Radiators don’t have to be boring. If your boring radiators need a bit of a facelift, why not create a wooden cover for it, add a screen and paint it? What could be easier or more elegant? Simply follow our step-by-step guide and you will soon have beautiful radiators throughout the house. All you need is your Dremel TRIO and Dremel Glue Gun 910 and off you go!
Tools and Materials required :
Dremel TRIO
Multipurpose carbide cutting bit TR563
Chamfer router bit TR618
Sanding mandrel TR407 and the P120 sanding band TR432.
Dremel Glue Gun and 7mm clear glue sticks
Die cut hardboard
Primer, white emulsion and satin finish paint
Wood
Screws
Pencil
Straight edge
Difficulty rating : Intermediate
Step One – Measure your radiator and buy a piece of MDF. This should measure 13mm thick and have a total area that’s at least one third larger than the surface area of your radiator. This is in order to give yourself room to cut all the sections for the cover from it. When you get home, mark out the sections with a pencil for your radiator cover top, sides and front.
Step Two – Using the multipurpose carbide cutting bit TR563, cut out your sections. As well as the top, sides and front solid sections, cut out the ventilation holes beneath the top shelf, for the grill and at the base. Set at speed 8.
Step Three – Then take your Dremel TRIO with the multipurpose carbide cutting bit TR563 and cut out a section of die cut patterned radiator grill hardboard with a minimum thickness of 13mm. This is to go over the main opening/s on the front of your radiator. Make sure that the section you cut is larger by at least 10 cms than the opening/s on your design.
Step Four – Then, go back to your MDF cut out section where the patterned radiator grill will be inset and give it a decorative and neat finish by using the TRIO and Chamfer Router Bit TR618 to bevel the edge of the wood facing outwards. Carry on doing this on all the edges where you want a decorative finish. Use speed 6.
Step Five – Lightly sand all the edges which you have cut using the TRIO plus sanding mandrel TR407 and the P120 sanding band TR432.
Step Six – Now, with your Dremel Glue Gun and 7mm clear glue stick, glue the patterned radiator grill to the reverse of the main MDF face.
Step Seven – Then with your Glue Gun and 7mm clear glue stick, glue all the sections together, then screw the main face onto the sides and finally screw the top onto the box you have made. Fit over skirting board and pipes to mount against the wall. Using wood filler, fill over screws and any blemishes, then prime, paint and finally secure to wall with internal brackets.
