Pompeii Oven Floor: Granite OK?

[metalarts]

Hello all. First post here. I'm starting a build here in the United States. It will be a Pompeii style Bread Oven of about 700 mm inside Diameter at the base. The dome will be built of Firebrick. I wante to build the base at least 200 mm thick in total. My plan is to build first a base layer of full firebrick, then bond on top of that a beautiful piece of Granite that I bought that is 1120 mm by 978 mm by 3 cm thick. The type of granite is Black Pearl, and is a polished remnant from a countertop supplier. I realize that the fire will dull the finish, and that is fine with me. Will I be able to use this granite as a floor in my Pompeii oven/ I think that it would look absolutely brilliant, and would be the right dimensions to accomodate the hearth as well. I just want to make sure that this product would hold up to the heat of 800 degrees fahrenheit. The seller told me that the stone would withstand 1200 degrees F with no problem, but then again, they were making a (non-refundable) cash sale. In any case, I only paid $90 USD for the piece, so I'm not hurt in any way. Thanks in advance for your replies. Regards, MetalArts

[nickynoo]

If you can't get confirmation from the manufacturer or someone who has used that product in an oven, and you really want to use it, I would say go for it but plan for a failure. Have your slab waterjet cut into sections that fit inside the dome that are also able to fit through the entrance or sawn into tiles say 160mm square, that way if it goes wrong you can either replace the whole lot with firebrick or swap a tile over.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

[Paul Farnsworth]

Thanks for the reply, nickynoo. Have any of you other guys got any insight into this matter for me?

I really like how informative I have found this Forum to be, when browsing threads of the Pompeii Oven builds. I have already got a wealth of valuable info from this Forum that I'll be able to use in my build.

I talked with the Local Planning Commision this afternoon, and do not need to file a Permit to build the Oven. That is a welcome relief, as this city is well known for it's difficulties when dealing with the Building Inspectors' Office.

[faz]

My main concern with a single piece floor would be that uneven heating could lead it to crack - you will have a hot fire on one point and until everything heats up there will be quite a difference in temperature across the floor. Having it in sections would also help to alleviate this.

Is there no one on Forno Bravo who has used a single piece of granite? Lots of things have been tried by that lot.

[metalarts]

I spoke with a local artisan who has bulit a trailer-mounted Wood-Fired Oven for their business. Kiko Denzer helped with the build of that Oven. This guy claims that one piece of Granite would have enough of a difference in hardness and thermal properties from the Firebrick that it would be bonded onto, that it would eventually crack. I guess that the "Box" that surrounds my WFO will have the nicest roof that I have ever seen: a 48""x 40"x 1-1/4 " thick slab of Black Pearl Granite. At the $90 USD that I paid for it, that is still quite a bargain, and Lord knows a solid piece of Granite as a roof will not leak........