How do I Build a Cover for a Kitchen Stove-top Vent?

Stove-top vents can ruin the look of a kitchen.

Stove-top vents, made from metal, often clash with a kitchen's decor. While you can paint these vents to reduce the severity of their look, the shape of the vent can take away from the kitchen's aesthetic. You can purchase decorative replacement vents but youmay find them expensive. Use a few household tools and common wood to construct a stove-top vent cover that will hide an otherwise unsightly metal vent enclosure.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Circular saw
• Clamps
• Lumber
• Hammer
• Finishing nails
• Mounting brackets (with screws)
• Standard and Phillips screwdrivers

Instructions

1. Measure the stove-top vent. If the vent is flush with nearby cabinets (it does not extend out from the cabinet's front), you can use a single piece of wood as a cover. Measure the length and height of the vent. If the vent sticks out from the surrounding cabinets or has exposed sides, measure the width of the vent. Write the measurements down.

2. 

   Cover this vent with a simple, three-sided wooden enclosure to change it's look.

   Create a rough drawing. If you make the vent cover from a single piece of wood, draw a rectangle. You will mount this single piece of wood to the cabinet on either side of the stove-top vent, so add an extra 1 inch to its length. This allows room for the cover to adhere to the cabinets on either side of the vent. Add the measurements previously written down to the drawing. If the vent sticks out from the cabinets, draw two smaller rectangles to represent the two pieces of wood needed to build the cover's sides. Add measurements to the side pieces.

3. Purchase the wood. Pine is the cheapest and easiest wood to work with. It is available at most building supply stores and comes in standard widths. To save time, find a width closest to the height of the pieces you need for the project. If the project's height is 5½ inches, you can use a 6-inch wide piece of pinewithout trimming it down. Design the project around these available widths.

4. 

   A single piece of wood painted the color of the cabinets can hide this stove's vent.

   Cut the wood to the desired length. Use a guide to ensure a straight line when cutting. Circular saws have a plate that allows the blade to move across the surface of the wood. Draw a line to indicate where to cut. Clamp a piece of scrap wood down, parallel with but not on, the drawn line. This is the saw guide. The guide should be offset by the distance between the saw blade and the edge of the saw's bottom plate.

5. Assemble the unit by nailing the sides to the front of the vent cover (the finished unit will be "U" shaped). Use finishing nails that are at least twice the thickness of the wood being used. If the panel is a single piece, go to step six. Test fit the cover before mounting it to the cabinets.

6. Screw the mounting brackets to the vent cover. You can screw small "L" brackets into the vent cover and then into the cabinets on either side of the vent. The choice of bracket depends on how you are mounting the cover. Decide on how the cover is going to be mounted before choosing the brackets. If you are not mounting the vent cover to nearby cabinets, use the brackets to mount it to the wall. Paint or decorate the cover. You just completed the project.

Tips & Warnings

• Mounting hardware comes in a variety of sizes and shapes. Choose the hardware before starting the project because it could change the design's measurements. Apply contact paper to the vent cover to give it a unique look.

References

• Youttube: How to Use a Circular Saw
• This Old House: Chosing and Using a Circular Saw
• Art Of Manliness: Using a Hammer
• KevinsBrady: Beginners Guide to Woodworking