Take a Good Look at Vintage Radiators

By: Amy R. Hughes, This Old House magazine (Page 4 of 3)

Turning it into a Table: Some radiators, like this steam model from the late 1800s, have flat grilles on top that are both decorative and useful for drying damp clothes or warming a kettle to humidify a room.

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How to Paint a Cast-Iron Radiator

In this how-to video, This Old House plumbing and heating contractor Richard Trethewey explains how to revive an old painted radiator

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What You'll Learn:

How to Turn Them Into a Table
Victorian-era housewives topped cast-iron radiators with marble slabs so they could do double duty as food-warming stations. Today, a salvager with a bit of imagination might use them as legs for a console table for the front hall. Here's how:

1) Select a pair of tall decorative radiators with flat tops. Narrow five- or six-fin radiators work best where space is tight.

2) Position radiators about 3 feet apart, ends facing the wall.

3) Slide a section of perforated galvanized pipe strap (shown inset), available at plumbing supply stores, around the top section of the fin closest to the wall.

4) Fold strap ends so holes line up, and secure to the wall with a toggle bolt (for drywall) or a screw and anchor (for plaster).

5) Top with a stone slab, thick glass, or wood plank cut to overhang the radiators by 2 inches in front and on the sides; the back edge should sit flush against the wall. Protect the underside of the top from scratches with felt pads or clear rubber disks.

Where to find it:

Radiator resource:
New England Demolition and
Salvage, East Wareham, MA
508–291–7258

Bauer Brothers Salvage Inc.
Minneapolis, MN
612–521–9492
www.bauersalvage.com