Heat Resistant shelving?

[Nanako]

Hi all, i like to minimise dead space in my home, by making tiny shelves and cabinets to fit in otherwise unused spots

There is one such spot in a bedroom, about a foot wide and half a foot deep, I could make a couple of shelves or a tiny doorless cupboard for there. But this space is between the doorframe and the radiator, which means its going to be right next to the heating and be subject to high temperatures

I'm wondering how i can do this well. Maybe i can have a layer of some kind of insulating material to shield the contents from the radiator? What do i have to know about when doing woodwork near hot places, and what kind of materials might be suitable?

 

[opps]

Water filled radiators work via convection. The air flows up behind them. There is not much in the way of radiating heat. Unless the items being stored are temperature sensitive, I would just use timber/MDF/etc.

 

[Nanako]

Doesnt heat warp wood over time, or cause expansion of screws and such?
I'm not saying i dont believe you, but i'd like to do someting special here anyways. This is a guest bedroom and guests might be concerned about it otherwise

 

[Tigercubrider]

Airing cupboards like mine simply use shelves made of 2x1 which are fixed in a ladder frame style.
My shelves are a good 20 years old and flat as flat.

You could buy stainless steel shelves if you can find some near the correct size?
Costco used to be full of shiny open shelved units that resembled oven shelves, no doubt also available on Amazon /ebay.

For wood, get it from a timber merchant as some tin sheds sell 2x1 that’s small bits finger jointed together and only a few weeks old.

 

[opps]

Doesnt heat warp wood over time, or cause expansion of screws and such?
I'm not saying i dont believe you, but i'd like to do someting special here anyways. This is a guest bedroom and guests might be concerned about it otherwise

Moisture changes cause timber to expand/contract/cup/shake (rather than temperature). If you are using "solid" timber, it is likely that it was dried in kilns that operate at temperatures higher than those that will be experienced in your home.

I am a decorator by trade but I used to work for a cabinet maker. In the early 90s, we made loads of radiator cabinets (units designed to hide the radiator) . They were a combination of MDF and timber.

A properly fixed screw will not be affected by the heat from a radiator. Any filler over the screw hole might be pushed out very slightly after a year or two as the unit expands contracts, but, for some reason that I do not quite understand, once sanded back (again), it seems to be static.

Surely you have seen timber shelves that sit a couple of inches above radiators. Many houses have them to help push the convection currents forward. My mum's home has 3 of them, one is oak and about 1.6m long. It is about 20 years old and is still fine. Additionally, have you not seen timber fireplaces around gas fires?

 

[big-all]

i have made dozens off radiator cabinets from pine or mdf with large open grills and substantial vent top and bottom for maximum airflow

you will actually find you need far greater temperatures from the radiator to overcome the reduced airflow from the cover
anyway with timber only 6" wide[143mm for par] just leave in the room concerned near or even on the radiator for a couple off weeks and 95% nothing will change to any extent