Upcycled mini-Trombe wall

I hate to see anything go to waste.  I also hate to see my life cluttered up with useless crap.  After we had the exterior of our house redone in Certainteed Fiber Cement board, there was lots left over.  Lots and lots.  We found several small projects, but the most interesting was the mini-Trombe wall.

For years I have wanted to make a heat-grabber, but one style is meant to sit outside.  This is awkward since our windows are second story.  The other rests inside the pane of glass and obscures some light and view.  The window in our home office shines onto the side of a large oak filing cabinet.  Enter the mini-Trombe wall.  I figured at the very least it would keep the sun from bleaching the side of the cabinet.

In under 30 mins, I cut two scraps of fiber cement board to the desired size, screwed two firing strips to the back, added a chain to the firing strips to hang it by (it is heavy) and painted it with some left over paint that was deep grey/nearly black.  This was such a simple project I was able to find everything I needed in our garage.  I had thought to use black paint, but now I think the grey/black more appealing.

Measuring surface temperature is difficult and we lack the equipment but the mini-Trombe wall is noticeably warmer to the touch than the hunter green door jam right next to it of roughly the same color value.  Even if it only makes me feel a bit warmer when I stand in front of it, I can take comfort in the fact that its protecting our wood work while adding a tiny bit more heat to our home.