Baseboard Radiator Cover Materials: A Guide

When it comes to renovating certain parts of your home, no matter how small they may seem, it’s natural that you’d only want the best. This is particularly true when you’re looking to find a new cover for your baseboard heater. After all, there’s more to the replacement process than accessing their designs and ease of installation. With several cover materials to choose from, it’s also common for homeowners to wonder what the differences are between them and which are the most effective. This is a guide to baseboard radiator cover materials and how each of them could be of use in your home.

Wood Covers

Though it might seem counterintuitive to place a large chunk of wood around a heating element, this material is actually very good at absorbing heat. This is what makes it one of the better choices for upgrading the cover over your hydronic baseboard heater. However, it’s important to note that while wooden covers are safe, they aren’t considered the most efficient. They may be thermal insulative enough to absorb heat, but they more often retain that energy rather than freely distribute it throughout a room. Plus, the natural moisture of wood also makes the cover likely to crack when exposed to heat for long periods. This is why they’re more generally used as decorative pieces to create a more natural home design.

Plastic Covers

With a slightly higher thermal conductivity rate than wood, plastic is the second-best choice when looking to replace your heater cover. These covers can better distribute heat, making them a decent option for those wanting to get more for their money. Unfortunately, though, what they gain in efficiency, they lose in appearance. Plastic heater covers are a common find in older, unrenovated homes, and they demonstrate as much with an outdated and deteriorating style. Additionally, though plastic can better radiate heat than wood, it’s still enough of an insulator that there’s a risk of it melting when the heat is too high.

Steel Covers

Baseboard heater covers made with steel are the number one choice for many homeowners, and even professionals. This is because they have very high thermal conductivity levels as well as a sleek and modern appearance that goes well with various home designs. Since steel can freely pass heat, they’re also a lot better at pushing the heat farther into the room and getting more use out of a smaller amount of energy. So they can help save you money along with updating your room. Galvanized steel, in particular, is a good choice as well because the material has been treated to withstand things such as rust.

At EZ Snap™ Covers, we have a commitment to only providing our customers with the highest quality, most efficient baseboard covers possible. Our cheap baseboard heater covers make it easy to make your heater more effective and to quickly upgrade the look of a room. Better yet, with a range of different cover sizes to choose from, you can find the perfect fit for your home heater without any additional work.

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