DIY Built-in Radiator Window Bench

DIY Built-in Radiator Window Bench

A few weeks ago, I completed renovating my dining room for the One Room Challenge. I turned what was initially a cramped dining room into an airy, bright breakfast nook. Over the course of 6 weeks, I revamped the room to create a more useful space for casual entertaining and relaxing. You can check out the details here.

One of the most significant changes I made to the room was adding a window bench. I wanted to create a relaxing space so I could take advantage of the amount of sun the room gets in the afternoons. What better way to do that than to add a relaxing bench for reading and dining. Also, by adding a window bench, I could finally do something about my ugly, awkwardly placed radiator. My baseboard radiator is about 8 ft. long, dented and just a sight for sore eyes. So I decided to build the window bench to covered my radiator without restricting the heating.

The bench itself was super easy to build and cost me less than $100 in materials and supplies. Super easy and functional. If you’re interested to learn more, I’ll walk you through the steps.

Supplies:

Prepare

First things first, prepare your space by removing the baseboard, molding, loose flooring and radiator covers. My old radiator cover was rusting and dented so I was glad to see it go out in the trash. Once you have cleared your working area, use a stud finder to locate the studs inside the wall and mark on wall with a pencil. I like to do this first so I can see what I am working with ahead of time and plan out my bench frame accordingly. Normally studs are 16″ apart, however, there can be some variation under the windows.

Plan

Measure and sketch out your plan for the room. What do you want your bench to look like? What purpose will it serve? Are there any design limitations in your room?

I wanted to create a bench to hide an ugly radiator so I knew my bench would have to run along the length of the room since my baseboard radiator was 8 feet long. Since I was creating a seat above the radiator, I would also have to makes sure there is amble openings in the bench face and insulation under the seat to prevent the heat from rising directly into the bench.

Determine the height that you want your bench to be. Typically, window benches are around 18-19 inches high. I wanted my bench to be an overall height of 19 inches. Since I plan to add a 2-inch cushion and the wood on the top of the bench is about 3/4 of an inch, that meant my vertical supports for the bench would need to be 16.25 inches high.

Next determine the depth of your bench. The average depth for a bench is between 15 -20 inches. I wanted my bench to be 17 inches in depth, but I also have to account for the ¾ finished MDF trim that I plan to added to the front of the bench. That meant I had to make my frame 16.25 inches in order to achieve the 17 inch depth.

Build the Frame

To construct a sturdy bench, you will need to build a frame with both vertical and horizontal supports, which is then anchored to the studs in wall to provide additional support. Start by building the horizontal frame. I used 2×4 lumber to create the frame. Since I wanted the depth for the bench supports to be 16.25, I cut my lumber to 13.25″ to account for the 2×4 (actual dimensions 1.5″ x 3.5″) outer pieces. The number of horizontal supports you will need depends on the width of your bench. The maximum distance between the seat supports should not exceed 24″.

Similarly, to create my vertical supports, I cut 9.25″ pieces to account for the 2×4 (actual dimensions 1.5″ x 3.5″) outer pieces. The math is shown below. Attached all pieces together as shown using a pocket screws. You can use a Kreg Jig to create pocket holes.

horizontal supports = 16.25″ – 1.5″ – 1.5″ = 13.25″

vertical supports = 16.25″ – 3.5″ – 3.5″ = 9.25″

Since my bench would need to be 9.5 feet to long, I decided to build two smaller bench frames first then attached both to the wall to create a single long bench. I used 2×4 lumber found at my local Home Depot to create the frames, then attached the frames to stud locations marked on wall using 3 1/2″ wood screws. 

Build the Seat

Cut your ¾ inch plywood board to the width and depth of the bench and attached to the base frame using cabinet hinges. I used this Spruce pine board found at Lowes but you can use any 3/4 inch sanded plywood. I also attached the boards to the frame using these hinges that I found in my local Home Depot. I decided to use hinges on the seat instead of nailing the seats to the frame so that in case my radiator needed to be serviced, I can easily get to it. But if that won’t be your concern, you can nail your board down to the seat frame.

Build the Face

I built the bench face frame using 1×4″ primed MDF boards and these aluminum sheet inserts for the vents as shown below. Since I was building the bench above the radiator, I wanted to make sure there were enough openings so that the warm air would not be restricted. Based on the width of the room, I could fit four 12 by 24-inch metal sheet.

Using a Kreg Pocket Jig, sink the screws to connect the boards to make the frame. The vertical MDF boards should be the same length as the frame vertical support boards. Then use a staple gun to staple the metal sheet to the frame. Finally attached the face frame to the base frame using a nail gun.

Insulate where necessary

Since I was creating a seat above the radiator, it is important to add insulation to prevent the heat from rising directly into the bench seat. Warm air rises, but I wanted to force the warm air out through the vents at the front of the bench instead of up into the seat. To do that add flexible thermal insulation behind the radiator and directly under the seat cover, creating a semi-circle around the radiator so that the heat will be forced forward and out through the vents. 

Paint and Trim

I’m very happy with how the radiator bench turned out. It took me a little over a week to make the bench, mainly because I only worked on it an hour or so during the days. But in actuality, this project could be done over a weekend, once you have purchased all your materials and supplies.