The laser cladding of diesel engine exhaust valves is an emerging technology that provides excellent results in terms of the wear and corrosion resistance of the repaired materials. This work focuses on the deposition by laser cladding of Stellite 6 alloy coatings on two different base materials: an AISI 1045 carbon steel and an AISI 304 stainless steel. Following a process optimisation criterion, several of the fundamental laser treatment parameters were varied in order to obtain defect-free coatings with good adherence and minimal dilution. The metallographic structure of the clad material, irrespective of the substrate used, consists of a typical dendritic microstructure in a solid solution of Co. The mechanical strength of the layers was analysed by measuring HV0·1 microhardness and sliding wear behaviour. Laser coatings achieved hardness greater than 500 HV0·1, and presented excellent dry sliding wear behaviour, with a dimensional wear coefficient k one and a half orders of magnitude lower than that of the substrates. A combined oxidation and abrasion mechanism dominated the wear of the Stellite 6 layers, while in the case of AISI 1045 steel substrate, the wear was caused mainly by a surface oxidation mechanism. For the AISI 304 steel, the wear resulted from a combined adhesion, abrasion and plastic deformation mechanism.