You can buy a new cooktop for less than it cost's to refinish that one.

With the grates in place, do you still see the pitting?

I drive a 2006 Saab, and I love my car, but they don’t make them anymore, so I’ve had to become accustomed to some cosmetic imperfections in order to keep it. It is what it is, and it drives like a dream. If you like the way your range works, and you can live with the cosmetic imperfections, I’d say do that, or buy a new one, as @klem1 recommends.

klem1 - if you look at the OP’s pic, it is clearly a 36” range. A Kitchenaid 36” gas range is about $5,000.

To the OP - I don’t know of any way to paint that surface that is heat proof. I was thinking maybe auto body shop paint, but not sure if it’s heat proof, and in any case, it is highly unlikely they’d come to your house to paint, so you’d have to move your range to them. Again, assuming the paint job is even possible.

I think you will just have to live with that appearance. With the grates on, it’s not as bad. It appears you were overzealous in the cleaning products you used, whether it was steel wool or some other abrasive sponge, or the type of cleanser you used which was too abrasive. You should use either a cleanser made especially for cooktops (sold at places like Bed Bath & Beyond), or simply dish soap on a non-abrasive nylon pad like a Dobie pad.

Thanks Shannon. You are correct that I really don’t want to spend the money to buy a replacement range. When we bought the house the cooktop was already that way and it’s possible that it happened by using incorrect cleaning products. Appreciate the feedback.

Wood stove paint might work. It can definitely handle high heat.

And there is this. If you decide on touch-up paint make sure it’s high heat repair paint designed for a cooktop.

Just an FYI, any paint likely will not give the durability of the original stove finish. The normal finish on washers, dryers, stoves, etc. is a glass enamel which is applied and then fired in a kiln/oven to create a ceramic/glass coating. Any paint that you applied just wouldn't have the same durability.

Shannon_WI had this to say "klem1 - if you look at the OP’s pic, it is clearly a 36” range. A Kitchenaid 36” gas range is about $5,000.

To the OP - I don’t know of any way to paint that surface that is heat proof. I was thinking maybe auto body shop paint, but not sure if it’s heat proof, and in any case, it is highly unlikely they’d come to your house to paint, so you’d have to move your range to them. Again, assuming the paint job is even possible.

I think you will just have to live with that appearance. With the grates on, it’s not as bad. It appears you were overzealous in the cleaning products you used, whether it was steel wool or some other abrasive sponge, or the type of cleanser you used which was too abrasive. You should use either a cleanser made especially for cooktops (sold at places like Bed Bath & Beyond), or simply dish soap on a non-abrasive nylon pad like a Dobie pad."

Shannon,it is your kind that ruin's online advice forums. Other than insinuate that I am illiterate and telling op she likely caused the problem then babbling on to say you don't actually know how or who can refinish the top, exactly what did you contribute that will help op? FYI,not only can I read the brand name,I can read the schematics glued to inside panel of all appliances. Can you? I repaired appliances for four decades. How many years have you spent repairing appliances? If you are lonesome,go talk with other lonesome people instead of mudding the water for people trying to find solutions for problems.

My advice for op was short and sweet. The part was finished once,it can be refinished again but the cost is unreasonable.

@formulaross20, yes, that’s true, and honestly, as I posted above, I’d leave it as is and learn to live with the fact that you have an older, well used, not-so-perfectly cared for range.

It's off topic, but what really hurts online forums is flame wars.

The Fidonet Principles were developed back in the good old pre-internet days as a nice, simple way to combat flame wars.

1. Thou shalt not be too annoying.

2. Thou shalt not be too easily annoyed.

Gee klem1 that was really tense. I re-read what I wrote, and your response to it. I don’t see anywhere I “insinuated you being illiterate”. You wrote “You can buy a new cooktop for less than it cost's to refinish that one.” As a consequence I pointed out the OP actually has a 36” range that would cost $5000 to replace. All the stuff you wrote is in your mind. It’s great you know how to read schematics and repair appliances. This forum could use your expertise. But your anger was out of nowhere. Lonesome comments - where did that come from and why? Sorry you didn’t like my suggestion to the OP. Also, there was no way I could know that it wasn’t the OP who scrubbed the range. Typically posters would say something like “I moved in and the range in my new home looks like this”. Your high level of anger is bewildering, and if you got so upset with what I wrote, I hope you will keep off Instagram, Twitter and Facebook where they decimate people.

Can you get that piece OFF?

If you can, then it might not be such a big deal to have to re-enameled. (I don't know who would do it, but somebody must.)

Yes, the piece will come off. I was wondering what kind of company could re-enamel it.

I would look online and on ebay to see if anybody has the replacement part for this model. Sometimes you get lucky, even if the appliance is discontinued.

If you can't find anyone, and it's bad enough to take risks, there are high-heat spray paints for automotive and wood stoves. They won't look like glossy glassy enamel, but you might be able to get a cast iron look.

Don't make me stop this car.

@Fori: "there are high-heat spray paints for automotive and wood stoves."

Rustoleum manufactures high-heat black paint but the instructions say specifically that the paint should not be used on surfaces that will be exposed to flame, i.e., it's okay to paint the outside of a wood stove but not inside.

And, we have come full circle. @Klem1's first answer in this thread said that the repair isn't going to be cost effective.

And I would tend to believe that. The correct repair involves removing the part, stripping it, filling any hidden serious defects (if any), and then recoating with enamel. This is certainly doable and I'm sure with some effort you can find somebody to do this for you. Pricing will vary wildly based on where you're located. But I'd be surprised if you could get this done for less than $1000.

If this was a somehow unique and valuable range, then that's absolutely fine. But for a slightly older and otherwise standard KitchenAid, that doesn't make sense.

And touch up paint is inevitably going to look far worse in short order. It's a great solution for spot repairs, but can't do any of what is needed here.

So, you got three options 1) shell out a small fortune for a proper repair, 2) buy a new range, or 3) live with some relatively minor cosmetic blemishes

What about something like this?