Four weekends in and nearing the finish line! By far the biggest challenge has been coming up with our own plan for the build. We usually rely heavily on tutorials but we only have my terrible sketch, equally terrible measurements, and radiator built-in inspiration pictures to go off of. Fully doubting our skills to pull this off we jumped in the deep end and began the build.
Weekend One – Framing
The first weekend was very productive! Our radiator cabinet will be built into the corner so we only need to frame the front and left sides. After the molding was removed and the studs were marked we started framing the radiator cabinet. Ryan attached a 2×4 to the wall horizontally at our determined cabinet height behind the radiator. The radiator cabinet counter will eventually be supported by this and the cabinet frame. Next, using a jigsaw, Ryan created the base (legs) of the cabinet with two arches on the front and one on the side out of 1×8’s which match the height of the original molding. For any radiator to work effectively you need airflow and so while the arches add a decorative element they are also needed for airflow. Then using a Kreg Jig to hide all the pocket joints so you won’t see any nails on the finished side he attached 1×3’s vertically at the corners and middle and 1×2’s horizontally on the top front side.
At this point, we removed the radiator cabinet frame so we could work on concealing the vertical radiator pipes running upstairs. Luckily stacking two 2×4’s created the 3″ spacing required to clear the pipes when hanging the drywall. Ryan mounted a combination of 2×3 and 2x4s (except the far left!) over existing studs which were 16″ on center (and of course one stud was directly behind a pipe – it’s never easy). He also added extra 2x4s for the TV mount to be attached to behind the drywall, which you can see to the right of the pipe. Oh and he cheated a bit or as Ryan said “saved wood” by mounting 2x3s and 4s to shorter blocks of 2×4 rather than using 2 full-lengths on each vertical. All this mess of scrap wood will eventually be covered up!
Weekend Two – The Counter
Now that all the framing was done, we worked on dry-fitting the counter. We purchased a 3/4 in. 4×8 finished birch plywood from our local lumber store. They cut it in half, to 2×8, so we could fit it into the car, and then we cut it down to finish size at home using a circular saw. Then we used a jigsaw to notch cut-outs for each pipe so we could slide the counter into place and it would sit flush against the wall. We choose to have the counter sit flush against the wall in hopes that it would minimize heat being trapped behind the new drywall. Next, while the counter was in place we secured the first panel of drywall.
Weekend Three – Electric work, drywall, and Trim
Ryan and my Dad roughed in and finished the wiring. They installed a box and plate for the picture light and then a single-pole switch. They also added an outlet and HDMI pass-through next to the light switch which will be concealed by the TV and another outlet by the radiator for the cable box. Yes, we still have cable! Once the wiring was wrapped up they then installed the remaining two pieces of drywall, taped and mudded. Goodbye radiator pipes!
The next day, Ryan worked on the trim. I didn’t get any photos of the great trim install debacle. Let’s just say installing trim in a 120-year-old house tested Ryan’s patience. He managed to get it up with the help from this article by Dewalt which was extremely helpful. Then I sanded the drywall using this tool that you connect to your shop vac. It helped minimize the amount of dust and cleanup was a breeze. A fresh coat of drywall primer and we were starting to see the end in sight!
Weekend Four – Radiator Cabinet InstalL with doors
The trim and walls received a fresh coat of Benjamin Moore Simply White and then the cabinet frame was secured to the walls and 2×4 support piece. Next up, was building the cabinet doors.
We built the cabinet doors by using 1×8’s. We cut everything down to size and then using a router routed out the backside so we would have an area to attach the cane to. Then using the Kreg Jig to hide all the pocket joints secured the cabinet doors together.
And there you have it, our progress so far! Everything installed and ready for the final coat of paint, cane fronts and the final details. It’s getting so close. Can not wait!
