Hi -
The illustration for enclosing the front of the oven does not specify what type of brick to use and does not mention what size. I tried looking at pictures in the gallery, but couldn’t tell. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
With all the benefits of enclosing the front of the oven, I’m wondering if version 2 of the directions should specify brick type and size?
Thanks very much.
Greg
Fire Brick is a standard size worldwide - the most common size being 9" x 4.5" x 2.5".
BUT… Standard / common bricks (from HD, Lowes, Rona, Menards, Mom & Pop’s…), they are ALL different sizes. Tthere is no “set size” for standard / common bricks… so we couldn’t put a set size in the instructions.
Every brick manufacturer has their own molds w/ their own unique brick sizes. And there are MANY sizes out there!!
Just make sure you order about 8% - 10% more than you will need so you won’t run out… the store runs out… color changes / slurry mix, etc…
Firebrick is preferred, standard brick is acceptable.
The closure is not likely to come into direct contact with flame because of its location. You still want high temp mortar.
The brick should be set on their sides rather than flat. Use an angle iron to bridge the space between the two legs and complete the top of your closure.
Thanks very much Matt, one follow-up question:. How many bricks are required to enclose as depicted in the diagram? Can I just use the number that is in the diagram?
Thanks again!
Greg
If you are building exactly the closure in the diagram, I believe it is to scale.
But I urge you to read @BrickWood ‘s post above, because there is no such thing as a standard size brick.
There is an easy way to figure it out, though.
Look at the dimensional drawing for the oven opening in the instructions. You want to know the height of the interior arch once the foam is removed.
Take the width of the top of the brick you plan to use. That’s the large flat surface; it is going to be the face of your opening. Add up how many “widths” you need in order to reach the top of the opening, subtract 1 from that number, and multiply it by 0.25. That’s how you account for the quarter inch mortar joints.
You are doing this to verify that the brick you are using will approximately lay out the way the brick in the diagram do. You can use the diagram to eyeball the rough number of brick you need, and your math to validate that number.
I know you’ve got this, and looking forward to seeing your progress in photos when you have a minute!
Thank you very much Matt, you are a brick pizza oven encyclopedia! 
Where is the best place to post progress pictures?
Happy to help! For progress photos you can post them in this forum section. You’ll see a link in the instructions if you care to post a complete set of your build photos. I know @BrickWood scoops them up at some point and posts them as a gallery.
I just thought I’d add what I did for my front enclosure. The bricks I chose for the hearth had the typical holes in them, and I wasn’t sure how well they would cut to follow the barrel shape. The brickyard where I was getting my supplies happened to have clay pavers in the exact same color, so I chose to use those. I’ve been using my oven over a year now, and they have held up just fine. No cracking or chipping to this point
