I wish to share my experience with any of you who are contemplating building a pizza oven. There are many pizza oven “kits” available on the market and I happened to chose the P105 from the Fire Brick Company and I am very happy for doing so because the overall building experience was positive and most importantly the pizza oven delivered the goods. I am not being paid to write this overview and in fact the owner of the Fire Brick Company is not aware of it at the time of this writing. I simply wish to share my thoughts and opinions with those who are considering the task.
But first off I wish to express my gratitude to Ben Guilford, owner of The Fire Brick Company, for taking the time to personally contact me directly from Australia about questions or concerns I had, for Braydon, Ben’s representative in the US for his knowledge and hands on experience with building ovens as well as baking pizzas, and to Jeremey, also part of the Australian team for answering questions in a timely manner. Between the three they were basically on call throughout the day. Pretty cool! All your dreams and questions can be found here: thefirebrickco.com
WHY DID I CHOOSE THE FIRE BRICK COMPANY?
- affordable
- great documentation and instructions
- depth of u-tube videos
- an owner who is very much hands on
- thoughtfully engineered
- great phone, email, & text support
- emphatic support
- various sizes & types
CONTEXT
- outdoor oven in the Pacific Northwest with 39” of rainfall
- oven to be used for pizza and every type of baking
- not covered at the time it was built
- built on a 5” concrete slab
- I am a retired general contractor
- extensive baking and food background
- previously baked pizzas in a wood fire pizza oven
WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW OR DO BEFORE YOU CHOOSE AN OVEN
- compare comparable pizza ovens
- read through the online instructions
- watch the u-tube videos (see TFBC videos)
- decide how you often you will use the oven and for whom
- decide how much of the work you will take on and what will be subcontracted out
LOGISTICS
- a p105 weighs 1680 lbs & is delivered in a 42” square plywood cube (see TFBC video)
- a delivery truck with a lift gate & a pallet jack will off-load at your site
- once the cubed is placed by the truck driver the cube doesn’t move unless there is a pallet jack on site
- finding bags of cement and lime is very difficult so before you start, find a supplier and don’t rely on Home Depot and Lowe’s to have them, find a masonry supply yard. I used one 80 lb bag of lime and 1 + bags of cement 100 lb bag or so.
- note that the final coat of elastomeric paint supplied in the kit is white so if another color is desired locate ahead of time a paint supplier of elastomeric paint in a color base of choice because there is a high probability that it will be a special order.
LOCATION
- more often than not smoke is emitted when lighting the fire, be cognizant of what your neighbors will endure during oven use
- after the initial startup the fire burns fairly clean
BASE SUPPORT
- minimum 4” concrete, over compacted subgrade
- can have topping of brick, stone, tile
- recommend min slope of 1/8”/foot for drainage
- the supporting deck should also have a slope (following the underlying grade) to move water away from the stucco rendering
- the base support design is crucial to the overall look (see TFBC Gallery of customer pics)
LANDING
- in my opinion, the design & implementation of the “landing” is paramount to the overall design & execution of the oven buildout (see TFBC Gallery for ideas)
- why? because the door serves as the damper for the fire, you want it
- the “landing” is not provided in the kit but install options are covered in a TFBC video
ON-LINE INSTRUCTIONS , VIDEOS & PHONE SUPPORT
- TFBC has a very very complete set of written and visual tools at your disposal, review them multiple times & nearly all questions will be answered
- TFBC phone support is supurb and don’t be surprised if you get a return call from Ben in Australia, fabulous
BUILDING THE BASE (Day 1)
- my approach was one of a simple look with cost in mind
- ground face CMU in natural grey (other colors are available)
- I used mortored joints because the layout is more exact, the weight is evenly distributed, and there is less of a chance of a stucco finish (if used) telescoping movement of the blocks
- fill all the voids with concrete
- 1 day for picking up materials, move in, complete (not all voids filled)
FORM WORK FOR 4” CONCRETE DECK SLAB, MATERIALS USED (Days 2, 3, 4)
- 5/4 x 8 Douglas fir for outside form
- 5/4 x 2 for plywood ledger support
- the above ripped from a 5/4 x 10
- 2×4 for supporting outside 5/4 form
- 3/4” cdx plywood for base
- 3/16” dia x 2 1/2” concrete self tapping screws (predrill holes in CMU & the holes disappear after removing the screws)
- 2 1/2” wood screws
- chop saw
- table saw
- screw gun and bits
- fin tool with cutting plus abrasive masonry blades
- angle grinder for cutting rebar to length
- rebar bender
- levels
- form release oil (diesel is the cheapest)
- 6 d nails for securing plywood to 5/4 x 2 ledger
- #3 rebar 7” oc both ways
- 2” stand offs for rebar
- twist ties
- twist tie tool
- caulking for filling in gaps to ensure the concrete doesn’t leak onto the CMU
- HVAC silver tape works great for gaps
- soft foam works well for filing gaps
- approximately (14) 60lb bags of 4000 psi Quikrete ready mix to fill CMU voids
- x number of bags for slab @ .4 cf/bag
- concrete plasticizer to improve handling of concrete (research to understand usage)
- rotory concrete mixer
- concrete vibrator from rental center
- 14-16” concrete float
- 14-16” finishing pool trowel
- concrete edging tool with 3/8” radius
- very straight 8’ long 5/4 x or 2x for screeding off concrete
Note that the 2×4 is attached to the CMU with the concrete screws; the 2×4 provides the means of attaching the 5/4 x 8 outside form board AND a 1 1/2” overhang for the concrete slab. I had full size 5/4 x 8 which meant I could rip the boards to exactly 7 1/2”. The 5/4 x 2 is used on the inside of the CMU and dropped 3/4” so the 3/4” plywood flushes with the top of the CMU. (see TFBC videos for a similar approach). Attach all fastners keeping in mind that the screws and wood need to be removed after pouring the concrete deck. TFBC has a very good video on installing and finishing a slab. The more effort used in finishing the slab with the pool trowel the smoother the finish surface will be. If you haven’t done concrete finishing and the concrete is the final surface, it is suggested that a concrete finisher be hired. It is all about timing.
LAYING OUT THE CALCIUM SILICATE BOARD, FLOOR TILES, & DOME (DAYS 5 & 6)
- all steps are outlined in TFBC instructions & video
- tools: jigsaw, large sissors, work platform
INSTALLATION OF PRECUT FLOOR TILES
- all steps are outlined in TFBC instructions & video
- at this point the install of tin foil on top of the insulation board I found a bit peculiar and I spoke to Ben to better understand the reasoning behind it. the silicate board is highly absorptive hence the tin foil acts as a barrier between the floor mortar and floor tiles IN ADDITION to facilitating the removal any broken tiles in the future. Further more Ben said that after a year plus the tin foil is baked away. HOWEVER, I do take exception to how the mortar is applied. trying to apply an even thickness of mortar over a slick tin foil surface is excessively time consuming and frustrating. My recommendation is to 100% butter up the back of the floor tile ensuring a consistent thickness and then placing the tile. The consistency of the mortar should permit a wiggling in place to obtain a flush surface tapping in place with a rubber mallet as needed (for those who have done tile work getting the intersection of 4 tiles to flush out is easier said than done). The install of the first three front tiles is the most critical and requires measuring from the top of the concrete slab to ensure a consistent height across the front of 4” + .
INSTALLATON OF DOME PARTS, ARCH BRICKS & FLUE (Days 6 &7)
- all steps are outlined in TFBC instructions & video
- we were fortunate to have a forklift for transporting and lifting up the dome pieces
- the setback for the dome from the outside edge of the floor tile was the only install error found in the written instructions, it should have been 8” in lieu of 8 1/2”. I believe this has been corrected by the IT department.
- this is the only step requiring more than 2 people to get the dome pieces in place and adjusted in a timely manner. the ratchet strap brings it all together
- an angle grinder with grinding pads is crucial to fine tuning the arch
- the relationship between the final height of the outside bricks and the fit of the flue is important to achieve a consistent mortar joint thickness between the flue and arched bricks. it may require installing the arched bricks more than once to achieve a consistent spacing with additional grinding along the top edges of the arched brick.
INSTALLATION OF INSULATION BLANKETS, ALUMINUM BASE BAND, & WIRE MESH (Days 7 & 8)
- all steps are outlined in TFBC instructions & video
- I took some creative license at this point because the installation is in the Pacific Northwest where the average rainfall is 39” or 97 cm
- Upon conversations with TFBC the major issue for ovens not warming up after extended non use is the fact that the oven has absorbed moisture and long fire times are required to make the oven dry.
- as a professional residential builder and architect I applied what I believe to be thoughtful safeguards to mitigate the update of water from the concrete slab and between the peralite stucco coat and flue assembly. Note that water will run into the seam between the stucco coat and concrete flue and down along the dome side edge of the supporting bricks. As the dome expands during firing this juncture opens and can be subject to water intrusion so attention must be applied to reduce water infiltration.
- the approach taken was an attempt to achieve a flexible joint between the floor and the concrete slab by embedding the supplied high temp caulking in 1 1/2” wide fiberglass drywall tape which bridged the gap between the supplied aluminum flashing and concrete slab. 3 applications of the caulking was made.
- the intent of the aluminum flashing is to reduce water uptake at the base of the perlite stucco coat as water rolls off the dome, or at least that is my understanding from TFBC. Eventhough I installed the aluminum I questioned the application because a cement based product just doesn’t adhere that well to metal. So I added extra wire over the aluminum to increase the bite of the of the perlite stucco.
- tools: a very good 12-14” pair of commercial grade scissors, wire snips
PERLITE RENDERING AND FINISH COAT OF ELASTOMERIC PAINT (Days 8, 9, 10)
- all steps are outlined in TFBC instructions & video
- by far, applying the perlite stucco layers was the most tedious and exacerbating requiring a watchful eye to ensure there was good adhesion throughout the process
- tools: volumetric measuring devices, wheel barrow, finishing trowels, spray bottle, gloves, mixing hoe, and the supplied curved float
- hint: this job is best performed with more than one person, don’t move on until the radius is smoothed out
- I worked solo making sure to keep a wet edge on the older work when applying fresh material, the spray bottle is imperative to achieve good adhesion between layers and if there is any doubt about it, remove the material and apply again. remember that your top coat is no better than the coat below it.
- DEVIATION in design application: Again, being concerned about moisture uptake of the perlite stucco at the interface between it and the concrete slab (think of it like a skirt being dragged through a puddle of water), a separation was created by creating a reveal at the base by installing two layers of a fiberglass boards with a total thickness 1/4” around the base of the dome cut to the shape of the radius, using the concrete edger with a 3/8” radius to smooth the edge, and a finishing pointer to create a 45’ angle, to keep the perlite off of the concrete slab. Utilizing two layers of boards allows the bottom board to be pulled out first to reduce the drag on the upper board as it is pulled out. BUT I had another concern, because the dome expands having the perlite stucco “attached” to the concrete slab may cause it to develop small cracks from resistive forces…..detaching the perlite stucco from the slab perhaps gives it the ability to expand more evenly. Just a thought for sure and the shadow line is quite cool.
- if giving the choice and and additional manpower is available, applying the perlite rendering in two coats instead of three might be better but it would require deft hands and fast work
1ST FIRING, ELASTOMERIC PAINT, & FITTING THE LANDING (DAY 11 until curing permited the painting)
- all steps are outlined in TFBC instructions and video
- day 11 was the most exciting because it was the start of the perlite curing process leading up to the application of the supplied elastomeric finish. in total 3 coats were applied.
- note the use at the base of the exposed calcium silicate board to mitigate the uptake of water. the previously applied high heat caulking was removed
- a template was made for fitting a 3/16” stainless steel acid dyed landing. it not only serves as a landing platform for the door and pots, the lower apron surrounds the floor insulation and floor tiles. the landing was dropped 1/16’ from the floor tiles so water does not run inside.
- a final coat of a Benjamin Moore elastomeric paint was applied over the white base.
PIZZAS AND FLOOR FIRING TEMPERATURE
- the pizza oven has a classic internal relationship of the dome height being 44 % of width and the opening being 67.5% of the dome height. the idea is to provide instense down heat and sufficient draw up the flue. the oven floor can meet the AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) for a floor temp of 806’ – 896’ F and bake a pizza off in 60 seconds. However our experience after baking off approximately 70 pizzas is that floor temp is too hot and the bottom burnt more than expected. If you believe what is on the internet, the ovens found in Naples have a floor tile made of a clay and other mineral components found in Campania and formed into bricks called biscotto de Sorrento that have a different thermal quality than standard fire bricks. We found the sweet spot to be around 675’ F to insure the cornicione was fully baked off in about 2 1/2 minuets.
- the dough hydration was 65% using caputo 00 & 0 flours
- the attached pics are of an in-house made white pear/fig/gorgonzola and a white Roma EVO rosemary which resembles focaccia more than a “pizza”. the last two are from Castelvetrano Sicily & Santa Barbara California. The Castelvetrano pizza was perfectly composed with the dough being made of 70% Caputo 00, 20% fine semolina, and 10% whole wheat. The SB pizza is from the Penny Pizza House in the Funk Zone.
- the possible combinations are endless, creation is a path to be on.
- the round metal discs are not baked on and are used for transferring the pizzas
- like all creative endeavors pizza making is one of exploration, fun, family and friends
- if the fire is allowed to burn down at night, the following morning the oven temp will be around 475’-550’F depending on how much wood was left to smolder. opening the door will allow it to cool down to about 450’F a perfect temp for baking off a hearty hearth bread or searing chicken wings, and as it gets cooler you can bake home made crackers made from the discarded levain from your sour dough starter, and on and on and on.
IN CONCLUSION
- The Fire Brick Company was a great team to work with who’s experience of selling thousands of ovens is evident in the compilation of very informative u-tube videos as well as written instructions. At the top is owner Ben who has applied his engineering background to a vertical integrated product that will survive the test of time. If looking for a pizza oven kit I would highly recommend their products. PB
