Abstract Co,Ba,K/ZrO 2 coating onto the wall surface of an AISI 314 (American Iron and Steel Institute) foam was obtained using a sequential process: (1) original foam calcination, (2) ZrO 2 layer formation and (3) active metal incorporation. After the different processes, the samples were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Laser Raman Spectroscopy (LRS), Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and the coating adherence was confirmed by means of an ultrasound test. Their catalytic behavior was evaluated using the soot combustion (Temperature-programmed Oxidation (TPO) and isothermal reactions). The soot particles were added via immersion in a 600-ppm soot suspension in n-hexane. The sequential process used to produce catalytic coatings proved to be efficient. After calcination at 900 °C, the wall surface of the original foam was covered with a uniform rich Cr oxide layer. This layer presented an interesting roughness, which favored the anchorage of the ZrO 2 layer, obtained via washcoating. The latter layer was characterized by its mosaic-type morphology, an important fraction of the surface being rich in Zr (ZrO 2 flakes). In this fraction, ZrO 2 prevented the reaction between the active elements (Co, Ba, and K) and Cr 2 O 3 . The major components in the catalytic coating were Co 3 O 4 , BaCO 3 , KNO 3 and ZrO 2 . Each one of these components and the synergy between them generated a good combination for catalysts to be used in the abatement of soot and NO x in diesel exhausts. The whole catalytic system has an interesting mechanical and thermal stability and the apparent activation energies for soot conversions lower than 0.5 (92 kJ mol −1 ) are comparable to the global activation energy reported for the powder Co,Ba,K/ZrO 2 catalyst (82 kJ mol −1 ).