How can you close the radiators?

The radiator as an element of the heating system does not always meet the aesthetic expectations of the owners of the house or apartment. Many people want to decorate such structures, smoothing out their effect on the interior as a whole. However, before you close the battery, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons, because an improperly installed design can significantly reduce heat transfer.

decoration

The battery may or may not be covered. There are several alternative ways to hide radiators if they don't fit into the interior.

Painting

It is enough during the repair to remove the old coating and repaint the surface. To do this, use a special paint that is resistant to high temperatures. The color must be selected to match the interior of the room. True, this option is best used with modern aluminum batteries. Painted cast iron products will stand out strongly.

It is not necessary to make the radiators plain, they can be decorated with various patterns. This is especially true in the children's room or in the kitchen. If artistic skills are completely absent, you can use special stencils.

Curtain

You can close the heating battery with a cotton curtain. True, this option is only suitable for products installed in a niche. You can attach the curtain to the window sill with Velcro, the fabric should be matched to match the wallpaper. Blinds can be used as an alternative.

Decoupage

Using ordinary napkins and PVA glue, you can also decorate the heater. This is easy to do with your own hands, special skills and expensive materials are not required. It is enough to pick up napkins to match, cut out the necessary elements and glue the radiator with them. On top, you can apply a special heat-resistant varnish.

Screens

If for some reason the decoration of heating devices does not suit you, you can hide them under special grilles or perforated screens. Such devices are made from a variety of materials, have a variety of shapes and designs.

When choosing a screen, it is worth remembering that the better the perforation is, the more heat from the radiator will enter the room. Blind side and top bars seriously reduce battery efficiency.

glass

Screens made of thick glass will successfully hide the heater. You can purchase options with photo printing or whole glass paintings, such products look beautiful and very stylish. Glass screens only cover the outside of the battery. Fastened with screw holders with elastic protective pads.

Mounted

You can hide the radiators with the help of hinged grilles. Most often, such products are used for cast-iron batteries located in a niche under the windowsill. Everyone will also cope with the installation - you just need to hang the structure on the heater.

Wooden

Best suited for rooms with a classic design. In addition, wood products can be used as a stand. However, there is a drawback to such a screen. It consists in a short shelf life of products. Alas, the tree, regardless of quality, will sooner or later deform under the influence of high temperature and simply dry out.

What can you do yourself?

Now there are many opportunities to design screens for heating appliances with your own hands. The easiest way is to close the radiator with drywall. This versatile option is suitable for any room, from the living room to the kitchen.

Necessary materials and tools

• pencil and tape measure;
• perforator and screwdriver;
• metal scissors and a clerical knife;
• level, stapler, sandpaper;
• self-tapping screws;
• drywall, UD and CD profiles;
• lattice.

frame

In order to close the radiator with drywall, you need to make a frame. To do this, the UD guide profiles are fixed with self-tapping screws to the underside of the window sill, walls and floor. The front edge of the resulting frame is deepened by 13 mm, so that after plasterboard sheathing, the surface of the screen coincides with the wall.

Then CD profiles are screwed vertically, and the distance between them should be slightly larger than the dimensions of the lattice.

sheathing

With the help of a knife, blanks of the desired size are cut out of the drywall sheet. Then drywall is screwed to the frame with self-tapping screws. Screw heads should not be deeply recessed, otherwise the sheet may break and the structure will not be securely fastened. At the last stage, a decorative grille is fixed.

Drywall constructions fit perfectly into the interior, but significantly reduce the efficiency of the radiator. The small space for warm air to flow makes convection difficult. Therefore, when choosing a screen or decorative design, you need to find a balance between aesthetics and a minimum decrease in heat transfer from the radiator.