These easy-to-install covers gave my baseboard heaters a fresh look and saved me hundreds of dollars

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• Baseboard heaters can be an eyesore, especially if they haven't been replaced for decades.
• I installed Baseboarders baseboard heater covers to give my dated 1984 ranch a modern upgrade.
• The covers are great for beginner DIYers who want to save some money and time.

Six months ago, I left my cramped Brooklyn apartment to move to New York's bucolic Dutchess County where historic homes and farms dot its rolling hills. After a surprisingly brief search, I was lucky to close on my own country home: a 1984 ranch.

This ranch is dated and, to my partner's horror, there is plenty I want to remodel. In the meantime, I've found ways to give our home a more modern, fresh look without exhausting our funds.

One of our first DIY home projects: the baseboard heaters. The originals were intact with their yellowing paint and dust caked into tiny crevices.

I thought I had only two options: Paint the baseboards or replace them with spotless new pieces, removing everything but the heating elements. Neither option was ideal. Both are labor intensive for reluctant, inexperienced DIYers. Plus, there's nothing to appreciate about the aesthetics of traditional baseboard heaters.

Then I found Baseboarders. These baseboard heater covers slip right over existing hot water baseboards. (If you're looking to use these with electric baseboards, be sure to heed the manufacturer's warnings.)

Our review of the Baseboarders baseboard heater covers

The panels are made from low-gloss powder-coated galvanized steel. I opted for the Basic Series, which I stumbled upon on The Home Depot website. The design consists of clean straight lines and small holes along the top half that allow heat to pass through.

There are also the Premium, Elliptus, and Commercial series baseboard covers. The Home Depot and Lowe's offer only the Premium and Elliptus covers in white, but if you purchase directly from Baseboarders, you can choose from white, black, bronze, or gray and free custom cuts. (However, you will pay more for shipping and have a longer wait for delivery.)

How we installed the baseboard cover in the bathroom

I ordered a 5-foot long cover and two end caps for $135 with free shipping from The Home Depot. Since our existing bathroom baseboard is a little under 5 feet, my partner cut a small portion of the end using a hacksaw. You can also use shears.

One person can easily install these themselves. The process was simple, and Baseboarders has an easy-to-follow instructional video. We removed the existing front cover and the end caps. Then we clicked the new cover over the existing back panel and secured the end caps. All in all, this took 20 minutes.

How we installed the larger baseboard covers in the kitchen

Our kitchen baseboards are significantly longer, running along two walls in an "L" shape. For this project, I ordered two 6-foot panels, a 5-foot panel, a coupler to cover the gap where two panels meet, an inside corner cover, and two end caps. Total cost: $440.

This time around, my partner used a jigsaw to trim the panels. After observing this, I recommended sheers method, which a beginner can safely and easily accomplish without the need for power tools. The kitchen took us 45 minutes from start to finish.

How much money and time we saved

You'll definitely need more tools (drill, reciprocating saw, patching materials), skill, and time to remove and install traditional covers. Baseboarders outlines a cost comparison, showing a savings of approximately $2.67 per linear square foot. If you're DIYing a 2,000-square-foot home, Baseboarders covers likely amount to a few hundred dollars in savings and five fewer hours for install time, depending on your skill level. Hiring someone to install new covers will cost significantly more.

The bottom line

Aside from appreciating their energy efficiency, I was pretty frustrated by our baseboard heaters. The aesthetic downsides and their proclivity for collecting dust and dirt seemed like something I'd have to just live with. But a simple DIY project using Baseboarders has given our home a clean, updated look.