Favorite kitchen island radiator install

tim smith

Just like the way this one came out.

Mad Dog_2

Absolutely Gorgeous Tim!!! Was that sandblasted or a new one? Its looks brand new. Nice and slim with good BTU output. Mad Dog

EdTheHeaterMan

Was the Island wall color selected to match the radiator, or the other way around?

kcopp

What did you use for paint?

mattmia2

Are the sections connected with left right nipples that are turned with internal lugs or an internal hex?

Mad Dog_2

I'm going to say those are new rads, natural cast Iron finish with some kind of lacquer to keep it from rusting.  After, I got all the old radiators sandblasted, I loved the look of them them so much, I wanted to leave them.  I should have done that in retrospect 
Instead of painting them metallic copper.  Over time, I swapped a few around as I found more ornate ones or some rooms were too hot 🔥 or too cold.  On two of them, I got them sandblasted then powder coated in black and then I gold-leafed the raised scrolling with Matt Jr.  This is my favorite finish!!!!  Mad Dog 🐕 

tim smith

Sorry about not responding earlier. It was a cracked and peeled old rad, sandblasted and powder coated gun metal gray I think. They are joined with r/l nipples. Original not refitted. Made brackets for it. New bushings in bottom and new valves. Just liked this one a lot.
Tim

EdTheHeaterMan

Mad Dog_2 said:

I'm going to say those are new rads, natural cast Iron finish with some kind of lacquer to keep it from rusting.  After, I got all the old radiators sandblasted, I loved the look of them them so much, I wanted to leave them.  I should have done that in retrospect 
Instead of painting them metallic copper.  Over time, I swapped a few around as I found more ornate ones or some rooms were too hot 🔥 or too cold.  On two of them, I got them sandblasted then powder coated in black and then I gold-leafed the raised scrolling with Matt Jr.  This is my favorite finish!!!!  Mad Dog 🐕 

And you tell us that with no pictures. You are such a tease!

tim smith

Ed, I leave it to your imagination!

flat_twin

Wow, that's a great idea and frees up wall space. We did a major kitchen remodel which included painting our existing rads. Moving radiators wasn't even considered. Never seen radiators built into an island but I like it!

mvickers

I like the stacked, space saving idea, which spikes a question. In a few very old bldgs that I've come across over the yrs; Aside from saving wall space, even tho it didn't seem necessary bec of the rooms, why did they mount them on the ceilings? It's def counter intuitive to me, and I'm sure that you all know why.

Steve_Wheels

I had a bunch of these in my original wholesale building! LOVED wall radiators!! This looks great! Great Imagineering!!

Robert_T

Radiators are usually only mounted on the ceiling when it's steam and on the lowest level (STORY) of a building. The water level of the boiler in steam boilers makes it necessary to mount radiators above this level to allow steam to flow to the radiators on this level only. Bob Terry

DustyG

Clever and smart use of space

KAB_2

Defrost a steak in no time on that counter

Novagen_Ed

For what it’s worth, my wife is an interior designer: showed her this and she commented “it looks great! He payed a lot of attention to detail…..”

scott w.

Great idea on space saving as kitchens are the most difficult to find wall space for a radiator.  I have these exact same rads hanging on my garage ceiling in my 1928 vintage home with hot water heat. Have eight sections hanging together. I wonder how they hung them back at that time? Lots of weight hanging on the floor joists.it 

Mad Dog_2

Ok...the strip-tease is over.....I let my young kids Gold Leaf this so its not perfect but I love it more.  Mad Dog 🐕 

Mad Dog_2

AAnother Gem.  I bought this one off of Fran Fahey of the Great, Long Gone A 1 radiator in Mass somewhere. He used to be on This Old House and Dan knew him.  I was attending a Heating Seminar or Wetstock up that way about 2001-2002 so , I brought about 3000 in Greenbacks with me thinking I could buy all 15 radiators for my whole house.  I met up with The Great Mark Hunt
And Murph from the Old Wall.  We walked through the yard and were in Heaven.  I.picked them all out...all kinds if wild ornate scrolled rads.  "OK, RING ME UP" I said thinking with my Wad of NY 💸 Cash, I'd have it covered...  WRONG!!!! I was able to buy only like 6 of em, so the place was not cheap.  No regrets though.  Everyone who sees them thinks they came with our 1899-1900 Farmhouse Country Victorian.   Every chance we could, we "historically upgraded" the home with Victorian Charm..added Stain glass transom windows in Hall ways.  Fancier hand made Crown mouldings (compliments of my great father in law Don (The 78 yr old Bowhunter who still climbs the 20 feet up the tree!). The crown mouldings  were of a hybridof styles and photos I had taken over the years in Historic Long Island Gold Coast Homes .  We added 
Cast Iron 🐎 Horse Head hitching posts to front and side of house.  Restored the wraparound porch from the broken glassed in mess it was.   Had a brick fireplace and chimney added. Et al.  Mad 🐕 Dog

tim smith

I have worked with this GC design build/cabinet builder for years. I layout how I want it in the island and they provide me with the alcove in Island. We have done many recess radiators in kitchens (mostly in islands) as there is never wall space. The colors on this one the designer picked I really liked.
Thanks for all the nice comments
Tim

CLamb

Mad Dog_2 said:

I let my young kids Gold Leaf this so its not perfect but I love it more.  Mad Dog 🐕 

I actually love that look however if it were neater it would look better. Is it actually gold (or imitation) leaf or gold colored paint?

Mad Dog_2

Our House has been meticulously restored in its period and then some.   I could have easily painted over my 5 and 7 yr old children's artistic expression with the Gold Leaf (I paid about 25 bucks for a tiny little jar of it, so I think its not a cheap imitation), but we find it a precious reminder of how life SHOULDN'T be perfect...its more fun to let kids have a little fun.   Its been that way for 20 years and we're not retouching it.  Mad 🐕 Dog

YardSailor

I'm getting ready to buy an old farm up in the state of Maine, to renovate and retire to.
It's rural but not out in the woods with nothing but trees around. Question: should I consider bunker oil or LPG as a main fuel supply; and steam or forced hot water for the heat ? (Forced hot air and I don't get along well).
Thanks for your opinion or advice.
Yard Sailor

bburd

If you go with oil, you want diesel. In that climate an interior tank would be wise, then you can burn #2 instead of a blend of #1 (kerosene) and #2 when it gets really cold. #2 has about 15,000 more BTU per gallon.

"Bunker" oil is #6, which is heavy and not practical to burn at home because it has to be heated in storage and heated further to burn, and no longer meets emissions regulations even for the large stationary plants where it was once a common fuel.

Propane, unfortunately, is outrageously expensive in New England.

If the house has steam heat, keep it. The folks on this board can advise on how to manage it, since most heating contractors don't  understand it. It's no longer routinely installed in homes.

Hot water is current technology, it will be easier to find someone to work on it who knows what they're doing.

Mad Dog_2

Great advice from someone who knows the local turf.  Never heard #6 called Bunker oil. I love the regional vernacular. NYC has tons of em. I think #6 was phased out in NYC about 8 yrs Go.  What part of Maine? I've stayed on 5 different regions of the State in the summers.  Its a great state.  I concur, if yiu have steam stay with it but "Green" it as much as possible.  We can help you here with that.  Hot water is great too, simpler to maintain and a bit better control of heat.  Let us know what is existing now in the house, pictures, a Heat loss and we go from there. Mad Dog 🐕 

gmcinnes

I could have easily painted over my 5 and 7 yr old children's artistic expression with the Gold Leaf (I paid about 25 bucks for a tiny little jar of it, so I think its not a cheap imitation), but we find it a precious reminder of how life SHOULDN'T be perfect...its more fun to let kids have a little fun. Its been that way for 20 years and we're not retouching it.

That's what makes a house a home MD

They're things of beauty.

nickdu

First off, I'm not steam radiator guy. Looks nice. However, the couple problems I see with it are: 1) once those kick on anyone loitering near that side of the island is going to be quickly moving, and 2) aren't radiators supposed to be located where it's cold, like under windows and on outside walls?

hot_rod

Might not be a lot of outside wall available in some kitchens. You still need to cover the heat load of the space.

tim smith

Placement is always a issue in kitchen design. As hot Rod said, just need btus. This is a modulating reset hw boiler. Never gets really hot, also no one is going to stand at end of island for any period of time.