How to DIY Your Own Radiator Cover

Radiators are a necessary evil. They heat older buildings (sometimes a little too much) and that’s usually where the love stops. While some city dwellers are blessed with updated central heating and air, I live in an older building with all of its original charm — and that includes an unsightly radiator.

Upon moving into my apartment, I immediately knew I wanted a radiator cover. There are some really cool-looking radiator covers out there, but at first, I wasn’t confident enough in my DIY skills to construct a masterpiece. I started poking around on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist and found that most radiator covers were going for around $200. So I decided maybe my DIY skills could rise to the challenge after all — and it paid off.

Here’s how to DIY your own radiator cover.

• Tape measure
• Scissors
• Staple gun
• Power drill
• Screws
• Wood glue
• Decorative aluminum sheet
• MDF boards — in the width that would work with the side
• Touch-up paint

There are a few standard radiator sizes, but you’ll need to know your radiator’s length and width before you start shopping for materials. I measured my tall and skinny radiator and then added a few inches to the height and width to ensure my materials had enough clearance. It’s ideal to have your cover sit about two or more inches from the radiator.

Take note of where your pipe connects to the radiator (from the back or the side), as this might make a slight difference in how you cut your materials to allow room for the pipe.

I completed this project in the summer while the radiator was turned off. Never try to work around a hot radiator!

There are so many different ways to make a radiator cover, so you need to pick your design first. I knew I just wanted a simple, white cover. No frills. Just something that would cover the radiator. So I drew it out, made my shopping list, and headed to Lowe’s.

I don’t have a saw in my apartment, but most home improvement stores will cut your materials to size in-store, and since I had my measurements written down, a Lowe’s rep cut the materials for me right then and there.

To make it extra easy, I chose already-primed MDF boards so I wouldn’t have to paint the boards myself. 

My total cost of materials was around $80.

Once I got home, I laid the pieces out on the floor before making any construction moves. Once I did so, I realized the aluminum sheet would not lay flat against the front boards if I did them in a criss-cross pattern as planned, so I ended up doubling the MDF so that the screen would have a flat surface to adhere to.

Once I problem-solved that hiccup and felt good about the design, I got to work.

I wanted to work in sections, so once I laid out the front pieces, I used wood glue to glue the boards together and secured them with screws. The framing of the front was complete, which was definitely the hardest part.

Then I cut the screen to fit the inside of the frame, leaving only a little bit of overlap. Next, I stapled the screen to the inside of the frame. 

Disclaimer: I originally was hoping the glue would totally hold it together, but it didn’t, so I used screws to secure the boards to each other in addition to the wood glue.

Next, I needed to attach the (already cut — thank you Lowe’s) sides. I just screwed them into the sides of the front frame. Then I stood it up. I placed the three-sided radiator cover around my radiator and marveled at my DIY improv skills.

I chose not to attach a back to my radiator cover because it didn’t feel necessary, and it stood securely with three sides.

I decided to use just the wood glue to secure the top of the cover. I’m not going to be moving it around, so I didn’t feel like the top needed the extra security of the screws. The wood glue worked just fine here.

I could have left it at that, but I wanted to paint the screws white so that it looked more put together, so I simply dabbed some white paint onto the side screws. I also painted the unprimed ends of the MDF boards.

While my radiator cover construction didn’t go exactly as planned, the final product successfully hides my radiator while still allowing for heat to escape through the open back and the screened-in front. My favorite part is that it now serves as a good-sized shelf for my plants and books, and it only took a few hours to complete. Plus, I saved $120 by making my own, and that always feels good too.