Hi All,
Any help would be greatly appreciated on this one. I have been asked to build a new radiator cover to replace the old one in a 1920’s house. The cover will be painted to match the wall color. My question: What is the best material to use for this type application? I thought about paint-grade birch ply or MDF but wondered about the exposure to high humidity and heat. The design will have 1″ slats separated by 1″ gaps.
Thanks in advance,
Craig
Replies
Birch ply or MDO work great for radiator covers. Make sure any wood trim mouldings you plan on adding are good and dry prior to construction.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Just finshed seven radiator covers for a house in Oak Park, IL. Used birch ply througout and am pleased with the results after painting. This is for a hot water system and I'm sure the ply will withstand the relatively gentle heating from this source. If it was steam system it might be different but I haven't seen one of those in a residential setting.
Anybody have any suggestions regarding material if I do run into a hotter system?
although it's referred to as "moist" heat, standard radiator heat won't cause humidity problems
trim doctor- you could consider what i'm going to do soon: bend a piece of thin sheet metal from the wall behind the radiator up and over, but concealed by the top of the radiator cover. it directs the heat out and insulates it from the cover.
Try this link to This Old House; http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1138370242/bctid1138334271
Also try this link:
http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/how-to/articles/building-wood-baseboard-radiator-covers.aspx?langtype=1033&ac=ts&ra=fp