The Tandoor Site

Building: Insulating and Finishing

Once the vermiculite is in place it would be messy and awkward, though not impossible, to remove it. Now is a good time to check that everything is OK before pouring the insulation.

Light a small fire in the tandoor using just a handful of charcoal. Keep it going all day until the tandoor liner is thoroughly hot.

A hot fire might crack the relatively damp liner at this point so be careful to keep the fire small. When the tandoor has cooled check that the liner is still intact and that the fire cement looks secure.

Pour in the vermiculite around the liner. Put the plywood top on.

The clay tandoor liner must be protected from rain. A tarpaulin might be sufficient but it wouldn't look good and might result in condensation. I constructed a simple top out of 18mm exterior grade plywood which will eventually be varnished and then should be sufficiently weatherproof. Thinner ply would probably be a good idea since my cover is too heavy for me to remove and replace easily single handed.