So the top shelf needs to be 1580mm X 148mm. Staple a piece of galvanized sheet metal to the back of the cover to help reflect heat into the room. The homeowner likes the look of the exposed radiator in the bathroom but added a small slab of marble to elevate the design and create … Cut the last board to fit inside the two sides, like this: Tip: Use a bit of Liquid Nails to secure the base board before you nail it in place. I purchased ready painted mesh which saves a load of time but the rest needed a couple of coats of Matt white paint. The first, very visible, is made of large planks of good quality, arranged in formwork around the radiator. You can of course design and make your own styles but the principle is pretty much the same on all designs. You’ll need a long screwdriver to reach these through the top gap of the cover. Find out how to fit a radiator cover which will look great, hide your radiator but not significantly reduce it's performance. I may receive a small commission if you buy a product via a link on my website. Your cover should be looking near finished now but don’t forget to measure up for the valve and skirting cut outs. Cut the holes (shapes) using a jigsaw. This radiator cover consists of two frames nested one inside the other. You need your depth, width and height. And lastly, paint it black, otherwise known as the “it” color of the moment. I purchased a 2400mm x 1200mm 18mm MDF board and started with the larger pieces first. One piece I didn’t mention before was a small cut of MDF that sits in the centre to help support the top shelf. You want to make sure that the trim creates a little bit of a lip -- this ensures that the radiator will be held in place in the future. Take a note of these dimensions in a notebook or piece of paper. Using clamps along each join also helps ensure the pieces line up nicely. Finally you’ll want to paint the cover. While the radiator tin is drying, paint the cover with the paint color of your choice. ( Log Out / This will give you the internal dimensions for the enclosure. I tend to do this by eye, adjusting the pivot point slightly until the line hits each side of the start and end point. Use small wood nails to nail the trim to the front of the cover. Apply two coats of primer and a topcoat of paint. Install Anchor Blocks. Place a console table over the radiator so you’ll have a surface for décor and other must-haves. Poplar board (this is important- it’s the best kind to withstand the heat from the radiator) Paint, wood stain, polyurethane We measured out the area around the radiator, making sure to add 2-3 inches all around for appropriate air flow. Though bespoke furniture maker Deanery Furniture built this table specifically as a radiator cover, you can similarly make your own. 16. Cut a piece of sheet metal to fit behind the radiator to help reflect heat into the … Prime the wood radiator cover frame with high-quality primer. The clips works great and keep the radiator cover tight to the wall. Typically, radiator covers have a metal mesh on the front to allow heat to pass through. Now all thats left is to secure the radiator to the wall and paint. Two to three per side should work just fine. Carefully pin the fabric at the radiator's top curve so that it will rest on the top of the radiator. Victoria (my wife) is however quite fussy with her decor choices and she couldn’t find anything she liked, nor could we find anything the right size for our enormous living room radiator. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Anyway this is as far as we have gotten now. (If you have a thermostatic valve make sure this isn’t covered as this will prevent your radiator from functioning correctly.) Can a shop-bought radiator cover be made taller? Wipe with a clean, damp cloth to remove any dirt and dust and follow the next step to measure and cut the tin to size. Shannon Smith is a DC-based marketing coordinator by day, and interior decorator and blogger by night. Leave ample margin between covers and radiators. You can also choose to run some trim along the side of the radiator cover, like I chose to do here. The clips works great and keep the radiator cover tight to the wall. We only have normal valves and wanted to have access to them so I measured up to the side of this. First of all you want to measure your space. It gets secured to the underside of the shelf with 2 screws. If the table has a lower leg brace, notch it back deep enough to accommodate the radiator. Step-by-step guide. See more ideas about radiator cover, radiators, diy radiator cover. Now, using a large flat surface, use the drawing compass to find the radius centre point. Starting with the width of the radiator, add 40mm to one end, or both ends if you intend to cover the valve. This is what the radiator cover will look like once you've nailed your trim to the front. 17. Fill all nail and screw holes with wood putty; sand the surfaces with 120-grit sandpaper. “When you make a custom radiator cabinet, the grate opening on the front panel is entirely up to your preference,” says Smith. For the width of the cover add two lots of 20mm, (1540 + 20 + 20 = 1580). I kept this list simple and ready to refer to as and when required. It should be tight enough that there are no visible gaps from the front, but not too tight that the metal bows in the middle. It’s a good idea to embrace it and use the space over it as much as possible as this way you’ll reduce the heat loss that happens when you have screens and covers. While the primer is drying, prepare your radiator tin to be cut. I used both my circular saw and Table saw to cut the square pieces. Now label which piece is left, middle, right, top and bottom to avoid confusion. And paint! For the depth of the cover add 18mm (MDF thickness) and 20mm overhang. A top of a radiator can be the perfect place for a shelf. With all the pieces mapped out and the sizes double checked I was ready to write a cutting list. To secure the radiator cover to the wall I used a KEKU clip. So the top shelf needs to be 1580mm X 148mm. This ensures that the paint goes on evenly and does not drip. This marble radiator cover is simply a radiator top. Measure the width, height and depth of the radiator. When the spray paint dries, pop the tin back into the radiator cover, pushing slowly to make sure you don't scratch the paint. Cut the Length Next, take your top and side panels to a miter saw and cut them down to the appropriate length. This base board provides stability to the cover, and gives you a clean and finished look. Sources for Radiator Covers . Her blog, Burlap and Lace, has been featured by brands such as Home Depot and Better Homes & Gardens, and her design business, Shannon Claire Interiors has been published in the Washington Post. When a piece of wood or stone is placed on top, a bulky radiator … They were there to provide a function, not to look pretty and thats exactly what we thought when we moved into our early 70’s property. Add 40mm to the distance that the radiator sticks out from the wall. It’s just the arched pieces that were a little tricky as you will see a little later on. (110 + 18 + 20 = 148mm. Add metal sheets as they are easy to handle, inflammable, durable and will make your cover energy-efficient. There are a million screw holes and everything isn’t lined up uber perfectly. With only a small vanity for storage, this bathroom was desperately in need of another flat surface. I really liked the metal grills that I found at Barker Metalcraft, but I figured covering hot metal with other hot metal was not making it any safer for little fingers.I decided to make an all wood cover based on the styles I liked best. You should now have the rough idea of what the cover will look like. Try and get at least 5 down the sides and 10 along the top to get a secure fit. Put a top … 18. Try cutting 2 holes on the shorter sides and 3 – 5 in the longer sides like I’ve done here. Once the primer is dry, flip the radiator cover on its face and measure the width of the inside. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The new radiator cover covers the unsightly radiator, but also give us an additional flat surface for storage (or fresh flowers!) Using a saw to cut material that is used to make a radiator cover. 15. I love the power of caulk! Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Have a look at some more of my projects around the house: Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Radiator Cabinets – How to Fit a Radiator Cabinet or Cover How to make sure your radiator cabinet is the correct dimension to ensure the minimum heat transfer. The first job will be to measure your radiator and any pipes you want to enclose within the cover. We knew that we wanted the cover to extend along the wall, wider than the radiator itself, so we used those measurements. Learn how your comment data is processed. Take the measurements of your radiator. Drill pocket holes at both ends of the horizontal supports and secure them to the vertical legs by using 1 1/4″ screws. The radiator cover on the left consists of a frame, again made from furniture quality timber held together once more with a little liquid nails with wood blocks and wood screws, for the infill I used a piece of oak veneered panel, which is available in various colours and patterns, cut to the appropriate size and held in place using small wood screws. Caulk all seams, fill the nail and screw holes with wood putty, sand, and paint the cover's exterior. First of all, we recommend you to build the front face of the radiator cover. The cover itself is light and easy to remove! Prime the wood radiator cover frame with high-quality primer. Once it's dry, use a staple gun to attach the screening to the inside of the cover. Holding the can about 12 inches away from the tin, spray back and forth in light spritzes. For the depth of the cover add 18mm (MDF thickness) and 20mm overhang. And there you have it! Is your furniture eco friendly and ethical? Mark the dimensions with a marker on the radiator tin, and cut very carefully with tin snips. Top shelf example: Using the dimensions above the width is 1540mm and the depth is 110mm plus 18mm for the front panel MDF width. hi there, I want to cover two radiators in my living room but am finding that they are all around 80cm tall and my radiators are 80cm/85cm so they covers arent tall enough. You will want to leave a 40mm gap around the outside of the radiator to allow sufficient air flow once the cover is attached. Once you have drawn the line you can now cut both pieces out using a jigsaw. Do one at a time. Also, try to fit the cover into the radiator to make sure that everything’s okay. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Sep 13, 2020 - Explore Milena's board "RADIATOR COVER", followed by 313 people on Pinterest. For the trim, I used pine lattice board in a 1.5 inch width. Just have a look on Pinterest for some inspiration. To secure the radiator cover to the wall I used a KEKU clip. Before you gather your supplies for this project, the first thing you need to do is measure your radiator. WARNING: Tin snips and cut tin will be very sharp! This blog is for entertainment purposes only and is not professional advice. This can make for a more sturdy radiator cover and you could skip the glue along the edge. Cut a 1x2 block about 3 inches long and attach it flush with the top in the corners where the two panels meet. Start of by marking each piece on the board, then cutting it. Make sure that the base board is clean with what will be the front of the cover. This way I could quickly measure, mark up and cut the pieces. Use the pine lattice board of 1 ½ inch wide for the trim. And there we have it. This will show you where the centre piece joins and where the arches will begin. Be careful around rough edges. Use this time to fill any holes or gaps with wood glue, as well. Then using a combi square, mark a 30mm line from the top of your vertical pieces for … It gets secured to the underside of the shelf with 2 screws. Sure, you can buy ready made covers from most hardware stores but you might not be able to find something the right size or style that suits your decor. Place the cover over the radiator to make sure that it covers everything, and that you like the look. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The beauty of this radiator cover unit is the functional doors which make access to the radiator a breeze. Hunker may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Behind the door is a small radiator that we rarely used, so I jumped at the chance to create a radiator cover that was both pretty and functional. Measure the depth, width and height of the radiator, taking care to add a couple of inches or centimeters to the dimensions. Measure the front dimensions of the cover, and cut the corners where the trim meets at a 45 degree angle (much like you would do with moulding). These will require little to no space between the cover and radiator. This blog contains affiliate links. The traditional materials are MDF or thick cardboard or any other material you like – but remember that it should be inflammable. We had our local hardware store cut down MDF for the front and the sides of the cover. Sew the two pieces together using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. To make radiator covers invisible, blend them in with surrounding shelving units and interior décor articles. A radiators primary function is to provide heat to a room. Ours were 70mm, so the total was 110mm. This wood is easy to paint and cut, and is light enough so that it won't make the radiator cover top heavy. Most of these pieces were straight forward square cuts. Now you can cut and add the mesh to the back of the cover. 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