How I Made My Baseboard Heat Covers Look Brand New!
I did a previous post where I replaced the baseboard heat covers in my bathroom that were all rusted with a plastic one, but new covers are SO EXPENSIVE! I was really shocked that a room would cost about $200 to do new covers for. So when we got new floors and the existing covers stuck out like a sore thumb, I needed to figure something out.
These were rusting too so I started off by taking them apart and washing the inside and outside really well.
Clean your baseboard heat vents people! I was so disgusted with what I found, we don't have a cat BTW.
I vacuumed what I could then laid towels underneath and sprayed with 1 part white wine vinegar and 1 part hot water and a pump of dawn detergent. Make sure you heat is off for this part and let it dry before turning it back on. For the outside I just used a scrub brush and hot water mixed with bleach and a teaspoon of Tide.
This is what the towel underneath looked like after! So gross.
Now that it was all clean it was time to paint. The part connected with the wall I used the Sherwin Williams Emerald high gloss paint that I use for trim.
The parts that came off I spray painted with Rust-oleum. Since there were areas of rust I used the clean metal primer at first that stops rust, then two coats of white spray paint letting them dry for at least 2 hours in-between.
I then placed a bead of caulking where the top of the cover meets the wall. Devils in the details my friends!
What a freaking difference!!!
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Genius. My in-law's home had baseboard heat and b/c of how it looked, I wouldn't EVEN entertain looking at a home to buy in all subsequent years (and even now that I am retiring & want to move again) that has baseboard heat. You have shown that it could be an option for me now. IMO, you've made your baseboard heat look even more tidy and inconspicuous than the original installation, as tho' a decorative, deep baseboard. Nicely done!
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Looks beautiful, but I read somewhere that you are not supposed to paint baseboard heaters. Not sure why. I did it too and I am still alive! Great job.
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