Should a Decorator Remove Your Radiators?

There are two peak times of year for home decorating: spring, (when the days start to feel longer allowing you to focus more time on home improvement) and autumn, (where now that you’re indoor more often, it’s time to focus on the projects that can be done inside). Whatever the time of year though, one potential gremlin that you may encounter during decoration and renovation works is that of your radiators. They can get in the way, as well as purely look out of place within your new design scheme. So, you may well be asking, should a decorator remove your radiators?

Breaking it down

There are several ways to look at answering the question of whether a decorator should remove your radiators. Naturally, there are factors that are in favour of radiator removal, equally there are considerations that are against it. You should also keep in mind the decorator themselves, and their ability to carry out the task - as this is a critical success factor.

Reasons why you should remove your radiators

There are actually several reasons why you may wish to remove your radiators, both temporarily or even permanently.

Easier access

If you’ve ever undertaken the task of repainting or wallpapering a wall, you’ll know that a radiator can present an obstacle, and knowing how to deal with it can be a conundrum: do you paint as far behind as your brushes and patience allow, and hope that you don’t end up repainting the radiator while you’re at it? Similarly, you may be thinking of wallpapering as far behind the radiator as far as is possible and hoping that no-one looks too closely.

The alternative is of course to remove your radiators that are in the way, allowing full access to the hidden area for painting or wallpapering. You can even go a step further and remove the mounting brackets too, allowing a full refurb of the wall space.

This may seem like the largest amount of effort, however, of course it yields far better, and more professional, results. You’ll be relieved to know that if flexible poly pipe has been used to connect your radiators to the boiler, you may not have to disconnect - or even drain them. You can simply lift the radiator and, providing there is sufficient slack in the pipe, lay the radiator flat on the floor for the duration of the renovation works.

Of course, simply laying the radiator on the floor then introduces a trip hazard and frequent movement of the radiator could fatigue the pipes and joints - so if the redecorating works are likely to take a long time, it may be worth asking your decorator to remove your radiators.

Change of design

A particularly good reason for removing your radiators may simply be because you would like to upgrade to a more efficient radiator, or a different style. If this is the case, it makes sense to do this prior to the redecoration works are carried out, in which case you would have just cause to ask your decorator to remove your radiators.

Upgrade heating source

These days radiators are not necessarily the best or only way of heating a room. You may choose to install a wood burner or go down the route of vertical or skirting board radiators, or even electrical bars or towel rails. These are all sound reasons for asking your decorator to remove your radiators.

Why Removing Your Radiators May Not Be A Good Idea

If you’ve read this far and are thinking it may be a good idea to remove your radiators, there are actually relatively few considerations for not removing them.

Stressing the Pipework

As we mentioned earlier, frequent movement of the radiator may cause deterioration of flexible poly pipes. Similarly, disturbing aging or elderly pipework which has the potential to be stubborn when a spanner or wrench is applied to it may also cause stresses to joints and connections. If the benefits of the improved access behind the radiator do not outweigh the potential issues associated with disconnecting and potentially damaging the pipework, it may be a better idea to leave it alone.

Wet Work

Removing your radiators will of course require the radiator to be isolated and drained. This has the potential to be messy, wet work, so if you are working around walls, and particularly floors, which are easily damaged or expensive to repair (think historic parquet flooring or original wallpaper) it may be best to minimise the potential for very expensive repairs and leave the radiator in situ.

Paying for extra work

If you’re on a tight budget, and your decorator is on a day or hourly rate - it may be a better idea to ask your decorator to leave the radiators where they stand. This may compromise slightly the quality of finish, however, the area behind the radiator is essentially unseen, and leaving it in place will indeed keep your costs down.

Decorator Competence

A final factor to consider, beside the practicalities, is whether your decorator is even competent to remove your radiators. While the task is certainly not rocket science, (see our previous blog to learn how to remove radiators yourself) it is still easy to make a mess of, for example through leaking water from the connecting pipework or radiator, as well as damaging the valves and connectors, or even improper bleeding resulting in airlocks which will reduce the efficiency of your radiator.

If you’re not sure that your decorator has both the knowledge and physical ability to remove your radiators either leave them alone or ask a professional to assist.

Review Your Circumstance

As is often the case with decisions regarding home improvement projects, there is rarely a blanket rule that will dictate the correct course of action. You should look at your needs, as well as the needs of the decorator, and the benefits to removing your radiators plus any drawbacks. Once you’ve taken these factors into consideration, you should have a pretty good idea of how to proceed and can be confident that the decision you’re making is the right one. Of course, if you’re really stuck, you can always get in touch with your friendly local boiler service provider for some expert advice too!