Are you looking to build a really rad radiator cover? Check this one out, topped with a soapstone cover top surface and I am going to show you just how easy it is.
We are in an old Victorian house with no garage, no driveway and no backyard. So we are off to the basement workshop.
The first step, to break out the tape measure, you are going to determine the height, the length and the depth of the unit allowing clearance at the very top to allow the heat to escape and make a drawing for yourself to refer to that was so much easier.
Your next step is cutting the depth of the three sides of the radiator cover and you probably want to do that on a table saw. Table saws are the easiest thing to use when ripping long pieces of lumber. It's very important that your radiator cover being built out of a wood material, as opposed to particle or flakeboard. Because it's going to be intense heat around this unit all times, as well as the weight of soapstone sitting on top, so you want it to be strong and sturdy.
Not that all we have our side panels cut to depth, we need to cut it to height, and we are going to be using a miter saw because it's a more controlled cut as oppose to a table saw. Okay, now that you have the top inside panels cut, we are going to be ripping down three-inch strips for the face framing.
We are going to miter the corners to give it a nicer look. You will start with the two side panels then the top and then the back support strip and you will be doing this by using a nail gun and adhesive. We are using adhesive because we have a laminated surface to adhere to. You want to be sure that you do not forget the back support, this strip is essential for keeping the unit square and from wobbling. Now it's time to install the face framing.
Next, you are ready to install the decorative aluminum sheet. We are going to be trimming it with the pair of shears. Now this this material can be picked up at any home center, sheet metal when it's cut is extremely sharp, so use extra caution. Once it's cut to size, we'll place it on the interior of the face frame and we'll be using a staple gun to secure it. Alright, let's check it out. This looks awesome.
We are going to add in a heat shield, a deflector to diffuse the heat between the top of the radiator surface and the top of our radiator cover, so that the soapstone doesn't get too hot.
The install of the radiator cover, we will get it ready for templating of our soapstone counter-top material. Wow! This is one beautiful custom built finished radiator cover and now that you know how to do it, happy building.