Standard Harp·E coating is an eco-friendly 2k Oil which protects the wood from the elements. It’s easy to add paint, varnish, decals or stickers to this. All Harp·E packages come in Black, White, Mahogany or Natural Wood colours, the latter being a transparent coating. Through each of these colours you can still see the beautiful beech wood patterns underneath.

Because the 2k Oil coating has soaked a bit into the wood, you don’t notice scratches and you can still sand or polish it to become as smooth and shiny as you like. This also means you can still add layers on top of the coating. There are thousands of paints, varnishes, sparkles, etc out there that will work, just check with your supplier it’ll stick on a 2k Oil.  Oil based products are your safest bet. You could do a little test on a non-visible bit first, like the inside of the frame.

This option is for those that feel confident adding the entire wood coating themselves, offering the greatest degree of freedom. You could for instance laser cut patterns into the wooden parts before coating and use many kinds of wood paint, stain, oil, varnish or paint and combinations of those. Do read the important notes on coating below though as there are some risks involved.

Coating:
- Altering / adding coating is at your own risk, so make sure you know what you are doing. Seek advice from your DIY savvy friend or join the Harp·E community. We've seen loads of successful truly amazing results, but also some people who took it too lightly and have spent a lot of time and energy correcting mistakes.
- Make sure you don’t alter the functionality of the moving parts (too much). Adding paint or sanding down changes part dimensions. The lever mechanism has been designed to be able to cope with some thickness variations by adjusting the regulator bolts, but best to be conservative with those. The surface of the levers should be smooth and non-sticky for them to work well. Best not to paint any metal parts.
- We don't recommend using coating that forms a hard layer on top of the wood, unless you're familiar using those. It will require skill to prevent a hard layer from cracking during assembly. It might also alter the sound of the harp or functionality of the mechanism.
- We recommend using protective coating (like an oil) that slightly soaks into the wood and does not form a (thick) layer on top of the wood as it will affect sound and functionality, especially on the levers.
- Work in sparse, evenly applied, thin layers as to not make the wood too "wet" at any point., which might cause warping of the wood.
- We use 2K Oil, similar to what you'd use on parquet flooring, because its hard-wearing, non-toxic, easy to apply and water repellent. You can use many other types of coating but keep those aspects in mind when deciding on yours.

Sanding:
- You'll probably want to do some sanding before coating, to your desired level of smoothness. We typically use first 240 grain and then 320 or higher. Even after lots of sanding your coating will likely still lift some wood fibres, so expect to do some more sanding and/or polishing afterwards, that's normal.
- Do not sand the top surface of the levers (where they touch the metal mechanism sheet) or at least keep it to a minimum. To avoid altering their functionality.

Doubting your skills?
Alternatively - a Coated DIY version is best for those who take pleasure in the self-assembly process or want to "hack" things along the way, but don't want to venture into coating themselves. You can still apply colour on top of the existing coating, at minimal risk. Just make sure the paint used sticks on 2K Oil (which we use).

The Harp·E is a deliberately transparent design, allowing you to fearlessly modify it. You could assemble the whole harp mirrored to create a left-handed harp, you could combine 2 Harp·E to create a double-strung harp, you could integrate or bolt-on further electronics in the open spaces of the frame. The wood is strong, flat beech ply which allows for drilling additional holes. The unique centralised lever mechanism means there aren't a lot of bending forces going on, even though the strings are highly strung. This means altering the structure - within reason - is pretty safe. You can join the Harp·E community to bounce ideas off others that have gone before you.