Hi - Just embarking on my first oven build - 28" Cupola - and looking for insights on the best way to procure all of the materials listed in the instructions. Is Home Depot (equivalent) even worth using?
And when looking for bricks/fire bricks, the Brickwood provided web sites come back with a couple dozen brick vendors at each brick company, but no ability to drill down to search the bricks needed. Am I better off calling the vendors directly and seeing if they can provide the necessary bricks, etc.? And will such vendors typically deliver a relatively small order as is needed for the Cupola? (Nearest vendor is approx. 40 miles away.)
I called several places in the area to determine who had what I needed. Ultimately, I got the firebricks from a yard that specializes in fireplaces because they had the bricks with the best performance for the cheapest price. I asked each place about weight, cost, and specs to keep from buying insulating firebricks by accident. I am going to stucco over the regular brick so color was not a factor and I just bought those at home Depot.
I got the firebricks from someone I found on yellowpages.com
Looking forward to your build as it progresses, @Larry.
My experience is that the warehouse stores such as Home Depot and Lowe’s are very handy for standard masonry items like mortar (NOT high temp), concrete, Portland cement, sand (NOT silica sand), concrete block, and ordinary brick.
For refractory materials you want one of the suppliers listed on the site. The phone is definitely your friend if they are all at a distance from you. Make a list of the materials you can’t obtain locally, and ask. @Newman’s excellent advise applies here. Firebrick in particular: you want a low or medium duty brick, and as close to standard size as possible.
Most of these vendors supply contractors on job sites, so they can deliver. But free delivery is another matter. If you locate a vendor you like but their delivery charge seems high, it’s a good time to hit up a friend with a pickup truck for a favor.