In this article, we are going to show you how to build a wood-fired pizza oven step by step. If you love making and eating pizzas, this guide will be perfect for you! It is doable. Trust us; it’s worth having your pizza oven in your backyard! Get ready for a pizza party because building a wood-fired oven is simple, fun, and easy. Let’s start!
What Is A Wood-Fired Pizza Oven?
A wood-fired pizza oven is an oven that you can easily build in your garden. This kind of oven works the same way as ovens in pizzerias. It’s worth knowing that there are garden pizza ovens in the shape of squares, and there are also less common rectangular ones with an arched roof. Let’s not forget about round ovens that cook more evenly because the heat is bounced evenly onto the cooking floor.
You can bet on an outdoor pizza oven that has a spot for firewood storage in the base! In this text, we are going to focus on the design of a wood-fired oven that is built from both pavers and bricks. You will learn a lot about a dome-shaped oven.
Building An Outdoor Pizza Oven Step By Step
We are going to guide you through the process of building a pizza oven one step at a time. Trust us, your DIY skills level is good enough, and we believe that the building process will be easy for you. The process consists of a few steps only!
Finding The Right Location
You should start with asking yourself and figuring out what location will be the best for your oven. This is important because it will be a permanent installation. Don’t forget about it! There are a few things you have to take into account before you start planning.
Install your wood-fired oven on flat and solid ground. It is quite likely that you will have to create your foundation. Your perfect oven should have at least 3 feet (0.91 m) of clearance on each side. You need to find a place where you will feel comfortable and entertained. Most likely, you’ll intuitively know where it is ideal for you to enjoy delicious pizzas. One of the examples of such locations is a patio. However, you are the one who decides.
Buying The Highest Quality Materials
The next step is determining the design of the oven. Think and decide on the size of your desired oven and its specific shape. Choose the finest refractory materials. For this purpose, you need to stock up on clay, arches, fire-resistant bricks, stainless steel flues, and other necessary materials, depending on what design you decide to go for.
Are you looking for a perfect pizza oven? Or do you want to build one? If so, go to shop.vitcas.com/products/wood-fired-ovens/outdoor-pizza-ovens.html and check out an impressive selection of pizza ovens and a vast range of high-quality materials you will need to build your oven!
The most important thing is to create something good-looking, functional, and, above all, tailored to your needs and preferences.
Carrying Out Measurements
Another step is carrying out measurements, finding the center, and making a mark—all of this to make sure where to put the first block. Continue with the rest of the blocks and make sure that the layout looks good. You can create your base from concrete pavers – a really strong material that can hold the weight of your oven and doesn’t need to be fire rated. Also, you can use fire-resistant bricks that also have a number of valuable properties.
In some cases, you may need to make a few cuts. Then, you should use a speed square in order to mark your measurements, take an angle grinder, and score the paver (if you decide to use pavers) on each side. The goal is to evenly lay all the material. If you don’t want your joints to line up, you should stagger them for structural integrity.
Building Upwards
After setting your first row, it’s time to build upwards. You have to adhere to your block together. For this purpose, you ought to use an adhesive. Remember to always lay your glue down carefully. Apply your glue toward the middle of your bricks or pavers. After that, check the plumbing level on each course you do. Keep building until you get your desired height. Verify again that everything is level.
Setting The Capstone And Laying Fire Bricks
Now it’s time to set the capstone. Adding adhesive on the top of your base is a smart move because the construction must be strong and stable. The next step after gluing the capstone to your base is laying fire bricks that will serve as the floor. It’s also time for laying the first course of your dome shape. For this purpose, you ought to use clay bricks. Nothing prevents you from achieving the effect of a traditional pizza oven with a herringbone floor.
Applying Heat Mortar
When you have your layout, you need to render the bricks with high-heat mortar. Mix it with water in order to obtain a milkshake consistency. Then, apply a thin layer of your “mixture” on the underside of the bricks. After that, you should take a 24-hour-long break.
Creating The Dome
You cannot omit this step because you can radiate the heat evenly from above, thanks to the dome. It is beneficial because it stores heat in the oven floor, and it provides a space for air circulation. It is needless to add that it allows you to bake pizzas and other meals quickly!
How to make a dome shape? It’s easy! You have to create a mould out of wood (alternatively, you can use sand) so that you can lay bricks around this mould and then remove it. But first, take all the necessary measurements, find the center and make an arch shape. Draw it with a pencil, and then cut the obtained shape with a jigsaw. Congratulations! You just created your oven opening, i.e., the place where the door for your oven is to be installed. Repeat this step if you want to make one more arch.
Once you’ve completed this step, drill a few holes in your dome. Use thick layers of your mortar mixture to start forming your dome – everything has to stick properly! Put a few more courses and lay each brick so that the construction has the shape of an arch.
Adding The Chimney
If you want to add the chimney, you have to leave a square in your construction during the previous step. The front of your oven will be the best location for a chimney. Just build it in the same way you built the rest of your pizza oven. It’s nearly over. All you have left to do is wait a few days to let your mortar dry up and pull your mould out. You might need to cut out and remove the wood in multiple pieces. Clean up the inside of your oven at the very end.
Why Is It Worth Building Your Wood-Fired Oven?
There are many advantages of wood-fired ovens. This is a topic for a separate and detailed article. Above all else, you don’t have to go to Italy to eat perfectly baked, delicious pizza. Wood-fired ovens are perfect for the ultimate al fresco dining, and they can bring a taste of Italy right into your back garden! You can bake pizzas using traditional methods and authentic ingredients. You can improve your cooking skills and feel like a real chef thanks to outdoor cooking in outdoor pizza ovens.
The meals take right from the oven are so tasty, and they smell so good! Also, they are healthy because they retain their valuable nutritional value. You can impress your family, and you gain a pretext to have nice meetings with friends. And finally, the last reason is that building your wood-fired pizza oven is easy! As you can see, pizza ovens are extremely versatile.
Final Words
Building a pizza oven is more than easy. You need to find the right location and buy the right materials. Carry out measurements, build upwards, set the capstone, lay fire bricks, apply heat mortar, create a dome, add a chimney, wait a few days, clean up and enjoy your own perfect wood-fired pizza oven! It is that simple!
