice on using heat bond refractory mortar(which i get locally). can i mix with portland cement to build the pompeii dome? i use air bond refractory mortar n did ok......would like to explore with heat bond mortar.

[KEmerson]

Heat Stop is specific on its label NOT to mix with anything. It bond and hardens beautifully and I saw no need to add any other cement.

[dmun]

would like to explore with heat bond mortar.

There are thousands of refractory products from many manufacturers. I don't know specifically what you are talking about, but there are wet refractory mortar products which are designed for repairs in boilers and furnaces which have to get back into service immediately. They are designed to set at high heats. They have proved to be less than useful in wood burning ovens which don't reach those high temps.

Except in our "home brew" refractory mortar, portland based mortars aren't recommended.

[sacwoodpusher]

I "grouted" the floor and interior walls of my first oven with 3 parts type S (portland cement based mortar) and 2 parts fireclay. Follow-on ovens have the walls grouted, but not the floor, although I use my homemade mix on the bottom of the bricks to level them and "hold them".....

After firing, this cement has hardened, and become part of the firebricks. Maybe I got the oven too hot, but after I say how my homemade refractory mortar worked, I threw that miserable Aluminum Silicate out. It is simply too hard to use.