Radiator Baseplate to protect wood floor?

daveo

Hi all. I've been replastering some rooms in my house and notice that when I move the radiator away from the wall, the wood floor underneath is sometimes damaged and usually discolored (well, the house is about 100 years old…)

Is it recommended to put any sort of plate under the radiator to protect the floor and possibly strengthen it against the weight of the radiator?

The radiator I'm looking at now has about a 10" x 40" footprint and the floor has impressions where the feet have been (and will be again when I put the radiator back in place).

ethicalpaul

What was the species of wood under there? Mine were 100 year old pine but yet they held up quite well (it was old growth pine of course). I have just put in a maple floor on top of it in a few rooms and expect them to hold up just as well (But I do put wood shims under the feet also—you could put plastic sliders or any number of items under there to protect the floor).

The radiators do often do a very small slide back and forth as the pipes they are connected to often lengthen when hot and a plastic or wood "shoe" under the radiator feet helps a lot. One favorite around here is squares cut from plastic milk jugs. Why buy the cow if the milk is free one might ask, no that's not right!

Also at issue could be that in years/decades past, former residents ignored steam and/or water leaks that may have weakened or rotted the wood under there, that's always something to be vigilant of.

daveo

I'm guessing, then, that this isn't all that much to worry about, @ethicalpaul . I found some pix using google and my floor doesn't appear to be as bad as a lot before me!

Does it look like I should put any sort of "foot pad" at all or just put it back in place as it always was?

delcrossv

Something to spread the load a little wouldn't be bad. A square of 1/8 ply a little bigger than the dent would bring things to where they were originally.

ethicalpaul

Yep there are definitely worse ones out there! Yours look like oak to my amateur eye and yeah I would put some kind of pad just to keep the feet from sanding more of your floor away.

You can see under your valve's union there (under your blue tape) where the wood is discolored from past residents ignoring leaks.

daveo

Thanks, @delcrossv . I had thought about some 1/8" steel spray painted some appropriate color (left, of course, to my wife to decide) about 2" x 10" and put one on each side. I wasn't sure if that would be a good idea or not, but it sounds like it could be ok.

EdTheHeaterMan

A piece of Steel is the best. I was thinking of the nail plates you can get at Lowes or HD that are already cut to 16" and perhaps with a metal grinder you can get 2 or 3 from each plate. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-PSPNZ-5-in-x-16-5-16-in-ZMAX-Galvanized-Protecting-Shield-Plate-Nail-Stopper-PSPN516Z/100375202\

OR

Just put the single stud ones over each hole in the floor. You ca njust hammer the points into the floor so thay don't move around. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-NS-1-1-2-in-x-3-in-14-Gauge-Nail-Stop-NS1/100375167

Long Beach Ed

In a high end installation, we cut a piece of granite. There was a time (1905) when some radiator manufacturers sold marble slabs to sit under their radiators. Marble, while easily shaped with woodworking tools can stain as easily as wood.

The problem with any stone or metal floor protector is that water can creep under it, remain unseen and wreck havoc with the wood far worse than four iron feet ever would.

delcrossv

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1815178#Comment_1815178

Only if there are long term leaks 😉