Tom is in the final stages of building a pizza oven and is preparing to apply the base coat. However, he's having trouble finding Sakrete Scratch and Brown Base Coat, which was recommended by the kit manufacturer. He's wondering if he can use a Portland Cement and sand mix as an alternative.
Question from Tom:
I am building a pizza oven. I am ready to do the final coat. The manufacturer of the kit says to use Sakrete Scratch and Brown Base Coat. I have looked everywhere locally and can't find it. Can I just use a Portland and sand mix?

Answer: Hi Tom! Yes, you can use a mix of Portland cement and sand, but I wouldn’t recommend using just those two ingredients alone. Portland cement by itself sets up very quickly and will be difficult to work with. To make the mix more manageable, you’d need to add lime, which slows down the setting process and improves workability.
A simpler and more convenient alternative would be to use Plastic Cement mixed with sand. Plastic cement already includes lime in its formula and is widely available at most building supply stores. It’s designed to work well for scratch and brown base coats, making it an excellent substitute for the Sakrete product you mentioned.
Just mix the plastic cement with sand at a 1:3 ratio (one part cement to three parts sand), and you’ll have a durable and easy-to-apply base coat for your pizza oven. Let me know if you have any other questions!