The present invention relates to a coating assembly and methods that employ the coating assembly to control the thickness of therapeutic or other coatings delivered to a medical device during a coating process. In one embodiment the coating assembly may include a coating plate having a coating transfer surface and a shoulder having a first height, a mandrel moveable over the coating transfer surface, and a coating dispenser positioned in fluid communication with the coating transfer surface. The invention also includes a method of coating a medical device. This method may include placing a medical device on a mandrel, dispensing coating onto a coating transfer surface of a coating plate, moving the mandrel and the medical device over the coating transfer surface of the coating plate so that coating resident on the coating transfer surface transfers to an exposed surface of the medical device, and removing the medical device from the mandrel.