I am building (I am really helping a friend who has built them before) my own custom oven. I have gotten a lot of ideas on this forum and wanted to share my progress as it might help others.
I have an 8-12 inch slab (it varies in different areas) reinforced with rebar. We have built up a base with split face concrete blocks. That last block was cut to create a form for a 3.5" slab. Once the slab cures, we will put 4" block across the front that will be level with the top of the block. I will then fill that area with sand and build a form for another slab.
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An overview of my backyard scene for context.
This is the bottom layer of the base with the forms off. Noticed I had to add another layer of concrete on top of the base layer. I hadn’t thought about how I was going to keep the sand in. This seemed like the most reasonable solution.
I plan on putting a skim coat of stucco across the front, when I stucco the dome, in an effort to cover the unfinished look of the poured concrete.
Looking Good! You mentioned stucco across the front, but have you thought about cutting the textured face off several of the split-faced CMU blocks that you used… Then applying them like veneer to the front? I did this w/ the BrickWood Box - I chose the hottest day of the year to cut textured face off the front of 100+ brick… then adhered them to the concrete walls w/ Type S mortar. The downside - you would need a LARGE cutting disk (18"). Only a professional has that type of saw / blade combo.
That is a great idea! I will suggest that to my friend who is helping and doing a bulk of the masonry work.
Tony -
I got to ask, are you planning on coating this form with a perlite / portland blend? I’ve seen several videos and articles online that show this approach, but what is not seen is when the mix fails.
Before I get into a long post about the pitfalls of this building method (espeically after you built a beautiful base), I just want to verify what you are going to put on the top of this form. If you are planning on using CASTABLE REFRACTORY, you are in the clear - and it will last forever…
But - if you are planning on coating this form with perlite or vermicuilte - it will not last very long. Porland cement starts to burnout at 600°… The best way I can describe this is like a Rice Krispy bar:
Perlite / Vermicuilte - Rice Krispies
Portland Cement - Marshmellow Creme
After a year or two, you’ve burned out all the Marshmellow Creme, now all you have is a Rice Krispie dome that is about to crumble… and you’ve spent WAY too much time on this project to only have it last a few seasons (and will be in constant need of repair).
After 17 years of doing this - Just trust me on this one!