As the weather heats up, the radiators in our century-old home are starting to bug me. It's not the noises they occasionally produce, nor is it the way they look; ours are quite pretty and Victorian. And I certainly prefer steam heat to forced air, which I find so dehydrating. The reason my radiators irk me is that they take up valuable square footage in a home where, between all the windows, French pocket doors and fireplaces we have very few places to put furniture.
And the uneven tops of uncovered radiators do not make for practical shelf space to store or display things. Another drag about radiators is that they can get very hot to the touch. With (unbelievably cute!) twin boys at home, safety was one of the main reasons Skip and Rachel decided to build covers for their radiators.
Skip consulted DIY instructions outlined on This Old House and got to work. His DIY radiators look terrific (images 1-3). The radiator cover in the twins' bedroom (image #4) was salvaged when a neighbor threw it out.
I have been interested in getting radiator covers but had heard that they have an unwanted impact on heating efficiency and effectiveness. A bit of research online reveals that this issue is the source for a big debate on the DIY circuit. Some claim that radiator covers result in a 20% to 30% heat loss. Explains one DIYer, "Although with the radiator cover there will be less heat coming into the room there will be less taken from the water and therefore no cash loss - in fact there could be a saving of course but at the expense of a cooler room." But the folks at This Old House disagree, arguing that radiator covers with the proper backing actually distribute heat more efficiently. "Instead of the heat going directly to the ceiling, the back allows it to be pushed into the living space. This can raise temperatures up to four degrees. With the added temperature boost, you can turn your radiators down a bit yet still enjoy the same level of comfort--not a bad investment."
What has been your experience with radiator covers? Are they cost effective? Are they environmentally friendly? Have you ever considered making your own?
Images:
1-3: New DIY radiator covers at Skip and Rachel's home.
4: A radiator salvaged from a neighbor's trash
5: The twins prop themselves up against the radiators in the days before Skip's handiwork.
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I currently live with radiators all over my house. I have a love-hate relationship with them. I hate how ugly they are, but they kick off so much heat!!!
They are perfect for warming up socks, towels, clothes, etc in the winter months too.
I just moved into a spot with radiators (and covers) a few months ago. The covers don't seem to affect the heat that comes out--we had an inspector check the temperature of the rooms after the heat kicked in. But we also can't control ours, which means we're at the mercy of the automatic temperature gauge somewhere in the condo building. Anyways, I would never get rid of my radiator covers--it gives me so much more room to work with! I use it to hold plants and occasionally books/stuff that doesn't melt!
In college, I just put a wide board on top of mine and it worked great. Our dorm radiators were pretty flat-topped, though.
My very first apartment had radiators, and I used it for lingerie storage since I lived there primarily in winter.
My second apartment bedroom was a sunroom, which meant that I had relatively little wall space. I managed to balance my dresser's mirror on top of that radiator with the help of a thick towel. Worked GREAT!
It's also great for warming up cats!
that cat is ridiculously cute
I'm sure the diy was very well done, but I really like the salvaged one. How lucky!
We recently completed rad covers (DIY) for our space and love the difference it makes. The room looks much more finished with the covers!
http://interiorgroupie.blogspot.com/2011/03/rad-covers-complete.html
I'm just about to move into my first radiator-heated home. This is a question I'll be keeping an eye on because I like both cost-efficiency and extra storage (as well as fewer eyesores!)
Just made 5 of these for an old Craftsman Home. Red oak, salvaged from a Seattle tree that had to be taken down. Check it out:
http://bit.ly/jvG4o2
For me, radiator covers are on a par with fancy toilet brush holders, or curtain pelmets. Don't like them.
I have a 12" scar going down my hip from when I fell into my radiator while climbing out of the shower this winter. I'm very excited about this tutorial. Thanks!
My company BattyBuilt specializes in designing and building custom radiator covers to suit any style, any room. We serve Westchester NY, Manhattan and Connecticut.
Here is a link to the website: www.battybuilt.com
I recently put silver deflectors behind and under all of my radiators, and am amazed by how much more heat I notice them throwing off!
How about a slab of marble? Would it be feasible (price-wise and practically) to find a slab that is the right size, and cut some grooves underneath to correspond to the radiator coils to keep it steady? I'd love to do this to the small radiator in my bathroom to make a shelf.
I'm moving into a studio with steam 'heat included' so its unbearably warm to my taste. I'd like to build something to cover the radiators to cut down on the heat (most people probably like it so warm, but I'm coming from a '55 at night' big old house and not used to it at all.) The added bonus of shelf space is great too. I like Luckyparker's marble slab idea, its too bad its winter as that's probably something I could come up with in the salvage area of Todd's Farm flea market.