Seal Veneer Before Curing Fires

Mattone Barile & Mattone Barile Grande Ovens
1

Hi

I am done veneering my oven and am in the process of grouting everything. Once done, I would like to use a masonry sealer. My question is, should I do the curing fires first, or is it OK to seal before the curing fires?

Thanks very much.
Greg

2

I’d recommend sealing before you cure. The fires are inevitably going to generate soot, and you’d have to scrub that off before you could seal.

And congrats on finishing the veneering step, Greg!

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That makes sense, I didn’t think about the smoke and soot. My concern was that I might be interfering with the curing and drying process by sealing the barrel before the fires.

Thanks, the oven looks much nicer now that it is covered in brick veneer. I started grouting and used a grout bag for the first time. It is saving me a lot of time and effort. Such a simple thing, but so helpful!

Thanks very much Matt.
Greg

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4

I’m a little late with my response here hopefully will help another builder. My project took to summers to finish in 2022 I built the main oven and brick veneered the barrel, and chimney. In 2023 I stone veneered the concrete block base. I asked the brick yard where I bought my supplies about sealing everything. I told them I planned to use the eco advantage sealer recommended here. Their recommendation was to wait 28 days before sealing to allow enough time for all the mortar and grout to cure properly so moisture wouldn’t be trapped in by the sealer. I’m not sure if it’s necessary but after all the hard work I wasn’t taking a chance of making a mistake so i followed their advice.