44 Comments

  1. matthew gribbin says:

    In step 3 in regards to the plywood side it just says “ and then install”. But how do you install the plywood sides to the existing cabinet?

    1. Nina Hendrick says:

      I’m sorry that it was written in a confusing way.You don’t attach the side panels themselves to the cabinet, you assemble the entire frame as pictured and install that. It’s attached to the original cabinet at various points with screws (the top has visible screws in the photo).

  2. James Dull says:

    Great idea, plan to start this project tomorrow I have all brand new cabinets , flooring and appliances so this will be the final finish . Thank you for the idea.

  3. you’re creative! I wish I could do the same in our kitchen too

  4. Really neat project! Just made one of these for our kitchen reno. It came out really well, but I am having trouble with the euro hinge, which have not used very often. Can you explain (or preferably show me a picture of) how the eurohinge is connected to the cabinet? Thanks Paul

    1. Nina Hendrick says:

      Hi Paul. Unfortunately we no longer live in that house, so I’m unable to show you. I apologize!

  5. Julie Lidberg says:

    Beautiful! Your directions were extremely helpful! We are definitely going to use your methods to paint our oak kitchen cabinets. Plus my husband is a carpenter who can build the range hood with storage. Great idea! Thank you for putting this together. I can’t wait to get started!

    1. Nina Hendrick says:

      That’s so exciting, Julie! I’m so glad it was helpful to you. Best of luck with your project!

  6. I love this concept. I have a very small kitchen, therefore I am always thinking and searching for ways to maximize space; this is it!!! I’m hoping I can recreate this range hood…Pure genius!

  7. Hello,

    First of all, I absolutely love this idea and want to build something similar in my home. Do you feel like the 200 CFM hood you bought works well enough? I’ve read some reviews that say that CFM does matter and others that don’t. What are your thoughts? Thanks for sharing such an awesome DIY!

    1. We’ve never felt that it was underpowered for the space!

  8. This exactly what I need for my small kitchen, def gonna start on this diy project ASAP now that I see the steps needed ??Thank you ?

  9. Justin Jablanski says:

    Does the fan build but a brownish film from the blower fan onto the swinging door, as it is now trapping the exhaust fan into your new vent cover?

    1. Hi, Justin! I apologize, I’m not sure I understand your question… the fan is vented to the outside of our home through ductwork. Is that what you mean?

      1. Sara Smith says:

        Hey there! I love this❤️. I currently have a microwave that doesn’t have ductwork that vents it outside. Do you know if there is a way I could make it work with a recirculating vent? This is a band aid project for 5 yearsish, so I don’t really want to add exterior ductwork yet. If you have any ideas I’d love to hear them!

  10. Megan Jenson says:

    Awesome makeover! Thank you for sharing! :)

  11. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I’m so glad I found this blog and blog post. Thank you!

    1. So happy that it was helpful to you! :)

  12. Wow, this is an amazing idea! Thank you so much for sharing. Giving me lots of ideas for the kitchen of our new home :)

  13. Hi! I love this idea and how well you executed it. We want to replace our above the range microwave and do something like this. I’m curious what the thickness of the plywood was used? It looks to be 3/4″ but I want to make sure. Is that the same plywood that was also used for the door because the stiles and rails of the door are most likely 3/4″ which would make the plywood closer to 1/2″ thick? Thanks!

    1. Hi Heidi! Thank you so much! Yes, exactly- we used 3/4″ plywood for the frame, 3/4″ pine boards for the stiles and rails, and then 1/2″ plywood for the center panels. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, I will make a note to update the post :)

  14. I am curious about the ductless airflow too

    1. Hi Amber,

      There is an air duct at the back of the vent that was already in place from the the previous hood.

  15. We are doing a few remodels to our kitchen and we have to same vent system about ours. how do you get the air to vent back out?

    1. Hi Hannah,

      Sorry I missed this! There is an air duct at the back that was already in place from the the previous hood.

  16. Hi again,

    I am curious what your measurement is from your cooktop to the bottom of the hood. I am seeing codes that specify that combustable material has to be 30 inches at least from cooktop and the hood you used has a max placement of 24 inches above the cooktop. We bought the same hood and just realized that. Did you know about that or did you just do it anyway? I don’t want to have to take it down when we sell, that’s the conundrum im having. Thanks for your thoughts.

    1. It is slightly over 30″ from the flame to the vent. We placed it in the same location as what was already there, opting to reuse the ductwork rather than ripping apart the wall. Since the range vent is more powerful than the one that was in the location previously, I’m not sure why the manufacturer says 24″- but ultimately we were more concerned about the local code than the manufacturer’s recommendations. It all passed code and works well!

      1. However, if you are getting ready to sell, I would call your local building inspector and the manufacturer to discuss- we are not planning to ever sell, so we were doing the project from a much different perspective.

        1. Okay. Sounds good. Thanks for your quick reply. :)

  17. Holy cow! This is an awesome idea! I am totally keeping this in the back of my mind for my future kitchen makeover. Thanks!

  18. John Gray says:

    Great idea that I may modify to fit my daughter’s kitchen needs. She is an interior designer and told me the other day that a bad or standard range hood ruins a kitchen for her; she has trouble getting past it. This might be the starting point for her new kitchen! By the way, what is the hardware called that is supporting the front “door”? I am needing that for another project and cant find locally. Thanks for a great idea.

    1. Thank you so much, Brittany!

  19. Thanks so much for this idea. We had been thinking about buying an insert and a liner because that’s the only way I was aware of. But even that DIY idea cost upwards of $400 here in Alaska. Thanks so much for this idea. It looks beautiful and we are doing the same thing!

    1. You are very welcome!! Best of luck to you with your project :)

  20. That looks SO great! I wouldn’t dream it had been DIYd… Awesome job:)

    1. Thank you so much Alanna!

    1. Thanks Stephanie!! :)

  21. Fabulous idea! I never thought to do that but it totally makes sense!

    Cher @ Designs by Studio C

    1. Thank you Cher!!

  22. I love that idea, such a great way to make use of a wasted space. Going to have to pin for when we finally get to buy again and not be renting because of the military.

    1. Thank you so much! And thank you for your family’s service!!

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