I had an F500 for 1650 sq ft. 1.5 story. Only complaint I had was that the upstairs was always 10deg warmer than where we lived downstairs. If it had all been on one level, it would have been a better setup.
Yes, stay away from any advancement that burns cleaner and extracts more heat from the wood but requires a little larger stove to accommodate baffles and also requires that you plan a little and not cut your firewood the night before the weather turns cold. The paint issue I can see as a legit complaint.