Radiator covers

There are all sorts of reasons you need radiator covers:

1. Radiators and hot water poles in the middle of your home are not attractive
2. You have small pets or children that could burn themselves
3. YOU could burn yourself
4. You can’t remove it right now or maybe ever depending on whether you rent or own
5. It would be great to be able to use the space around a radiator without worrying if it was going to melt anything next to it

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you already know all of the above. And if you live in the northeast, you also know radiators and hot water pipes are part of most of the homes and apartments built before the 1970s.

So let’s cover them up by using the following ideas:

Rope wrap:

These radiator covers are the easiest to do.

1. Buy some rope (Including a link here for a rope with a heft and quality I like).
2. Start at the base of the pole and secure the rope by either tying a small knot, or taping it to the bottom of the pole.
3. Start wrapping until you get to the top.
4. If you run of a spool of rope, tape or tie off the end, and tape or tie on a new spool and keep going.
5. You can also do this with the rectangular radiators, just be careful not to block the access points in case your radiator ever needs to be serviced.

The rope wrap is attractive, easy, and keeps your pole cool to the touch – especially important if your hot water pole in near a high traffic area of your home

Radiator boxes:

You can buy these online from custom builders or do what I prefer, and just make one yourself. I built cabinets around mine and you can’t even see that it’s there anymore. I loved this solution for our house because eventually we plan on switching to radial heat. When we do, all the plumber needs to do is remove the radiator, and voila, we have an empty cabinet ready to use.

Insulation wraps:

This next idea is really only for the hot water poles, but if you aren’t a fan of the nautical rope look, you can cover your pole in insulation and paint or wallpaper it to match your home. If you’re more modern you could do a high contrast color. Or you can go with a wood graine like the picture below if you want to make the pole look more integrated to your home.

Knitting

This last one is not for everyone, but you CAN knit around your radiators or hot water pipes to create the ultimate radiator cover. Just start at the bottom and keep knitting. If you’re knitting around the rectangular units, just be sure to keep the access points clear again!