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I don't think this is a "slap a coat of paint on it" kind of job.

I'd contact a Kitchen Refacing contractor - they're the folks who can deal with repairing loose & missing laminate and replacing doors.

With all that damage to the enclosure around the radiator i'd be inclided to rip out the cover altogeter or replace it with something more durable... You could purchase a new sculputral radiator and not hide it at all depending on your taste.

Then you could sand and paint the rest w/o worrying about you work being undone.

If you don't want to rip it all out look for a primer designed for repainting veneer.

N.

http://badhuman.wordpress.com

Budget would be a big help to figure out options.

I'd think about coving the parts that are dark in some kind of paint. This would be the radiator cover and the horizontal, hiding the slots and giving some contrast.

Thanks everyone. I can't rip it out becoz it is part of a wall unit. So I guess I have to reveneer the part that covers the radiator. Oh I can see this isn't go to be easy!

Maybe you could just rip off the panel covering the radiator or get the same size made in steel maybe (or something else depending on your taste of course) then you could cover the top with foam and some fabric or leather so it becomes a window seat.