Essential vs Thermal: Which Loby Radiator Shelf Is Right for You?

Essential and Thermal are Loby’s two flat radiator shelves. From across the room they look almost the same, and most of what makes them work is shared. The difference is underneath: Thermal has an aluminium underlay on its underside, and Essential does not. This guide sets out what that means, what else differs, and how to choose between them.

01The short answer

Choose Thermal if you want an aluminium underlay beneath the shelf. Choose Essential if the shelf is mainly there for styling and storage and you want the widest choice of finishes.

Everything else is the same: the sizes, the no-drill fitting, the depth and the way you measure. So if you are unsure, decide the size first and the range second. The size affects how the shelf looks far more than the range does.

02What the two share

People often compare these two as if they were different products. In practice, most of what matters is identical.

• Seven lengths: 40cm, 60cm, 75cm, 90cm, 100cm, 120cm and 140cm
• The same sizing rule: measure the full radiator width, valves included, and choose the shortest shelf at least 5cm longer
• Approximately 15cm deep
• MDF construction
• No wall drilling. The supplied brackets attach to predrilled points on the underside of the shelf and sit behind the radiator
• Two brackets on the 40cm to 100cm shelves, three on the 120cm and 140cm
• Screws and an Allen key in the box
• Height adjusted by moving the brackets forward or back
• The radiator needs to sit at least 5cm from the wall

Because the sizing is identical, our guide to what size radiator shelf you need applies to both ranges without any changes.

03The real difference: the underside

Turn a Thermal shelf over, as in the photograph at the top of this guide, and you will see an aluminium underlay covering the underside. It faces down towards the top of the radiator. It is designed to reflect heat forward into the room and to protect the MDF from heat directly beneath it.

Essential has no underlay. Its underside is plain, with a smooth finish on top. It is designed to sit above a working radiator at normal household temperatures, and it gives you a surface for display and storage.

From normal viewing height you will not see the underlay, so it makes no difference to how the room looks. The choice is about what sits beneath the shelf, not about appearance.

04Side by side

A few smaller details also differ between the two ranges.

Grey and Light Oak are only available in Essential. If you want one of those two finishes, Essential is your only option between these two ranges.

05When Essential makes sense

• The shelf is mainly there to finish the radiator and give you a surface for keys, frames, candles or plants
• You want Grey or Light Oak, or the widest choice of finishes
• The radiator is somewhere you pass through rather than sit, such as a hallway, landing or utility room
• You are fitting several shelves around the home and want to keep costs down

06When Thermal makes sense

• You want the aluminium underlay between the radiator and the shelf
• The radiator is in a room you use for long periods, such as a living room or bedroom
• You want a slightly thicker board: 1.8cm rather than 1.5cm
• Your finish is White, Black, Natural or Dark Oak, which Thermal offers too

Essential and Thermal fit the same way, come in the same sizes and look alike on the wall. The difference is the aluminium underlay underneath.

07What we will not claim

You will not find a heat-saving percentage or an energy-bill figure here. What the underlay does in your home depends on your radiator, your wall, your room and how you run your heating. We would rather give you no number than one we cannot stand behind.

What we can tell you is what it is: an aluminium underlay on the underside, designed to reflect heat forward into the room and to protect the shelf from the heat directly below it.

08Want the underlay in a different shape?

Thermal is not the only Loby shelf with an aluminium underlay. The Signature shelves, which have shaped front edges, carry one too. They include Signature Curved, Signature Edge, Signature Arc and the two-tone Signature Wavy. If you like the idea of Thermal but want a more distinctive profile, those are worth a look.

09Frequently asked questions