A temperature rating, and a cure that happens on the first fire

Stove paint, and the curing nobody warns about

Stove paint is silicone-based heat-resistant coating, and it is bought on one figure: the temperature rating, usually 600 °C for the body and up to 1 000 °C for the pipes and grates that run hotter. Buying above the requirement costs nothing; buying below it produces a finish that discolours and flakes in the first week. The form divides the shelf: aerosol is the usual answer for a stove in place, brush-on is better for a part taken off and laid flat, and the two differ in finish more than in durability. The coverage in square metres per can lets two prices be compared honestly, and on aerosols it is the figure most often absent. The colour range is narrow by nature — senotherm black, anthracite, grey, and a handful of others — and matching an existing stove from a photograph rarely works. Then the part that is specific to this product and that every maker publishes in its instructions: the curing. The paint is not dry when it feels dry; it polymerises on the first heating, which must be done in stages, with the room ventilated, and which produces a smell that is normal and alarming. A page here prints the maker's schedule rather than paraphrasing it. We compare type, colour, volume, temperature, substrate, preparation, application and curing.

These parts, set out figure by figure

1. 

   MIPA Mipatherm Stove Spray, Black, 400 ml

   A stoving lacquer in an aerosol, rated to 800 °C — and the listing says so in one word most buyers will not recognise.

   Type

   Stoving lacquer (Einbrennlack) — it cures by being heated, not by drying · Not stated

   Colour

   Black

   Volume

   400 ml aerosol

   Temperature

   Heat-resistant to 800 °C, from the title

   Substrate

   Not stated

   Preparation

   The maker does not state it.

   Application

   The maker does not state it.

   Curing

   Two words: stoving lacquer, stoving paint · Not stated — no temperature or time is published

   Amazon reference

   B002WIIGYK (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4016176012187

   • Names itself a stoving lacquer, which is the single most important fact about this kind of paint
   • The cheapest in this family, in the common 400 ml aerosol size
   • Publishes no curing schedule, so a buyer is told the paint must be baked and not at what temperature

   Best for: Anybody who already knows how stoving lacquer works and wants the cheapest can of it

   Check price on Amazon
2. 

   WerkXheld Stove Lacquer Spray, Anthracite Grey, 400 ml

   The fullest method on this shelf — five numbered steps, a shaking time and a spraying distance — with no temperature figure anywhere.

   Type

   2 to 3 minutes, stated

   Colour

   Anthracite grey · Matt, stated to dry in a few minutes

   Volume

   400 ml

   Temperature

   Not published — heat-resistant is stated without a figure

   Substrate

   The maker does not state it.

   Preparation

   Clean, dry and grease-free; remove rust and loose old coatings; sand for best adhesion

   Application

   Approximately 25 cm, stated · Thin coats, cross-hatched, stated — with an optional clear coat over

   Curing

   The maker does not state it.

   Amazon reference

   B0DQVJNZ9S (one reference across 2 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4262432711541

   • Publishes a five-step method including the two numbers people get wrong: shaking time and spray distance
   • Tells buyers to test on an inconspicuous area first, which nothing else on this shelf does
   • No temperature figure at all, on a product whose entire category is defined by one

   Best for: A first attempt at spraying a stove, by somebody who wants the method written down

   Check price on Amazon
3. 

   Fermit Stove Black, 220 ml Tin

   Not a lacquer at all — stove black in a tin, the traditional finish for cast iron, with one published line of description.

   Type

   Stove black (Ofenschwärze) — a tinned product, not an aerosol lacquer

   Colour

   Black, implied by the name

   Volume

   220 ml

   Temperature

   Not published

   Substrate

   Not published

   Preparation

   The maker does not state it.

   Application

   Not published

   Curing

   One line, which repeats the product name and the size · Not published

   Amazon reference

   B07G4C7ZNK (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4250775413758

   • A different product from the sprays on this shelf, for a job the sprays do less well
   • A tin rather than an aerosol: no overspray, no masking, no propellant
   • One published feature, which is the product name again

   Best for: A cast iron stove or range front that wants reviving rather than repainting

   Check price on Amazon
4. 

   VE-INDUSTRIES Thermal Lacquer Spray, Black

   The only listing on this shelf that publishes the curing condition — an hour at about 160 °C — which is when the paint is actually finished.

   Type

   The maker does not state it.

   Colour

   Black, with the listing stating various colours are available

   Volume

   Missing from the listing

   Temperature

   Developed to withstand up to 800 °C without losing structural integrity or colour, stated · Stated resistant to rust, chemicals and weathering, indoors and out

   Substrate

   Optimal on metal, stated for excellent adhesion and corrosion protection · Exhaust systems, engine parts, boilers, grills, stoves and other metal surfaces

   Preparation

   Clean thoroughly, degrease, and lightly sand if needed

   Application

   The maker does not state it.

   Curing

   Stated dry and temperature-resistant after one hour of heating at approximately 160 °C

   Amazon reference

   B0B24YFVGX (one reference across 4 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4260495946269

   • Publishes the curing schedule, which is the one thing a stoving lacquer buyer has to know
   • States exactly what surface it is for, and what preparation that surface needs
   • The volume is not published anywhere on the listing

   Best for: Anybody repainting a stove who needs to know when the finish is actually hard — and can fire the appliance to get there

   Check price on Amazon
5. 

   JENOLITE Directorust Grill & Stove Spray, Black Matt, 400 ml

   The one lacquer here that goes straight onto light rust with no primer, rated to 650 °C, and listed for brick and ceramic as well as metal.

   Type

   None required — stated designed for use without one · Stated to be applied directly onto light rust to prevent further corrosion

   Colour

   Black matt

   Volume

   400 ml

   Temperature

   Withstands up to 650 °C, stated, and described as a thermal barrier protecting metal surfaces · Stated to have UV and weather resistance for indoor and outdoor use

   Substrate

   Metal, brick, cement, ceramic, paving, grills, stoves, pipes, fire grates, fireplaces and vehicle parts

   Preparation

   The maker does not state it.

   Application

   The maker does not state it.

   Curing

   Made in the United Kingdom, stated

   Amazon reference

   B085S4NBWW (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   5060148421230

   • The only listing in this family that can go over light rust without stripping back to bare metal
   • No primer, which removes a step and a second product from the job
   • The lowest temperature rating published on this shelf at 650 °C

   Best for: A stove or fire grate with light surface rust, where stripping to bare metal is not going to happen

   Check price on Amazon
6. 

   ad Stove Paint 1200 °C, Anthracite Grey, 250 ml

   A 1,200 °C claim — four hundred degrees above anything else on this shelf — in a 250 ml tin, on a listing of five keywords.

   Type

   The maker does not state it.

   Colour

   Anthracite grey

   Volume

   250 ml

   Temperature

   1,200 °C, from the title — the highest claim in this family by 400 degrees

   Substrate

   Stove, fireplace and wood-fired baking oven, from those keywords · Not published

   Preparation

   The maker does not state it.

   Application

   Not published

   Curing

   Five, all of them single keywords: stove paint, stove, fireplace, stove colour, wood-fired oven · Not published

   Amazon reference

   B00RU6EPHG (one reference across 4 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4260306551187

   • Anthracite grey rather than black, which suits a modern stove body
   • Names a wood-fired baking oven among its uses — the hottest thing on this shelf
   • The 1,200 °C claim stands 400 degrees above every other figure in this family and nothing on the listing supports it

   Best for: A wood-fired baking oven or a very hot surface, by somebody who has already established what the paint needs to do

   Check price on Amazon
7. 

   Dracholin Mineral Paint for Plastered Stoves, White

   Not a stove lacquer at all — a water-glass silicate paint for the render on a tiled or masonry stove, and no use on metal.

   Type

   Water-glass bound mineral paint on a silicate base

   Colour

   White

   Volume

   The maker does not state it.

   Temperature

   Naturally fungicidal and bactericidal, stated · Diffusion-open, emission-free and low in odour, stated · Not published

   Substrate

   Plastered fireplaces and tiled masonry stoves — not metal · Lime-cement render, lime plaster, gypsum-lime plaster, old mineral coatings and woodchip paper

   Preparation

   The maker does not state it.

   Application

   Stated easy to apply without lap marks

   Curing

   The maker does not state it.

   Amazon reference

   B07HM683BY (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4872303120053

   • Addresses the surface no other listing on this shelf does: the render around and over a masonry stove
   • Diffusion-open, which is what a plastered stove body needs so moisture can leave
   • It is not stove paint in the sense five other listings here mean, and cannot be used on metal

   Best for: The plastered body of a tiled stove or a rendered chimney breast, where a metal lacquer has no business

   Check price on Amazon