Last week, I shared Part 1 of my DIY Range Hood for my Vintage Kitchen Makeover during the One Room Challenge. In Part 1, I talked a lot about venting the hood. This week I want to show you how I built the actual hood.
This was my first time building a range hood. So I spent quite a bit of time figuring out all of the various measurements. There is not a lot of space on this wall and with cabinets on either side of the hood…I knew my measurements needed to be exact. It was helpful for me to map everything out on the wall with a pencil. I also marked the locations of the studs, so I knew where I needed to add the support boards to secure the hood to the wall and ceiling.
After I had the right dimensions, I used some 2x4s and 1x4s to create the box. Pocket screws are an easy and secure way to attach most boards. By the way, the only reason I used 1x4s for the sides was because I needed space for the range vent. Otherwise, I would have used 2x4s for the whole box.
Next I added the supports for the top of the box(The hood is upside down in the pictures). Since it was going to be attached to the ceiling the 2x4s are laid horizontally instead of vertically.
Now it was time to install the frame for the range insert. I cut some 3/4 inch plywood the same dimensions as bottom of the hood. Then created a hole in the plywood that corresponded to the size of range insert.
I added the sides(3/4 inch plywood) and painted the top of the frame because I knew it would difficult to paint once it was installed.
Oddly the installation of the range insert and how to attach it to the hood was the part I stressed about the most. I tried to find information online and nothing seemed to help. So here is a video showing how I did it. Just in case you can’t find anything either.
Once I had the insert installed, I had my husband help me lift it into place and I screwed it into the wall studs and the ceiling joists. According to my husband “It’s not going anywhere”. Now I could finally install the front panel and the trim.
Another tricky thing that I couldn’t find online was how to create and access panel to the insert/vent area. Most range hoods don’t have this feature. I am not sure how they repair or replace old range inserts. I really don’t want to redo my hood if the the vent dies. So I decided to add an access panel. After adding base trim and crown, I installed the front panel(3/4 inch plywood) with some screws that could be hidden by removable trim.
Here are a couple of pictures of the trim work before it was painted. The final picture shows the sunken screw holes for the removable panel. After it was completely painted I add removable wood plugs to cover the holes.
Hooray range hood! We are in the home stretch. Only a couple more weeks until the One Room Challenge is complete. If you want to see the previous posts you can find them here: Week 1 , Week 2, Week 3, & Week 4.
It’s been so fun following along on this space !