radiators, of all things...

 Radiators. Who knew I would one day write an essay on radiators?

It was inevitable, though. 

This house has incredible radiators. Unbelievable radiators--I have never seen such highly decorated specimens. And they are not all the same throughout the house. They were put in when even industrial items were created with an aesthetic. Look at these beauties!

Many have chipping paint, many were never painted at all. All are absolutely clogged with dust and dirt. 

This, of course, will never do. Because we are keeping them. I detest forced hot air, and almost equally detest baseboard heaters. Yes, friends it might truly be possible that along with the butler's pantry-- remember?, this what sold me on the house. 

The new kitchen will feature a long radiator reused from the old kitchen. If you look really closely, and squint a little, you can see it in this photo I took on the day we closed, not knowing four years ago that I would want a good picture of it for a "before." Of course. It's the dark space to the left of the sink cabinet, under the board, er, window seat. It's the same one in the demo photos from the front hall.

The other radiator that came out of the old kitchen is going to go in the upstairs bathroom, simply because it's pretty. And it does not fit where it originally was, which was at the bottom of the back stairway, blocking the door to the upstairs. I have a new, slim radiator going there. And, hey, there's the butler's pantry again! Be still, my heart.

These are the two candidates for rehab this time around. These photos were after I cleaned the gunk from the spaces between the coils. The sun certainly wasn't getting through them before I went after the dirt. Obviously, they needed some care. 

 You all won't believe that I discovered the best tool ever for getting into the spaces of an old, rusty, paint-chippling radiator to get all the chipping paint and gunk off. Now, mind you, I wanted to take them outside and powerwash them. But, since it took two guys to get them moved into the middle of the room, with great grunting and groaning, I decided it might be unwise to ask if they could simply be taken outside. And then back in. Sometimes I am smart that way. This is the work in progress. It took much contemplation, many straps, and an appliance mover of epic proportion.

This, friends, is the magic tool. Actually, one of them. The other is at the farm, where I am not as I write. A GRILL BRUSH!!! Now I am sure that I am not the first to discover this marvel, this wonder-tool. But I sure am glad I did. I really did not want to hand scrape every coil of a 6+ foot long radiator. Flakes of paint? Gone. Dustbunnies? Exterminated. Dust? Vaporized--yes, I was wearing a mask (ah, the days when dust masks weren't scarce...)

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Once they were scraped and the dust settled. I wiped them with a clean wet cloth and got to work with the spray paint. The bonus of the kitchen not being done yet? I can spray paint inside! Windows covered, air blowing, and away we went! 

​This is the result. 

Right?! Go ahead. I'll wait. Gorgeous, I know. 

The one on the left goes upstairs. The long one will have either a vent box built around it, or a bench fitted to the top. For the kitties, of course. Because its new home is in the southeast corner of the kitchen in front of very large windows. Yes, I am building space with my cats in mind. Don't judge.

Now, how we are going to get the smaller one (arguably as heavy, if not heavier than the long one) upstairs.... I have no idea. I suppose once the middle of the house is stabilized and the stairway is solid, that will be the way. Wait and see...