A thousand years ago we raided this Prospect Heights home for free reclaimed materials. The couple were about to embark on a massive renovation and posted their salvage on the Brownstoner forum. It was free for the taking, the only catch was that folks had to bring tools and remove everything themselves. Kind of like a demo party, only we had to be very careful.

We snatched up a bunch of goodies that we’ve used or I’ve resold. The two closet doors sat around for awhile. I thought of making tables out of them but then decided on radiator covers.

This was a pretty easy project because the radiators are set back, so we didn’t have to build sides.

All you need to do for this front cover is build a picture frame without the bottom. If you have all of the necessary power tools, I probably don’t have to tell you how to do this. If not, you’ll need a miter, hand saw, staple gun, hammer and nails or screws and a drill, glue and a tin snips.

Measure twice cut once.  Measure twice cut once. Measure twice cut once. I can’t stress this enough.

So you you miter the frame, glue before securing and add the decorative piece to the back.

Here’s what it looks like from the back.

Voilà! Painted with the mesh backing. Now searching for salvaged marble slab for the window sill.