I used a stone veneer over the concrete block walls and would now like to put it over the oven as it’s veneer. I did a dry stack application which came out really nice (tightly packed, no grout between the stones, just polymer enhanced mortar behind it). If I do this over the dome, I’m concerned about water collection on the top of the oven. Since the veneer is about an inch or so thick and the oven has a good arc to it, there will be a little space between the stones that could hold water. The polymer mortar is supposed to be pretty water resistant, just thinking about our wet Oregon winters! Should I do a thin grout between them at the top? Thanks!
Hi Paul and welcome to the BrickWood forums.
Beautiful work on the base! I really love the way that stacked stone looks.
I think your instinct about what’s going to happen when your stonework goes from vertical to horizontal is correct. There’s another consideration: just as the firebrick underneath all have wide outer joints at the apex of the arch, so will the veneer.
I’ve flagged your post so that @BrickWood will see it; he’s seen just about every application of veneer there is. But my general opinion is that you would want to grout the arch for the reasons you mention.
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Another thought I had was to paint the stucco with a waterproof membrane before applying the veneer. I read that some stone guys do that when dry stacking veneer rock in water features or showers. Thanks for the feedback!
I like that idea but I don’t think it will be effective. In a shower enclosure the effect will be for water to run right back out of the joints because it won’t adhere inside them. On your oven the water will have no place to go because of the angles involved. In that case it doesn’t care whether surface tension will hold it in place because each joint will make a little reservoir for it.
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Matt is right. Water can erode and move anything in the planet. Look at the Grand Canyon. If you can not achieve the drylock look I would suggest trying a complimentary look. Go in the gallery section. Maybe you can find some inspiration. I did.
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In addition - mortar / veneer mortar will not stick to a painted surface like it will a raw stucco or mortar surface. Whenever you attach veneer, it HAS to be on a clean, unpainted surface or it will just pop-off later down the line. Yes… you can apply a bonding agent, but I would advise against using this on your oven. Can I apply brick veneer on a painted surface? - #2 by BrickWood - BrickWood Bulletin Board - BrickWood Ovens
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That looks great, Paul! I am also doing a stone veneer over my arch, and my plan is to use real stone, smaller sized, and apply them flat, then finish around each stone so the mortar is even with the edges of the stone. I would like to do a dry-stack look, which I also really like, but I have concerns about water laying in the joints and wreaking havoc pretty quickly, especially here in the Great Northeast where freeze-thaw cycles seem to occur daily from October to May! Good luck!
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Thanks Bill!
I did end up doing a dry stack over the top and then grouted with a grout bag. I figured if they use it for floors and it’s approved for exterior use, I’ll go with it. The grout bag enabled me to really get in the cracks pretty well. I used a tinted grout and am pleased how it turned out. Here’s a pic of the arch before I grouted. Don’t have one post grout yet…
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Awesome! I sure do like that dry-stack look - so much so that I am now (again) re-thinking my plan.
That’s a great looking job!
Great looking oven, could also double as a bomb shelter with all that rock!
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