apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I like the radiator cover idea, which has ventilation holes. You can paint it whatever color you like. It can also double as a shelving unit and you can put decorative items on the mantel part of the radiator cover (of course you would make it high enough). Good luck.

I have this same problem, only with a ductless A/C unit that is more long than wide and mounted toward the top of my living room wall. Building a shelving unit around it is a great idea! Has anyone ever posted any pictures of something like this?

Before you do anything else, heed Matilda! This does seem to be the wrong unit for the job.

Maybe you can make a fabric panel (stretched around a wood frame) that you can install in front of the unit... and attach it to the wall with a hinge so you can flip it up when the AC is in use...

Clever idea noted in Dwell magazine:

http://lesliefry.com/articles_dwell.htm

My contractor replaced my ancient a/c units with window units instead of in-walls. As a result, the drainage seeped into the parquet wood floor, which stained and buckled beyond repair. Do yourself a favor and get the in-walls Matilda and Debre urge you to get, before you have to start collecting quotes on a new floor or, G-d forbid, mold remediation! Good luck.

I did the plywood box, like Shannon, with doors in front so I can open it when it's in use. Painted it the same color as the wall, too. Looks a little rough to me, but everybody else thinks it's a cupboard.

What about one of the free-standing radiator covers? a nice one of those could be used as a little console table. Then you wouldn't have to see it at all. The vents in the screen would let a/c pass thru when in use.

Carrie, from the photo it looks as though someone has put a regular window unit into an in-the-wall air conditioner casing, and this is not good. In-the-wall air conditioners are designed to vent and drain differently than window air conditioners. The best case scenerio is that the unit will not run efficiently and will end up costing you a lot in air conditioning bills. The worst case scenerio is that the unit will drain into the walls of the buiding and cause serious damage.

If you replace this unit with an in-the-wall air conditioner, it will blend in better and will be a tight fit so you won't have all the extras around it. The vents will also point up rather than straight into the room, so you can put something in front of the ac (like a couch, as we did in our place) and it won't compromise the flow of cool air into the room.

I had one of these in my previous house. It stuck out REALLY far from the wall. We built a simple plywood box (the construction wasn't great, I have to admit) that fit over it and painted it the wall color. I got a lot of comments about what a good idea that was. It got the job done.

I say put a picture frame around it... Why try to hide the obvious? And anything in front of it will make it useless.

what about a decorative window grill over top?

How about a pretty fireplace gate? A wrought iron one with pretty scroll work, or something to your liking, might be perfect for moving when you want to use it. You might even be able to keep it in place while using it.

Thanks Matilda, et al, for the head's up. The wall units here when we moved in were incredibly old and decrepit, so we decided to use our window units instead. I didn't realize this might cause problems. I'm just confused about how they will leak into the wall -- the back of the units still sit outside on our fire escape. And I just checked out the old wall unit that we still have -- it looks the same as the window unit, just larger. Thanks for any input!

I used foam core to make a small box that would slide right on to the front of the a/c. My walls were white at the time, so it just blended in.

Once the foam core starting looking a little not-so-nice, just tossed it out and made a new one.

BTW, I also installed a window unit in a wall sleeve, and haven't had any problems with it. (knock on wood....)

I cover my AC units, which are close to the floor, with 3 foot by 4 foot paintings on masonite. Masonite is compressed sawdust and woodwaste, by the way, and in college, we used them for a painting surface instead of canvas. The masonite is hardy and easily moved when I am using the AC.

-Susan

I have installed an inexpensive Ikea wall-mounted folding table over my ugly in-wall ac. When the table is down, it completely covers the ac and hole; when it is up, I have a useful little extra table to sit at the window and have my morning coffee! (Plus, when it is open, it doesn't block the ac flow)

Hmm... I wonder if you can't make a sort of enclosure like a radiator cover. This way you get a bit of shelving as well as decorative cover. These days they make all sorts of metalic patterns so you can make one rather modern as opposed to the victorian sorts that are usually used.

Try contructing a simple mantle type shelf over the top(looks like it was low to the ground). Then fasten some matching wood louvers to the underside which ever direction you prefer the air to flow(vert-LFR/RGHT or horz-UP/DWN).
Can be stained or painted, whichever works. Allow access to controls. Added bonus space suitable for keys,candle or picture frames.
If louvers seem to difficult, try similar setup with metal screening (think old radiator covers). Good Luck.

I have worked in the HVAC industry for 17 years. LISTEN TO MATILDA. She knows what she's talking about. God, if your apartment burns down, sue your landlord for being an absolute idiot. As for you Marie...'knock on wood'...you think you're so smart? You have put yourself in serious danger as well as everybody else living in your building. If your apartment catches on fire, all the people in your building can sue YOU for having installed an incorrect a/c improperly - you too Carrie in Brooklyn! Your landlord can even sue you for messing up his electrical. And consider the potential for water damage to your neighbors ceiling and mold and mildew - think people! AND NEVER EVER PUT ANYTHING IN FRONT OF AN A/C WHILE IT IS TURNED ON. DON'T PUT ANYTHING ON THE FRONT OF AN A/C FOR ANY REASON EVER, NOT EVEN ANYTHING DECORATIVE. Not only are you putting yourself at risk (PEOPLE - THIS IS AN ELECTRICAL DEVICE THAT COMES IN CONTACT WITH CONDENSATION - WATER! OKAY!!! WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MIX ELECTRICITY WITH WATER??!!) you are doing something that will absolutely void your warranty. If your landlord has installed a window a/c into a wall sleeve meant for a wall a/c, turn him in to your city's building department officials. You'll get the right a/c pronto. And if the building officials won't respond, start a small claims suit. You can go to your nearby court house and request one. It's not difficult and it's a whole lot cheaper than an attorney, but it does take some time and bother. As soon as your landlord receives that summons, if he's smart, he'll come up with that a/c instead of bothering with court and those expenses.