Choosing an Electric Kiln for Your Home Pottery Studio
A couple years ago, I decided to purchase my own electric kiln for my home pottery studio — a concrete-walled one-car garage space in our tiny cape.
In this post, I will discuss some considerations that go into picking an electric home pottery studio kiln for first-timers, including discussion on costs. There is a reason why my electrical bill shames me every month and tells me my electrical consumption is “Poor” compared to my neighbors… Her name is Birtha. I’ll introduce her in a minute.
Which Electric Kiln to get?
Before purchasing a kiln, it’s important for you to do your research to find the best fit for your space and your needs. While I can recommend some good kilns for home pottery artists, which kiln you get depends on 4 important factors: Budget, Space, Product, & Electrical Capacity.
Scroll down to the very bottom of this post or click here for a printable checklist!
1) Consider Your Budget:
Before making the decision to get my own kiln, I was paying $800 every 10 weeks to glaze and fire at a studio 20 minutes from my house (with unpredictable parking).
Image of my Skutt KMT-1027 named Birtha.
Given my level of production, I had to ask myself, was there a better (ex. simpler, more cost effective, less stressful, more liberating) long term option?
After much deliberating, the answer was yes. While installing my own kiln, a Skutt KMT-1027, ended up costing me about $7,000 all in (including the kiln, the electrician, the suitable kiln furniture, and the kiln vent system), that investment was, for me and my business, given my level of production, worthwhile in the long-term.
Before purchasing a kiln, be sure to budget the cost of the kiln, the cost of kiln accoutrements, and the cost of installing the kiln. You may also need to purchase additional home insurance, so check with your home insurance provider as well.
If you are purchasing the kiln for a small business based in the USA, you can claim the kiln as a 100% tax deductible business expense. So there’s that benefit, too!
2) Consider Your Space:
Firstly: are you allowed to have a kiln in this space? Before even entertaining having a kiln, make sure you can actually have one. If you are renting, the answer will likely be no. For some spaces, you may need to check with your home insurance provider or town/city. This is not the kind of purchase you want to say sorry about after the fact… Identify the risks, check for viability, and make an informed and safe decision.
What does your space look like? If you are allowed to have a kiln, examine the space. Is it hardwood? Concrete? Is it a garage, a outdoor shed, a room in the house? How big is the space? Does it have proper ventilation? What flooring do you have? Can you properly secure the space for safety purposes? Is there an electricity receptacle nearby? When you research kilns, read about what their specific spacial requirements are and compare them with your space.
Spacial tips for installing an electric kiln at home:
Ensure the room has proper ventilation to the exterior via a window, ceiling, or floor. I vent my kiln through a small garage window using the Skutt EnviroVent 2.
Kilns should be at least 18” from noncombustible walls (ex. concrete, brick), 3’ from combustible walls (ex. wood), and placed on noncombustible flooring.
Keep kilns away from flammable materials. A student once shared that a sewing project left on a kiln caused their school's art wing to burn down—always take precautions!
The room must handle heat well. In a poorly ventilated kiln room at a school I taught at, high summer temps caused the kiln panel to overheat, triggering an error code. Installing a fan to cool the panel solved the issue.
Place the kiln near the electrical receptacle, as most have 6 ft cords. Longer cords reduce efficiency.
3) Consider you Product:
What size pieces do you make? How many pieces do you make and how often? What is your preferred firing temperature? How many pieces do you plan to fire at a time? How often to you plan to fire your kilns?
When I am in production mode. I make a lot of pieces! These are all fired to Cone 6.
What temperature will you fire your pieces to? Do you plan to fire mid-fire stoneware (cone 5-6 clay and glaze)? Or low-fire stoneware? If you are considering low-fire work only, check out the medium-sozed L&L School Master Kiln, which can fire up to Cone 1. Otherwise, I recommend a kiln that can fire up to Cone 8.
How big are your pieces? Small kilns are, well, smaller! Choose a kiln that fits your largest pieces, even if you currently make smaller works. Consider future projects, as buying a kiln is a significant investment for many.
How often will you fire? To reduce electricity costs, fire kilns at full capacity. If you produce a lot quickly, a larger kiln may be more efficient, reducing frequent firing and wear. (I write about sustainable choices you can make in a home pottery studio here).
4) Consider Your Electrical Capacity:
Does the space have access to sufficient electricity? Do you have 120V or 240V access? How much can you allow your kiln to draw? Will you need to hire an electrician to outfit the space?
You want to make sure that the kiln gets access to enough electricity and will not be tripped by a midnight popcorn craving. Having a kiln stop mid-firing (especially for a glaze firing) is not a fun time.
You may need a licensed electrician to prepare your space for a kiln. Download the kiln’s electrical specs and share them with the electrician for a quote. For my Skutt KMT-1027, I had to install a separate 240V breaker and dedicated wiring, which cost around $1.5K in Massachusetts.
Electrical Kilns for Small Home Pottery Studios
While everyone has a different budget, space, product, and electrical access, here are my top recommendations for home pottery artists:
The High-production Home Potter: a larger kiln will likely be preferable, like the Skutt KMT-822 or the Skutt KMT-1027 (Skutt’s most popular model and the kiln I have in my studio, see below).
The Hobbyist / Dabbler: if you make smaller items and in lower scale quantities, something smaller like the Skutt Firebox 8x6 or the Skutt KMT-818 are good picks.
You can read about all the Skutt ceramics kiln options on their website. I recommend Skutt products because they are easy to use and they have excellent customer service. I have potter friends with Olympic Kilns, so that’s a brand to investigate as well.
Meet Birtha
Birtha is the official Meesh Pottery Studio kiln. She is a Skutt KMT-1027, and from the moment I unpacked her, it was love at first sight. Read the complete post about Birtha here.
Where to Purchase Your Home Pottery Studio Electric Kiln:
Ok, so you have done your research, and you know which kiln will suit your space and your needs.
There are multiple avenues for purchasing kilns. You may want to find the place with the best deal, or the place with the fastest delivery time, or the place that is most local — that’s up to you!
Some common purchasing sites to look into:
Facebook Marketplace (note: if you are going the used route, beware of scammers! Really do your research and do not pay before you see the product for yourself).
Alternatives to Having Your Own Electric Kiln
If you have a home pottery studio but are unable to have a kiln (there are many reasons why: cost of owning and running a kiln, living space, insurance, regulations, etc.) or are uninterested in having a kiln, there are some alternative firing options available for you:
Some of my pieces drying on a shelf in my studio.
Find a local studio that will fire your pieces.
Some studios will have strict rules about which clay and which glazes you can use. Some studios will require you to purchase limited amounts of clay from the studio and to use studio-glazes only. Some studios have you pay a per-firing fee; some studios have you pay for a semester. Definitely do you research to see what options are available near you to see what would be the best fit.
Check out Kilnshare.com.
You can peruse the website to look for a local potter open to renting out kiln space. Potters each have their own requirements and costs for firing pieces. Given the risks of firing, it is imperative that a potter’s requirements are met. Have a kiln of your own and open to sharing? You can list your kiln on the site, too! On average, kiln shares rent space at $50-$60 per kiln to account for firing costs as well as loading and unloading labor (it takes skill to play precious pots jenga to fill a kiln efficiently!). Kiln share costs may be more or less depending on location and other factors.
Other Considerations when Purchasing Your First Electric Kiln for your Home Pottery Studio
1) Purchase Kiln Furniture
To fire a kiln, you'll need kiln furniture, typically recommended for your kiln's size and shape. Kiln shelves must be coated with kiln wash (a mix of silica, alumina hydrate, and kaolin, combined 50/50 with water). Apply three coats with a paintbrush to prevent glaze from sticking. If shelves need re-washing due to glaze drips or flaking, grind them down first.
For an extra strong glaze-resistant shelf, I’ve seen many positive reviews in support of the Advancer Kiln Shelves. I have yet to try them myself due to costs. I don’t use runny glazes, and I am very careful about wiping the bottoms of my pieces, so I am personally okay with the conventional set of shelves that came as an add-on with my kiln.
2) Plan for Kiln Upkeep
Kilns require maintenance over time, including replacing elements, cords, or plugs. Regular upkeep of kiln furniture, such as sanding and reapplying kiln wash, is also necessary.
3) Consider Using Witness Cones
If you want to make sure your electric kiln is firing to temp, put a set of witness cones into each firing and study how they bend. According to Baileypottery.com, “Cones measure 'heat work' which is the combined effect of time and temperature. Clay and glazes are formulated to mature when a certain amount of heat work is achieved.”
As stated on Baileypottery.com, “To use witness cones, select 3 cones as follows: A Guide Cone - One cone number below your goal. A Fire Cone - The cone number you wish to achieve.
A Guard Cone - One cone higher than your goal.” What you are looking for is a fire cone that bends 90 degrees. Image credit: Baileypottery.com
TIP: When you get your kiln, track your kiln firing data
Keep a Kiln Log:
In order to observe trends and keep some data, I have a kiln log. My kiln log is pretty basic: it’s a simple notebook in which I record information about each firing. My kiln logs include pre-fire and post-fire information.
A Look at Meesh Pottery’s Data & Costs:
Based on my notes for 2024, I did a total of 25 firings. 1 Cone 019 luster firing, 4 preheats, 9 Cone 04 bisque firings, and 11 Cone 6 glaze firings.
The number of kiln firings went up in the fall to prepare for winter markets. It was low in the summer because I was away.
Total electric costs for all my firings in 2024 amounted to about $300, with an average of $14.50 per bisque/glaze firing.
Conclusion:
Purchasing your own kiln takes planning! Spacial, financial, and electrical planning. In my business as an artisan potter, purchasing Birtha — my Skutt KMT-1027 and my partner in practice — was entirely worthwhile.
Do you have your own home pottery electric kiln picking wisdom? Leave them in the comments!
Here's a printable check-list to help you get organized with purchasing a kiln for your home pottery studio!
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