Pizza Oven DIY

Have you ever dreamed of making your own home made Italian Pizza or bread?

Dream no more. Melbourne Brick stock firebricks and have all the information you need to build your own Pizza Oven at home. Bring it on we say!

A tasty Margherita or Quattro Stagioni or even a Marinara could be on your table in no time, with family, friends and neighbours marvelling at your "Jamie Oliver" skills.

Buy our Fire Bricks online here, and then watch the video below, or follow the easy steps and Ecco - you are there!

Your very own D.I.Y Pizza Oven.

STEP 1

Trim 3 sheets of OSB or Plywood board to the size.

Frame the trimmed sheets with the timber.

If you will be using 45 x 90mm (2×4” studs), the board should be cut to 151cm x 59cm.

STEP 2

Make the rebar frames and place them inside the box.

Keep it approx. 4cm from the bottom.

STEP 3

On a FLAT surface, fill each frame with 5000PSI concrete mix.

Screed the top of the frames from end to end to remove the excess of concrete.

Cover the slabs with plastic to protect from the elements and allow to cure for 4 days.

To cure properly, moisten each slab with water each day and recover with plastic.

STEP 4

If required, prepare the ground for your oven base accordingly.

Alternatively, pour a concrete slab to your requirements.

STEP 5

Lay your first layer of Hampton Blocks.

(You can also use our standard-sized bricks if you prefer.)

STEP 6

Lay the next 6 layers of Hampton Blocks, staggering the pattern so that all gaps between bricks are overlapped by the brick above and below.

Let it dry for 2-3 days.

*All drying time is an estimate and will vary accordingly to the weather conditions.

STEP 7

Once dry, remove the concrete slabs from the frames.

They should come out with the following measures: 150cm x 50cm x 9cm

STEP 8

Add mortar at the top of the last layer.

STEP 9

Place the slabs on the base, levelling as require to be sure everything is level.

STEP 10

Apply approx 6mm of High-Temperature Mortar to the concrete slab and start to lay the 70mm pavers.

We suggest starting from the front and back rows.

Note 1: Do not apply normal mortar to the firebrick.

Note 2: Aim to have as minimal gap between the firebricks as possible – Use the Fireclay Mix Mortar just to fill those minimal gaps.

STEP 11

Then move on to the side rows.

STEP 12

Once the pavers are laid and levelled, let it dry for 24 hours and lay the 76mm firebricks in a herringbone pattern.

Make sure that the cooking surface of the firebricks is level with the hearth frame brick and the 45-degree herringbone pattern is used to ensure your pizza peel (pizza shovel) will slide smoothly.

Note 1: Do not apply normal mortar to the firebricks. Instead, use the Fireclay Mix (fireproof mortar).

Note 2: Aim to have as minimal gap between the firebricks as possible – Use the Fireclay Mix Mortar just to fill those minimal gaps.

STEP 13

Place the wooden mould on the top of the cooktop.

Detail:

Keeping it centred sideways, but 17.5 cm from the back of the base (enough space to fit the bricks in the back of the oven)

STEP 14

Start laying the 76mm firebricks, keeping the gaps between them as smaller as possible.

Use Fireclay Mix to bind them together and to fill the gaps. DO NOT bond firebricks to the wooden mould – we will be removing the mould later.

Stagger and lay the next layer of firebrick.

STEP 15

Lay up to 3 layers at each time, then move to the other side. (This is to avoid overloading one side with weight and moving the mould)

STEP 16

Keep staggering and laying the 76mm firebricks up to the top of the oven.

STEP 17

Cut bricks accordingly to fit the last layer in place.

STEP 18

Move to the back of the pizza oven and place the 76mm firebricks staggering each layer.

Keep using the Fireclay mortar to keep the fire bricks together.

STEP 19

Lay (on its edge) the outer layer of 50mm bricks/paver.

Use high-temperature mortar for this outer layer.

STEP 20

While staggering joins, place up to 3 layers of bricks, then move to the other side and keep laying them all the way to the top of the pizza oven.

STEP 21

Cut brick accordingly to fit the last layer in place.

STEP 22

Move to the back of the oven, and lay the 50mm bricks, also sideways.

STEP 23

For the chimney, lay 2 layers of firebricks using high-temp mortar.

STEP 24

Allow to dry for 4-7 days and carefully, remove the wooden mould.

STEP 25

From inside-out (keep approx. 50 cm for the opening), lay 6 layers of bricks to make the sides of the enclosure wall.

STEP 26

Cut to size an iron angle.

STEP 27

With the support of the angle iron, lay the top layer of the enclosure.

STEP 28 (Optional)

Purchase and connect the flue to the top of the chimney to keep the smoke away from you.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/scandia-masonry-inbuilt-flue-kit-warmbrite-200i-s3-300i-s3-galvanised_p3170671

STEP 29

Let the oven dry for at least 7 days and start the curing process.

⚠️ Do not set full fire in the oven until its fully cured, as the moisture will turn into steam and it can crack your oven.

HOW TO CURE YOUR DIY PIZZA OVEN

DAY 1

Place 1 standard size fire log on top of dry kindling. Ignite it with paper and let it burn to ashes.

DAY 2

Place 2 standard size fire logs on top of dry kindling. Ignite it with paper and let it burn to ashes.

DAY 3

Place 3 standard size fire logs on top of dry kindling. Ignite it with paper and let it burn to ashes.

DAY 4

Place 3 standard size fire logs on top of dry kindling. Ignite and let it burn to embers.
Place 1 fire log on the embers and let it ignite. Spread embers around cooking surface.

DAY 5

Place 3 standard size fire logs on top of dry kindling. Ignite and let it burn to embers.
Place 2 fire log on the embers and let it ignite. Spread embers around cooking surface.

DAY 6

Place 3 standard size fire logs on top of dry kindling. Ignite and let it burn to embers.
Place 3 fire log on the embers and let it ignite. Spread embers around cooking surface.

DAY 7

Your DIY Pizza Oven is ready!

Note: never throw logs harshly into the oven.

Firebricks are great to hold the heat, but when they are hot, they can easily crack with impact.

(The same goes with firing the oven when it is soaked – moisture turn into steam and steam can crack the oven.)