Rustic-Style Range-Hood Cover

A reclaimed piece of lumber is used to box in and hold a stainless-steel hood vent.

More from Carter Can
Filed under: Kitchens

Tools and Materials:
reclaimed or an exotic piece of wood (we used an old tabletop)
3/4" plywood
2x4 board
1-1/4"screws and 1-3/4" pocket screws
stain or paint and painting supplies
range hood, ductless or non-vented
power drill and countersink bit
pocket hole jig with enclosed screw bit
chop saw and a table saw
power sander and a level

Steps:
1. Find a large piece of reclaimed wood wider than your range hood and comparable in the size to your cabinets. Look for interesting textures, details and unusual elements. We repurposed a tabletop by removing the legs.

2.Cut the reclaimed wood to the width of the range hood and the height of the surrounding cabinets. Our range hood cover sits taller than the surrounding cabinets as part of the decorative style of the kitchen.

3. Build sides for hood box using 3/4" plywood. If using store-bought lumber, use that to construct all three sides of the box. Attach the two sides to the front using a pocket-hole jig. Make sure the surface sits flush to the surrounding cabinets and that the hood vent follows the clearance recommendations as suggested by the manufacturer.

4. With a power sander, smooth out the rough edges and stain or paint the box. Let dry completely.

5. Cut ledger boards to fit snugly into the width of the hood box. The number of ledger boards depends on the height of the box, the taller it is, the more ledger boards you’ll need to help support the box. Use a level and fasten the ledger board to the wall studs.

6. Place the range-hood cover over the ledger boards. Secure the cover to the ledger boards with 1-1/4" screws from the inside of the cabinets on either side.

7. Install the hood vent underneath the range hood cover according to the manufacturer’s instructions.