Have you ever wondered how to build a wood-fired pizza oven in your backyard? If your answer is yes, then welcome to this guide. We are going to write everything you need to know about building your perfect backyard pizza oven in stages.
Enjoy reading, and then, enjoy building!
What exactly is a wood-fired pizza oven?
If we would like to give a specific definition of a wood-fired pizza oven, we would say that it’s an oven which is fuelled by wood, and which you can build in your garden without any problem.
What’s more, thanks to such a wood-fired oven, you won’t have to go to an Italian pizzeria in order to eat a delicious wood-fired pizza. That won’t be necessary with the perfect oven right next to your house! Why eat an ordered pizza or homemade pizza, when you can eat a “garden-made” pizza from your own pizza oven?
Actually, it’s possible to use a pizza oven kit. You can buy a ready-made wood-fired pizza oven. You can, for example, easily make a purchase on the website vitcas.com/prd/cty/wood-fired-bread-pizza-oven. The ovens available on this page are easy to install and enjoy great popularity. This option is really worth considering!
What are the benefits of having your own outdoor pizza oven?
There are lots of benefits of building wood-fired ovens. First of all, you can eat delicious wood-fired pizzas. And not only pizzas! There are many different meals you can prepare. Instead of cooking pizza only, you can make loaves of bread, different types of fish and meat, roasted vegetables, and even something sweet like cinnamon rolls. There are plenty of suggestions!
The next advantage worth mentioning is that the taste of all the meals prepared in a brick pizza oven is brilliant! Moreover, nothing compares with the smell of these dishes. Try to imagine this amazing aroma. And then build your DIY pizza oven to truly enjoy the flavour. We are sure you will not regret it!
We need to add that you can benefit from the garden pizza oven because you gain a perfect pretext to meet your friends and family more often. Try arranging meetings with delicious food, good music, and a pleasant atmosphere. Your closest ones will be impressed!
How to build a DIY pizza oven? Step-by-step instructions
Building a backyard wood-fire pizza oven may seem hard to people who have no experience in this kind of DIY activity. We have prepared this “pizza oven tutorial” for them! If you’re such a person, read everything carefully, so you can realise that building an oven is easier than you think!
1. Find the best location for your own pizza oven
The first thing you need to think about at the beginning of the building process is finding one good location for your outdoor pizza oven. You cannot choose a “random” place. You ought to bear in mind that the garden oven will be a permanent installation, and you simply won’t be able to move it to another location. That’s why you’d better plan everything carefully.
Choose a sturdy, level ground. You may have to create a foundation. Stand in your garden and close your eyes. Then, try to imagine your ideal pizza oven. Which place can you see in your mind’s eye? Sometimes it’s good to go with your gut. This place is supposed to bring you entertainment and comfort. It is recommended not to build ovens near trees, because they are likely to catch fire, which can lead to potentially dangerous situations.
2. Buy the best materials available on the market
The next step after choosing the location is buying the finest refractory materials essential for building your outdoor pizza oven. Make your shopping list. Determine the design, size, and shape of your ideal pizza oven, and then you’ll know what you will have to buy.
You will probably need arches, clay, fire-resistant bricks, concrete, or stainless steel flues. You don’t even need to physically go to any store—you can conveniently shop online. We highly recommend visiting the website shop.vitcas.com. You’ll find everything you need there.
3. Carry out measurements
The next stage starts with carrying out measurements. Thanks to that, it becomes possible to find the centre and to make a mark. Why is this important? The answer is easy – you need to be sure where to put the first block. Then it’s just a matter of continuing with the other blocks. Using concrete pavers or fire-resistant bricks is the best option.
Take into account the need to make some cuts. If this happens, you will have to make the next measurements with the use of a speed square. You ought to take an angle grinder and then score the paver on each side. What matters the most is laying all the material evenly. You should stagger the joints for structural integrity.
4. Build upwards
If you have already set your first row, you can start building upwards. Use an adhesive in order to adhere your block together. Be careful and thorough while laying the glue down towards the middle of pavers or bricks. Do not forget to check the plumbing level on each of the courses you do. Then, continue building until the moment when you achieve your desired height.
5. Set the capstone and lay fire bricks
The next stage consists of setting the capstone, glueing it to your base, and laying fire bricks which will serve as a floor. Not only that, it’s also important to lay the first course of your dome shape. It is recommended to use clay brick for this purpose. Your dream wood-fired pizza oven is now closer than further!
6. Apply heat mortar
High heat mortar – this is something you will need next. You have to mortar a brick with it. With a little bit of water, you will gain a desired milkshake consistency. All you need to do is to apply a thin layer of the mortar on the underside of your brick and wait 24 hours to let it dry completely.
7. Create the dome
Creating the dome is one of the key stages of the construction process. Thanks to the dome, it becomes possible to evenly radiate the heat from above. The dome stores heat in the oven floor. More importantly, there’s a space for air circulation provided by the dome. It all comes down to having the opportunity to cook pizzas quickly!
Creating the dome shape is more than easy, actually. Let’s start with building a mould out of wood. Again, take measurements. Look for the centre and make a shape of an arch. Use the pencil to draw your measurements and use a jigsaw to cut the obtained shape where necessary. Make one more arch in the same way. The opening of your DIY pizza oven is ready!
Now you need to attach both arches to the oven. Then, finish the mould. For this purpose, you have to drill holes in your dome. After that, start forming your dome with the use of the previously mentioned mortar mixture. Make sure that everything sticks properly. At the end of this stage, build more courses. Finally, roll each of the bricks in the shape of an arch. It’s worth mentioning that if you want your oven to have a chimney, you need to need a square for it!
8. Add the chimney
We reached the final step of the building process – adding the chimney. It is recommended to add it in the front of the pizza oven. Building the chimney does not differ significantly from building described in the previous steps. Again, you need the same materials such as mortar and bricks. When you’re finished, you ought to wait a few days to let everything dry. When the time is right, pull your mould out. Don’t forget to clean up your oven, especially on the inside!
Summary
Building pizza ovens takes time, but it’s definitely worth it. Finding the right location? That’s easy. Buying the right materials? That’s even easier! Carrying out measurements? Can do. Building upwards? Sounds like fun!
Setting the capstone, laying fire bricks, applying the mortar, creating the dome, and adding the chimney – any task can be accomplished as long as it’s broken down into manageable pieces!