Custom surface coatings help to transform your wood stove into a beautiful, unique centerpiece for your living space. You can color your entire stove to fit your decor or use contrasting colors on parts of your stove for an unexpected splash of color.
You can apply a custom finish to your wood stove for a unique look. Painting your stove is the best DIY option, but other premium finishes can be applied by professionals for a higher price. Coating options include:
- High-temperature wood stove paint
- High-temperature powder coating
- Enamel coating
- Chrome or nickel plating
High-temperature Wood Stove Paint
High-temperature wood stove paint is available in colors other than black! Forrest Technical Coatings offers 32 colors of Stove Bright Paint, which is the same high-temperature stove paint applied by the factory in consumer-friendly spray cans.
Advantages
- Easy to apply—Do it yourself!
- Easy to touch up
- Low Cost: <$20 per can
Disadvantages
- Multiple thick layers of paint can cause the paint to crack or peel. Better results can sometimes be achieved by sandblasting off the factory paint before applying new.
- Paint can wear off on high-traffic surfaces like cooktops, so it may need to be reapplied periodically to keep your stove looking new.
- Limited to commercially available colors
Things to consider
High-temperature stove paint must be cured when the stove is first brought up to temperature. This is true of both the factory coating and any user-applied coatings and can be done by burning the stove at a high temperature in a well-ventilated area.
Powder Coating
Advantages
- More durable than paint
- Corrosion and abrasion-resistant
- Available in a wide array of colors
Disadvantages
- Not a DIY project
- Cost is higher than painting it yourself
Things to consider
Not all powder coatings are suitable for use on a wood stove. Your powder coating vendor must use a high-temperature coating like Cerakote ® V Series.
Enamel
Advantages
- Beautiful, high-gloss, durable finishes
- Corrosion and abrasion-resistant
- Custom colors can be mixed into virtually any shade
Disadvantages
- Not a DIY Project
- Cost
Things to Consider
Enamel coatings tend to be relatively thick, so you’ll want to mark off areas where applying a thick coating would interfere with the stove’s assembly or function. This coating also requires some surface preparation that the enamelar may require (cleaning, light sanding, etc.)
We’re aware of only one enamel shop in the country that will take an individual job like a personal wood stove. Contact Independence Porcelain Enamel: https://www.ipe-porcelain.com/
Details on surface preparation when working with Independence Porcelain Enamel: We have worked with this team over the years so they know how to coat the Dwarf wood stove doors which means you shouldn’t need to do anything special to prepare the door for enameling.
IPE will media blast the door as part of their process so no surface prep is absolutely necessary, however, to improve results, you can sandblast the existing paint coating from the door and smooth any sharp edges with an angle grinder to help the enamel flow smoother over the surface.
If you use another enameler, you’ll want to make sure you note that no enamel should be applied on the back side of the door, inside the holes for the hinges or door handle, or on the bottom of the hinges where the door contacts the hinge knuckles on the stove body.
Plating
Advantages
- Beautiful, shiny, durable finishes
- Nickel and chrome are corrosion-resistant
- Not a DIY project, but there is almost certainly a chrome shop near you. We had fantastic results getting a stove door plated by Restoration Plating in Spokane, WA.
Disadvantages
- High cost. It cost us around $300 in 2022 to have one stove door plated.
Things to consider
Copper strike looks glorious when it’s brand new but quickly dulls to an unimpressive dark brown finish once the stove heats up in the presence of oxygen. If you’re plating your stove, opt for chrome or nickel.