Frequently Asked Questions
Have a look through this list of commonly asked questions – you might find that answer you were looking for. If you still have questions – CONTACT US.
Mediterranean Woodfired ovens have produced our registered design of woodfired ovens in Perth for the last 20 years.
In the last 8 years there is has been a very high demand for our ovens and as 85% of products used in the manufacturing of woodfired ovens ARE and have always been imported from China so we made the decision to manufacturer our ovens from where the materials come from to make them affordable to all. Buying the same products locally was too expensive.
We have a large factory that still produces even better than what we produced here, and the materials have been sourced by us. There is a very high standard of quality control as not to compromise our product.
Our ovens are selling Australia wide and used to be available in Bunnings under the “Amalfi” brand for the last 6 years with little or no warranty issues. We no longer supply Bunnings, but are still the registered owners and distributors of the quality, Amalfi brand.
We also export to some parts of Europe and the USA.
We do regular visits to our factory and are consistently proactive with our manufacturing and customer support with the publishing of our own woodfired cook book “Getting Fired Up” and plenty of videos on our website to make this change in lifestyle an easy transition. We are constantly involved in developing new styles with exceptional heat retention and little fuel consumption as without those the joy goes out the door in using your woodfired oven.
Our ovens are used by many Australian celebrity chefs that willingly contributed to our book at no fee just because they use and love the product.
In the last 8 years there is has been a very high demand for our ovens and as 85% of products used in the manufacturing of woodfired ovens ARE and have always been imported from China so we made the decision to manufacturer our ovens from where the materials come from to make them affordable to all. Buying the same products locally was too expensive.
We have a large factory that still produces even better than what we produced here, and the materials have been sourced by us. There is a very high standard of quality control as not to compromise our product.
Our ovens are selling Australia wide and used to be available in Bunnings under the “Amalfi” brand for the last 6 years with little or no warranty issues. We no longer supply Bunnings, but are still the registered owners and distributors of the quality, Amalfi brand.
We also export to some parts of Europe and the USA.
We do regular visits to our factory and are consistently proactive with our manufacturing and customer support with the publishing of our own woodfired cook book “Getting Fired Up” and plenty of videos on our website to make this change in lifestyle an easy transition. We are constantly involved in developing new styles with exceptional heat retention and little fuel consumption as without those the joy goes out the door in using your woodfired oven.
Our ovens are used by many Australian celebrity chefs that willingly contributed to our book at no fee just because they use and love the product.
Yes, our website has pictures on product descriptions as well as a gallery linked to our Instagram feed so you can see examples of all our ovens.
All product specifications are detailed in the product collections or individual product descriptions for your convenience.
Pre-Built: We are 18 years developing our ovens and have minimised cracking. The type of cracking that you see in your oven is common and quite normal. With the extremely high temperatures that can be reached and the intensity of a natural heat source such as fire, your oven goes through a "settling in stage” where some expansion will take place. During this “settling in stage” it is not uncommon for these expansion cracks to appear. These cracks are under no circumstances structural defects and will not affect the performance or durability of the oven.
If the crack is not aesthetically pleasing to you then you can use a mortar supplied by us to fix it i.e.: 8mm or more. They will not change the cooking ability as the chambers are extremely thick. To avoid excessive cracking, you must follow the curing instructions as per the DIY Made Easy Kits instructions below before proper use to remove any excess moisture from the oven that was trapped during the manufacturing process. If you do not cure your oven correctly then you will see some cracks appearing initially.
DIY Made Easy Kits: ‘Cure’ the oven (to remove moisture) by first allowing the oven to dry naturally for a few days, and by then lighting a small fire. Keep the fire lit for as long as possible every day until cured. A cured oven will emit very little smoke, and the black carbon (which will initially appear inside the chambers) will disappear (the inside chambers turning white). During the Amalfi kit manufacturing process, as much air as possible is released from the chambers (unlike other kits!) ensuring a high quality. However, small hairline cracking can appear due to the intense heat of a wood fire – particularly if an oven is not cured properly. This is normal, and no problems generally result; however large cracks may easily be repaired with the mortar supplied.
If the crack is not aesthetically pleasing to you then you can use a mortar supplied by us to fix it i.e.: 8mm or more. They will not change the cooking ability as the chambers are extremely thick. To avoid excessive cracking, you must follow the curing instructions as per the DIY Made Easy Kits instructions below before proper use to remove any excess moisture from the oven that was trapped during the manufacturing process. If you do not cure your oven correctly then you will see some cracks appearing initially.
DIY Made Easy Kits: ‘Cure’ the oven (to remove moisture) by first allowing the oven to dry naturally for a few days, and by then lighting a small fire. Keep the fire lit for as long as possible every day until cured. A cured oven will emit very little smoke, and the black carbon (which will initially appear inside the chambers) will disappear (the inside chambers turning white). During the Amalfi kit manufacturing process, as much air as possible is released from the chambers (unlike other kits!) ensuring a high quality. However, small hairline cracking can appear due to the intense heat of a wood fire – particularly if an oven is not cured properly. This is normal, and no problems generally result; however large cracks may easily be repaired with the mortar supplied.
If you do not pour your own concrete slab, then you can use 18mm (minimum) concrete fibre cement sheeting on top of a sheet of flat galvanised sheeting. For extra support you can put at least 3 metal lintels across the top of the base and cement in.
On the chambers there are square raised mould marks that must be matched to the top. Most likely you have the back-chamber upside down.
You can use a product called SICKAFLEX 252 to seal between the oven and whatever workbench material you choose. And to seal around the flue use Shelley’s 401 Industrial Grade Silicone.
Our ovens are available in both DIY Made Easy and Prebuilt in various sizes.
- 5 bags x 20kg sand
- 1 x 20kg of cement
- 5kg of lime
- 800ml of Bondcrete & 800ml of Lanko 302 Cement accelerator
- OPTIONAL: 1 x 20kg of a crushed granite 2-7ml This will give a rougher finish
IMPORTANT: For Entertainer Kit add 2 extra bags of sand, and 10kg of cement. 200ml extra of the bondcrete and accelerator.
You can use Selleys 401 Industrial Grade Silicone for external use only on both the flue system and on the cracks. This will be clear in colour, but you can paint with an exterior paint if you wish.
Refractory Clay materials, like a commercial kiln. Concrete is not suitable for wood burning ovens.
We do not recommend stainless steel fronts on our ovens for a few reasons:
- Stainless steel can reach burning temperatures while fire is at hottest and one could very easily burn their arm when adding wood to the chambers or simply leaning against the front chamber.
- It is not a good conductor of heat and will not retain the heat for any length of time so therefore not good heat retention or fuel efficiency.
- It will in a very short period look terrible as it will stain from the heat and look blackish and cannot be polished up.
- It does not attach to the render very well and tends to break away from it.
Yes, we use quality insulation materials to ensure our oven is cool to touch, and family safe.
Approximately 30-40 minutes to 400 degrees C.
Only dusting of the floor – You do not need to take out the embers as very little wood is used and you need a tee pee effect to light the oven each time to allow for airflow.
Yes. A standard 900mm stainless steel flue with China Hat. Extensions available.
Yes, but we recommend a coating of Bondall Natural Finish Sealer for sealing/waterproofing/binding the render on the pizza oven. Any concrete water sealer will do the job.
A binder water seal is to be used with our DIY Made Easy or you can purchase our PVC rain jacket from our store for use in the wet season. This ensures greater oven efficiency.
A binder water seal is to be used with our DIY Made Easy or you can purchase our PVC rain jacket from our store for use in the wet season. This ensures greater oven efficiency.
Anything that you can cook in a conventional oven, you can vary the oven temperature.
2-4 minutes depending on the temperature and the quantity of toppings.
Up to between 700°C-800ºC but cooking at 350°C is recommended
There are 3 residential sizes and 2 commercial sizes to choose from.
Yes, with the purchase of a DIY Kit, a comprehensive D.I.Y. Made-Easy instruction is included as well as an easy-to-follow 15 step DVD.
Your oven itself is a spark arrestor along with your flue acting as a spark arrestor. Once the oven is being used as an oven and not been abused as a fire heater by overloading with wood then the ovens are totally safe to use and do not require an added spark arrestor.
As the flue is set OUTSIDE THE CHAMBER and the oven only use very little wood then there is no way that any sparks can get into the flue system.
The oven itself acts as a spark arrester as the wood is set so far back in the chamber that by the time it would travel over the roof of the oven it would have distinguished itself and could not travel back up the flue system.
You may wish to add some balled-up chicken wire and place between the flue and china hat so there is still airflow.
As the flue is set OUTSIDE THE CHAMBER and the oven only use very little wood then there is no way that any sparks can get into the flue system.
The oven itself acts as a spark arrester as the wood is set so far back in the chamber that by the time it would travel over the roof of the oven it would have distinguished itself and could not travel back up the flue system.
You may wish to add some balled-up chicken wire and place between the flue and china hat so there is still airflow.