DIY Brick Dome Pizza Oven
Step-by-step guide made from Sam Davies's YouTube video.
A comprehensive guide to building a traditional brick dome pizza oven from scratch. This project covers laying the insulated base, constructing the fire brick dome and arch, applying multiple layers of insulation and render, and building a decorative chimney and tiled work surface.
- Difficulty: advanced
Safety
- Always wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including safety glasses, gloves, and a dust mask, when cutting bricks and mixing mortar or render.
- Using a wet saw for cutting bricks is highly recommended to minimize harmful silica dust.
- Exercise caution when working with fire. Keep flammable materials away from the oven and have a fire extinguisher nearby.
Must know before you build
- Mix refractory mortar: 4 parts silica sand, 1 fire clay, 1 fondu cement.
- Fabricate a rotating arm jig for a perfectly consistent dome shape.
- Build the dome over a packed sand form for brick support until it closes.
- Ensure chimney opening is generous; too small restricts airflow, needs rework.
- Use Perlite instead of Vermiculite for insulating render; it's a better option.
- Cure the oven with several small, slow fires to prevent cracking.
Tools
- Trowel (Brick trowel / Pointing trowel)
- Bucket
- Wet saw (Tile saw, RUBI)
- Angle grinder (optional)
- Drill with mixing paddle (Cordless drill)
- Rotating arm jig (Custom jig)
- Grout float
- Level (Spirit level)
- Pointing tool (Pointing trowel)
- Shovel
- Wheelbarrow
Materials
- Insulation board (1)
- Sand (Building sand)
- Fire bricks
- Mortar mix (Refractory mortar)
- Pre-cut arch bricks (Fire brick)
- Ceramic fibre insulation (Insulation blanket)
- Wire mesh (Chicken wire)
- Vermiculite
- Cement
- Engineering bricks
- Reclaimed floor quarry tiles
- Dark grout
- Red dye (Cement dye)
- Charcoal dye (Mortar dye)
- Chimney cap (1)
- Chimney pot (1)
Step by step
Step 1: Build the Base and First Course
An insulation board is laid down, followed by a bed of sand and the fire brick floor. The first upright course of the dome is then constructed.
- Lay the Insulation Board and Sand Bed. Place a circular insulation board on your concrete slab to form the base of the oven. Cover the board with a layer of sand to create a level bed for the floor bricks.
- Lay the Fire Brick Floor. Lay the fire bricks on the sand bed in a herringbone pattern, tapping them into place to ensure a tight, level surface with no gaps or steps between them.
- Tip: Ensure there are no steps between the floor bricks for a smooth surface.
- Build the First Course of the Dome. Begin laying the first course of upright fire bricks around the edge of the circular floor, using refractory mortar to join them.
Step 2: Build the Arch and Chimney Opening
A rotating arm jig is installed to guide the dome's shape. The inner arch is built using a wooden form, and the opening for the chimney is constructed.
- Install the Rotating Arm Jig. Install a rotating arm in the center of the oven floor. This jig will serve as a guide to maintain a consistent curve as you build the dome.
- Build the Inner Arch. Create a temporary wooden form for the oven opening. Use pre-cut arch bricks and mortar to build the inner arch over the form, ensuring each brick is tightly fitted.
- Tip: Using a wet saw to cut bricks produces no dust, making it a safer option.
- Build the Chimney Opening. Construct the square opening for the chimney directly behind the arch. After building, the creator notes that the hole was a bit small and was later enlarged with a grinder.
- Common mistake: The chimney opening was initially built too small and had to be enlarged later.
Step 3: Construct the Dome
Using the rotating arm as a guide, courses of fire bricks are laid to build up the dome. This involves making many angled cuts to ensure the bricks fit together tightly as the dome curves inward.
- Lay the Initial Dome Courses. Continue laying courses of fire bricks, using the rotating arm to check the angle and position of each brick. Apply mortar and tap each brick into place.
- Make Tricky Cuts and Continue Upwards. As the dome gets higher, the angle of the bricks becomes steeper, requiring more precise cuts. Continue adding courses, checking the shape with the jig.
- Tip: As the dome gets higher, the bricks are at a steeper angle and may move slightly, so progress will be slower.
Step 4: Support and Close the Dome
To support the final bricks at the top of the dome, the interior is filled with a packed sand form. The last bricks are then laid to close the dome, and the sand is removed.
- Create a Sand Dome for Support. As the dome nears the top, the bricks start to slip. Fill the inside of the oven with sand, creating a packed dome shape to support the final courses of bricks.
- Lay the Final Keystone Bricks. With the sand dome providing support, lay the final bricks to close the top of the dome, cutting them to fit as needed.
- Remove the Sand Support. Once the mortar for the top of the dome has set, carefully remove all of the sand from inside the oven.
Step 5: Insulate and Render the Dome
The dome is insulated with a layer of ceramic fibre and wire mesh. Two coats of a vermiculite render are applied, followed by a final, colored render layer.
- Apply Ceramic Fibre Insulation and Wire Mesh. Wrap the entire brick dome with a blanket of ceramic fibre insulation. Cover the insulation with wire mesh and secure it with wire to hold it in place.
- Mix and Apply Vermiculite Render. Mix a batch of insulating render using vermiculite, sand, and cement. Apply a thick layer of this mix over the wire mesh, covering the entire dome.
- Key the Surface and Apply Final Render. After the first render coat, apply a smoother second coat with more sand. Score the surface to create a key for the final layer. Finally, apply the last render layer, which has been mixed with a red dye for color.
Step 6: Build the Outer Arch and Chimney
A decorative outer arch and chimney stack are built using engineering bricks. The brickwork is then pointed with a charcoal-dyed mortar.
- Build the Outer Arch. Construct the outer, decorative arch around the oven opening using engineering bricks and a wooden form for support.
- Construct the Chimney Stack. Build the chimney stack on top of the outer arch using engineering bricks. Use a level to ensure the chimney is built straight and plumb.
- Add the Chimney Cap and Pot. Add a decorative feature to the top of the chimney using angled cuts. Place a chimney cap and pot on top to finish the stack.
- Point the Exterior Brickwork. Finish all the exterior brickwork by pointing the joints with a mortar mixed with a charcoal dye for a dark, contrasting look.
Step 7: Tile the Work Surface and Cure the Oven
Reclaimed quarry tiles are laid on the hearth and surrounding work surface, then grouted. Finally, the first small curing fire is lit inside the oven.
- Tile the Oven Opening and Work Surface. Lay tiles at the opening of the oven. Then, lay reclaimed floor quarry tiles on the surrounding concrete slab to create a durable work surface.