Replacing old cast iron floor and wall grates?? Desperate?

Question

I have a 126 yr old house I am planning to sell and it had beautiful cast iron grates in it. I desperatly want to take them with me for my 100 yr old house, so I need to think of a way to fill/cover the holes. There are 2 very large floor ones that cover the return air so I cant cover them. They are approx 1.5 ft X 1 ft. And then there are 6 on the wall that I think will be easier to find soemthing to replace them. Any idea on what to do, is there anything sold to replace these?

Answer 1

I would start with Granger Supply or C.C. Dickinson Supply.

Answer 2

They're called "registers" and many places like Home Depot, Lowes, etc, will have suitable replacements for you. I would recommend taking them with you because the original cast iron ones are very valuable.

Answer 3

You are referring to eithor antique grilles or registers.  The hole you leave behind will look quite obvious with something new from a local store.  

Replacements can be had from an antique supplier like the one I have listed below.  Sometimes these registers are fitted into the wood and would require refitting into a new location with new woodwork to contain it.

I am sure you do love those old grilles but consider that they are "fixtures" in the old house that you have sold including the fixtures like the furnace, the wall outlets and the lights.  These fixtures are considered part of the real estate.  The house was built around those fixtures.  Transplanting them from that old house that you loved may not be according to your contract for sale, may be difficult to install in the new location and you may find that you can not use them.  

You may find also that a proper replacement for the old house and the cost of installation in the new house will be more than just buying new grilles for the new house.  (Which I think is your best choice.)  

Please forgive me, but as someone who has done some work in a few of these old beauties, I am always saddened to see where someone has ripped out brass locks, registers, door k***s, decorative plates, stained glass windows and even doors because they wanted to keep them.  They are never perfectly replaced because even stock items were custom fit in those days.  Often those same items ripped from the house for which they were intended lie in boxes or garages or attics collecting dust and are later forgotten.  Consider how you would feel to move into a house where the finishes had been removed.  

Best of luck on the exciting adventure of the new house.  B

Answer 4

First place to look... an old regular family owned hardware store...not  lowes or H-D... in St Louis...New Market Hardware

Grainger industrial supply....

A plumbing and heating supply house

Also look for a place that sells reclaimed parts to rehabbers.... in St Louis Habitat runs such a store