When we bought our house, I loved the kitchen but the one thing I did not like was the microwave above the stove. While the microwave hood vent was convenient it was an eyesore. I kept the microwave above the stove because I did not want to spend the money to replace something that still functioned. Recently, we had huge storm and our microwave suffered a catastrophic death due to a power outage. I knew it was my time to finally put in a regular hood vent! Instead of hiring the job out, I decided to tackle the project myself and build a DIY Custom Built Hood Vent.
Buying a New Hood Vent
I did not want to alter the existing cabinets or change the ventilation system already in place so I went on a hunt for the perfect hood vent for my space. The entire hood vent would be covered in wood so the unit did not have to be fancy. I ordered a basic white hood vent from Home Depot and it was cheap! I ordered the Glacier BCSD 30″ Under Cabinet Range Hood for $126.48!
While I waited on the new Hood Vent to be shipped to me, I began demo on the old unit.
Prepping The Space For The New Vent Hood
First, I removed the broken microwave from the cabinet.
Next, I removed the cabinet doors. from the existing cabinets. I saved the cabinet doors to use for future projects.
Finally, I removed all of the existing cabinet trim from all of the upper cabinets and the weird wooden box that was installed behind the microwave .
Since I was keeping the cabinet color in the kitchen the same, I had to get paint to match the existing cabinets. I took one of the cabinet doors down to Home Depot and had them color match it. Home Depot created the most perfect color match for my DIY Custom Built Hood Vent!
INSTALLATION
To install the new vent hood, I had to improvise and use screws and bolts I had around the house to fit the unit in place because I did not want to alter the existing venting system. I successfully secured the new vent hood and began installing a frame for the vent hood cover that would extend to the top of the ceiling.
I used primed 1×3 trim pieces to frame out the extension to match the existing cabinets. Using a very thin piece of cabinet ready wood I found at Home Depot, I covered the existing cabinet opening.
To cover the metal vent front, I created a trimmed out box out of primed wood. I purchased industrial magnets and used those to secure the vent cover onto the metal vent.
Removing the microwave left a portion of exposed unfinished wall below the new vent hood area. In order to make the area look cohesive, I installed vertical painted 1×2 pieces of wood to the area. This is a similar look to the Wood Slat Wall we completed in my son’s bedroom.
Lastly, I installed all of the thick wood boards to the top of all of my upper cabinets to create a more modern look. I caulked and wood filled all of the holes and spaces. Once everything was ready, I painted the area to match the existing cabinets.
I purchased and installed all new gold cabinet pulls and handles throughout and it added such an amazing change to the space!
Finished Space
The finished space completely elevated the kitchen. While this was a relatively easy project, it was a harder one for me to tackle because I was afraid of what the outcome would be since I was paint matching custom built glazed cabinets. Turns out I had nothing to be afraid of! I am completely in love and can’t wait to start my next project!
