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How to Hide Ugly Gas Heaters

Jennifer Eblin

Ugly appliances ruin the design of your home and the look you want. Even something as simple as an old gas heater sitting along one wall in your living room is a near disaster. As soon as you or anyone else enters the room, the eye immediately focuses on the eyesore. Try a few different ways of hiding the ugly heaters and giving your room a more decorative style.

Use a little imagination and hide any heater.

Step 1

Cover the ugly heater with a cabinet. Measure the height, width and length of the heater and find a cabinet that completely covers it. Remove the backside of the cabinet with an electric saw, so that it sits flush with the wall behind the heater. Drill a small hole in the back of the cabinet, making room for the gas line.

Step 2

Unplug the gas line from the heater. Paint the gas heater and the surrounding wall with the same color of paint. Use a paint roller for an even coat and follow that with a paintbrush that reaches the hidden areas and crevices in the heater. Depending on the color of your walls, you may need a coat of primer first.

Step 3

Lay two old doors flat and attach two hinges to the sides, connecting the two doors. The hinges let you open and close the doors as needed. Place the doors in front of the ugly heater like a room divider.

Step 4

Attach four casters to the bottom of a bookshelf, placing one caster on each corner. Push the bookshelf in front of the heater and fill it with books, magazines or home decorations. The casters let you quickly move the bookshelf out of the way for repairs and maintenance on the heater.

Step 5

Rearrange the furniture in the room, hiding the heater behind different pieces. Move your couch in front of the heater, leaving at least 12 inches of space between the couch and heater. Make sure that the heater has enough space that the heat rises and doesn’t pose a danger to the furniture.