Hello AT,
We recently had some heating issues in our apartment and had to call someone in to bleed the kitchen radiator (the air release thingy was old and stripped so I couldn't do it myself).
As it turned out, the radiator cover was cemented to the floor, making it impossible to remove, though the workman tried his very best!
We now have heat and an extra ugly looking radiator...
well, this may not be the best solution ever, but I'd just take some wall hole filler, use it to fill in the indentations, smooth it out, let it dry and then paint the whole thing over. anyone else?
view oneclevergirl's profile
Yes, fill. DO NOT SAND OLD PAINT unless you fancy lead poisoning. Pretty much any paint used pre-1978 has lead in it and if your rad has 'three hundred' layers as you say, chances are you've got lead. Paint chips are also bad in this scenario.
www.calpoison.org/public/lead.html
view foog's profile
I think the heat may cause most fillers to crack. Try using epoxy as a filler.
view caw261's profile
Do you own or rent? If you own I would recommend purchasing a new radiator cover. If you rent, just cover it up with a new coat of paint. The surfaces won't be level, but it won't look too bad.
view Matilda's profile
First off -- wait until the heating season is over before doing anything.
THEN... buy some aluminum radiator paint AND some matte-black radiator paint (Janovic has both), and since they'll BOTH be oil-based, mix them together, even though they're not the same brand.
But mix them as you paint, so you get an old semi-hammered iron kind of look, like I did on mine, which I love. It will look KIND of like you stripped it down to the metal with an industrial look.
See it there peeking out from behind the TV?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artycurtis/53735280/in/set-1154381/
view Curtis's profile
I have the same problem, where can you find a new radiator cover?
view urbanopulence's profile
I agree with others, make sure your radiator is cool before working on it.
We had so many drips and dents and damage that we stripped our radiator using an intense paint stripper from home depot. You leave it in overnight and then wash it off. Messy and make sure you have good gloves and ventilation but after we spray painted (for more even - non drippy coverage) with a heat tolerant paint and it looks like new. It was a pretty cheap and easy fix.
view friday's profile
I read somewhere that you can take your radiator to an auto body shop, and they can use their industrial solvent tank to strip it and then re-paint it with a high-temperature paint designed for use on car engines. This might be a better solution for those who aren't so into do-it-yourself.
Just make sure the valve which shuts off the radiator works well, otherwise you could end up with a flooded / steamed apartment.
And don't drop the heavy radiator on your foot . . .
view sunspot42's profile