Tile around front opening

Hello all. Looking for your opinion here. So I’m enclosing my oven with a roof and brick veneer walls. The roof extends past the door opening for keeping rain away from the oven opening and for looks. The sheathing I’m using is cement board from Perma Base.

So my dilemma is I still get smoke coming out from the door opening. Not much but enough to create soot out side in front of the oven. I was thinking instead brick veneer I should put a smooth granite tile so it easy to clean. Or something like that. If I go with full brick veneer I think it will be hard to clean because it’s rough.

My question is. Is there a special outdoor tile I have to use? Should I use stander polymer mortar to attach it? Or do I need to put a Heat Stop mortar or a mortar they use for indoor applications when putting tile to the front of fireplaces. That particular thin set is rated for 500 degrees.

Your thoughts are welcomed.

Hi Pete!

I don’t have an opinion on which adhesive to use for attachment. But I think polished granite would be fine, because you’re providing a cover to keep rain out of the joints facing the oven. Just like with a granite countertop, you’d want to seal it (and keep food away from it during that process). Whatever adhesive you use for attachment, you’ll want a bead all around the outside edges to be very sure you keep out moisture. @carlos recently built an oven with granite on at least the slab, and I’ll bet he has some more specific advice.

It sounds like a good plan, though, and hope these thoughts are helpful!

My only thoughts would be that you WILL get some cracks on the front due to the massive heat coming out and expansion next to the chimney. Even a house gets cracks and it’s not cranking 1000 degrees or more. Anyway that being said I would plan on using black grout between tiles so that the sooted grout will match the clean grout. Also, I would heat up the oven to the max to find the expansion cracks, then plan on spacing the tiles there so that a grout line lines up there. This may prevent the tile from cracking and instead micro-fracture on the grout line. I wouldn’t use a standard thinset…no way…it would have to be heat-specific mortar, adhesive something. Maybe something like this.

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What about refractory cement or the mortar we mixed to lay the firebricks? I was thinking about adding a granite slab to the from on my oven, after I applied the firebrick front (CLOSING OFF THE FRONT).

Thoughts?

Dwayne

I was thinking Heat Stop II?
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Thank you all for your advice. I like Carlos suggestion of using a black grout. Just in case you cant get all the soot out. Heat stop 2 will work as a mortar but didn’t really want to spend 60 dollars a bag for a very small area if I don’t have to.

I do however have a bucket of refactory cement from menards. It’s half the price but I don’t know if its useable for a mortar. It’s more designed for repairing bricks that have crumbled.

Any masson experts out there let me know if that can be used for mortar. Thanks.

Read the directions of the refactory cement closely. Most of the big store brands are for “Indoor Use only”. Something about water soluble or something. That’s what lead me to Heat Stop II. Dwayne

I nabbed this slab for 10.00 at our local building salvage store (marked down from 40.00). I have GOT to use it!

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