romantic comedy..have you thought about trying some insulating/self sticking padded foil? I used some on the bottom of the wood cabinet that is 1" from my hot section.
A buddy restoring a Corvette recommended it, & he was cutting weird shapes and sizes and sticking it all over his firewall. It is about 1/4" thick and has metal on one side and insulating foam on the other..the padded side sticks to stuff and you can cut it with tin snips (or ruin a good pair of scissors..
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It is available at Amazon (and I am sure lots of other places) and comes in rolled up sheets about 2 or 3 square feet. Search for "adhesive backed heat barrier".
Prices vary wildly so do a little digging to find yourself a good deal if you think it might help.