So tell me . . . have you dreamed of updating your builder grade kitchen? Are you on a budget? If you answered yes, I invite you to read on, because I’m going to share with you how I removed my over the range microwave, installed a vent hood and built a rangehood cover over my existing cabinet in the matter of three days!!! I know this post is LONG overdue, and that’s mainly because it’s a LONG post, so bare with me, and if I left anything out or you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask :).
I’ve explained in the past how I tend to jump in to projects pretty fast, and this project was no different. I took a lot of pictures, but other than removing the microwave, I did this on my own, so most of the pictures are not “pretty.”
My husband and son helped me to get started by removing the old microwave. It began acting up and our original plan was to replace it when I got the idea to try to build a range hood. Here’s where I got some of my inspiration from : Here, and here.
We were able to remove the microwave and purchase a smaller one that we store inside the pantry cabinets-it fits perfectly!
When it came to range hood styles, I couldn’t decide between the two styles, and I actually changed my mind as I was in the process of building it.
Once the microwave was down, I had hubby disconnect the outlet to reveal the wires for me to install the vent hood. We chose this Broan venthood which has the buttons on the bottom, so they were easily accessible.
Installing the venthood was really pretty simple, similar to installing a light fixture. The toughest part for me, honestly, was lining up the screws to put it in place. Once I routed my wires through a hole on the underside of the cabinet (where the previous microwave wires went through), I connected them and made sure everything worked and got building. Because my plan was to build the range hood over the existing cabinet, I cut a hole in the top of the cabinet (not shown) to have access to the wiring if necessary.
As you can see I had some wall repair to do from the wall anchors for the microwave as well as some cleaning to do, one of the main reasons I wanted to remove the microwave, it was constantly a greasy mess, which I think had to do with an improper venting issue.
While most people plan things out, I am more of a hands on person and built my frame as I went, rather than building a frame ahead of time and installing it.
I started measuring and cutting 1×2’s to the depth of the range hood, plus an inch (just based on personal preference). Which in hindsight, I realized that the venthood with top controls may have worked by leaving extra space to fit your fingers in, and could have saved me some money, but this is personal preference as well.
The 1×2’s were attached to the inside of the cabinets that flank the venthood with 1.5 inch brad nails and my campbell hausfeld nail gun.
I then measured, cut and nailed a 1×2 across the width of the venthood to build a semi frame. This is where hubby came in and decided that he liked the idea of a slanted range hood as opposed to a more boxy range hood which I had planned on building. I make the majority of the design/decor decisions in the house, so I decided to give him this one. So I added two mitered 1×4’s and nailed them on each from the top of the cabinet and they would rest on the front of the 1×2 frame (see above).
To measure the angle, I used a piece of card stock to make a template.
I simply held it up and bent it over the 1×4’s until it left a mark and then traced and cut out the shape on a piece of birch wood plywood.
I repeated this process for the other side, and nailed it to the frame.
Meanwhile . . . Kyle was working on organizing the lower cabinets . . . I actually don’t even bother trying to organize that cabinet anymore, that cabinet belongs to him and he has hours, well minutes of fun dumping everything out of the cabinet several times a day.
For the front piece, I measured the width of the venthood and the length of the 1×4’s (to the mitered short edge, although I believe I should have cut it a bit shorter here, I’ll explain why later.) In hindsight, I wish I would have had this piece cut at the store, to ensure straight edges.
As you can see, my blade for my saw was a bit dull which led to some splintering of the wood. So I sanded it the best I could.
I built a picture frame molding for the front of the rangehood. I was going to add more, but decided to hold off because I wanted a simpler look.
At this point, I really began to improvise. I added some shim pieces to the sides to act as molding, and caulked and filled seams and nail holes.
This piece of trim on the stove, was put in place under the vent hood to cover those open seams and overall made the range hood look much more finished after caulking. You can see this in the pic below (although it’s a little blurry).
I then went ahead and added the faux crown molding, you can read all about that here.
I also “skim coated” the sides of the range hood with dry dex to smooth out the rugged edges from the rough saw blade.
Paint was next. I had a slight dilemma becasue I wasn’t sure what I should do above the beadboard backsplash wallpaper, which used to butt right up against the bottom of the microwave. I didn’t want to take it all down, not yet anyway, so I decided to just paint it all out in the white color of my cabinets.
I then added a piece of lattice trim to finish if the look. Once it was painted out, it looks like it was always supposed to look like this.
And there you have it an easy, functional rangehood cover!
Before
After
Looks great Carli! I love it! So are you guys a microwave free home now?
Hey Erin! Thanks so much! We actually bought a smaller microwave which fits perfectly in the pantry cabinet 🙂
What a beautiful job. I don’t have a range hood for some reason and was curious where or how it takes out the grease, smoke? I assume the filter deals with the grease issue but for some reason I keep feeling like it needs to pipe directly into the attic to be efficient when the kids cook and leave the kitchen with whatever they’re making on high to go back to playing Playstation and burn the kitchen down. Once isn’t enough for them to figure out that concept.
Author
Haha!!! Well ours vented directly out of the house-luckily, and yes the filter collected a good amount of grease.
Where is the pipeline going to? I didn’t see any exhaust piping. Our vent blows from stovetop to….I dunno, there’s no piping.
Author
Our vents right out the wall to outside, no pipe, just a vent out the side of the house, the rangehood lined up perfectly with the vent from the former microwave.
Where did you end up putting your microwave. I hate having them on the counter
Author
Me too! We ended up getting a smaller microwave and put it in the pantry cabinet.
Oh my God you are amazing thank you so much for the wonderful idea I so did not know what to do with mine and could not afford a beautiful hood yours gave me a fantastic idea thank you for your help
Wow! Excellent! It's so professional looking..
Thank you Jamala! 😊
Wow Carli, what a transformation. You did a good job! I like how kyle got in and did his part in helping!
Thank you Liah. If you're ever looking for Mr. Kyle, you will surely find him under me 😄
Wow! Good job Carli. You are so crafty and your blog is so inspiring. I love the new look.
Thank you Tanida!!!! So glad you stopped by!
This is the best tutorial I've seen yet on how to make a stove exhaust cover! I'm pinning….
Yay!!!! Thank you so much! so glad you found it informative! Let me know if you have any questions! and thanks so much for the pin! 💓
I absolutely love how this turned out. We have a range hood with the buttons on the front- so I have been debating how to transform the cabinets above & still keep those accessible. I'm so inspired to make it happen now. Thank you!
Hi Gina!! I'm so glad you were able to find this helpful! I hipe you're able to make it work, I just love the change it's made to my kitchen!
Where did you put the microwave after removing it? That’s the only reason I’m not ripping mine off the wall right now!
Author
Haha! I actually purchased a smaller microwave and was able to put it in the utility/pantry cabinets, which worked out perfectly!
Hi Gina, Did you figure out how to cover with buttons on the front???? Thanks Sylvia
Author
Hi Sylvia, you could just extended the frame a few inches in the front which would allow room to access the buttons on the front.
I just love your ideas, your so creative and i am 61 and seen many creative ideas. Love this and the fake crown molding, and plate holder on end. It's so refreshing to see people work out these idea and they look beautiful … vs buying new stuff. HGTV (all these young people who tear out the pink/black 50's tile (thats in good shape); someday it will be popular again.
How does this vent properly?
it is vented through the exterior of the house, where the microwave was previously vented 🙂
What a wonderful idea! It’s beautiful. Where did you place the vent and light controls?
Author
Hi Debra, Thank you! The vent vents out where the old microwave used to vent out to the outside, it lined up perfectly. The controls are easily accessible directly underneath the front of the cover.
I am thrilled to see someone taking an idea & executing it in action. Love your kitchen, your ideas but most of all your clever mind!
Author
Well thank you very much Lyn!
Looks Great! Out of curiosity, what did you do to your ceiling? I love it.
Author
Thank you! It was like that when we bought our house. I’m pretty sure they just skimmed it in a swirl motion with plaster.
Great tutorial! Thanks for sharing your beautiful home.
Author
Thank you Julie!
Simply amazing transformation! Great job! Your kitchen is gorgeous!
Author
Thank you Shelley!
Carli your range hood looks amazing!!! Thanks for sharing. Best pin. I’m doing this.
Author
Thanks so much! Glad it was helpful!
We recently did a similar remodel. We took down the box light in the kitchen and reused the molding from it to fancy up the new hood we built over our existing hood. We had to move the controls from the front, but no big deal. We also put our microwave into a cabinet to free up that valuable counter real estate. Don’t you love it when a plan comes together!
Author
That’s awesome! Microwaves can be an eyesore too, so no need for them to be on display. This was definitely one of my favorite projects completed in that house.
This turned out so beautifully! I am curious about the venting system, though! Have you seemed to have any problems with it not venting properly? I have thought about doing something similar, but I am uneasy about covering the vents. It seems it would trap all the moisture & lead to mold, rotting, etc. Would love any insight if you have any, please!
Author
Hi Ashley, thanks for your comment. The venthood we used actually lined up perfectly with the vent from the former microwave, so I lucked out. In our current home we have a non-venting rangehood and charcoal filter and haven’t had any issues.
Love how you made this range hood!! And your 3 open shelves and how you have them decorated are beautiful!! Also I have about 4-5 in at the end of my cabinets by the back door and I am going to put some narrow shelves there to put some pretty platters and cutting boards!! I out real bead board behind my stove (and above the counters)–when we had to replace our stove this winter!! I white washed the bad board before installing it and it looks beautiful!!
Author
Thank you Mary, it’s so fun to be creative and think outside the “traditional kitchen” box 🙂
Carli! How creative you are! Love the unique crown molding. Also, did you make the Plate/Cutting Board at the end of the cabinet? If you did, did you do a tutorial for it?
Author
Hi Sindy! Thanks so much! Here’s a link to the tutorial: https://www.fwmadebycarli.com/2016/02/my-kitchen-plate-rack-wall.html
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask ☺️
I bow down to you, such impressive work. You’ve inspired me to take on jobs that I wasn’t sure I could do!!
Author
Yassss Michelle!!! So glad you’re inspired! 🙌🏾💓
I used this tutorial to do the vent hood in my kitchen and it was so easy to follow! Thank you so much!! It takes away the microwave eye-sore!
Also, where is that amazing black can light from?! LOVE IT!
Author
Yay! That makes me so happy!!! The pendant light is the Hektar Pendant from Ikea 🙂
WOW!! This looks so great! Very creative, I never would have thought of that.
Great job! I’m going to try this too. Thanks!
Lovely!
This is beautiful and well done! I love your kitchen. Giving me lots of ideas for my own.
Author
SO awesome! Glad you’ve found this post helpful 🙂
Looks amazing! And that sweet baby! Love the cheeks🥰
This looks amazing.
Question… where is the button to turn on your range hood if you have one?
Mines is on the front so I’m not sure how I could build around it. Any suggestions?
Author
Hi Sara, Thank you! The buttons are on the underside of the vent hood. You can see on the 5th picture down.
Author
With how I built the frame, I’m pretty sure I could have used a vent hood with buttons on the front as well, because I left a little extra space on the front where I could have easily accessed front buttons as well.
Hi from Vancouver Island, B.C.
Glad I found your site. What an excellent transformation….I’m inspired.
Thanks for sharing the details.
Martha
Author
Hi Martha! Thanks for stopping by! 💓
Thanks for sharing, but how would you maintain the range hood cover when it’s faulty. Thanks 😊
Author
On most range hoods, the mechanics are located right beyond the vents. I recently installed one in our new house and it’s the same.
Carli, you are a genius!!!! I have never seen anyone do anything like this….just blown away!!!
Author
Awww thank you so much!
It looks so nice and beautiful! Love it!
I just came across this post on Pinterest. I’ve been itching to venture into the world of DIY and you’ve officially inspired me!! We just put in our new kitchen and wanted to figure out how to rework some of the design.
We love our existing microwave and have room in our pantry cabinet, but have bulkheads, so we can’t find a prefabricated range hood that will fit. This, right here, is perfection and would be the absolute best way to use the space we have. Love it!!
Author
Yay, I’m so glad to hear this!
Beautiful work! Will have to refer back to this when we redo our kitchen!!!
Author
Thank you Mari🥰