Closing off the front -- tips and tricks

I’m moving slowly but I’m getting there :grinning:

I want to close off the front after I remove the foam, and any suggestions are greatly appreciated from all of you that have completed this phase.

Thank you!

Ciao.

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Great job on the stucco shell! The whole thing looks fantastic.

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You’re making great progress, Lia! Thanks for this photo.

The foam is serving no useful purpose, and the longer you leave it in, the more difficult it will be to remove it.

As for closing off the front, we haven’t done ours yet, but probably will this summer. The prime tip is that you can wait a while if you’d like to see whether an open oven is to your taste, and then close it off if you prefer that. It will involve some cleaning of the front before you start so that there’s no issue with mortar, but other than that it’s totally up to you as to when you do it. This link will give you some more details on that option.

How about it, Barilistas? What’s your favorite tip for making the opening smaller?

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Thank you so much. The first layer of stucco scared me because it was cracking. On the second layer, I followed @BrickWood, and
Shaloha Creations advice to keep it moist or cover it with damp towels and plastic, it worked great . And lastly I mixed some white cement with water and painted over the all stucco shell. :sweat:

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You are SO right about “The foam is serving no useful purpose, and the longer you leave it in, the more difficult it will be to remove it.” It was a total pain removing the foam! :sweat_smile:

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Directions 2.0 will recommend the use of a daughter’s boyfriend (or similar) for the removal of the foam.

I’ve had several great stories from customers that received help from “family experts”…

Doubtful the kids today have read Tom Sawyer, so you can use the “Removing the Foam is FUN” route…

In the story, Tom is in trouble with his Aunt Polly. As a punishment, she demands that he spend his Saturday painting the fence. But Tom, being the resourceful kid that he is, enlists the help of his friends by convincing them that it’s not work, it’s fun!

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