What are Hood Liners?

Hood liners are a way to pull the stale kitchen out of your home. Many people are familiar with the look of a range hood. A hood liner is a similar concept, but allows for a more customized look in the kitchen.

Many people do not like the rather utilitarian look of a traditional range hood. A hood liner allows them to have the benefits of a range hood while still creating a custom look in their kitchen. Hood liners are the mechanical working of an exhaust hood. They fit inside of a decorative hood mounted over the stove.

The decorative hood is used as an accent to the kitchen and conceals the hood liner; it does not have any functional use. The decorative hood may be provided by the cabinet maker or be custom made. The material used for the decorative hood is chosen to coordinate with your kitchen. It may be wood, metal, tile or plaster. In the case of tile and plaster hoods, the decorative hood is generally made of plywood and then covered with the plaster or tile façade.

Hood liners are every bit as functional as a traditional range hood. They are available with built in lights, a blower unit and switches to adjust them and turn them on and off. Depending on your taste, you can get a blower with halogen or fluorescent lights.

If you have a decorative hood in place, the addition of a hood liner can be a do it yourself project. Hood liners are available that are already prewired, preassembled and ready to install. The main point to remember when doing this project is that the bottom edge of the liner hood must meet the bottom edge of the decorative hood. They must be flush in both width and depth in order for the range hood to work properly.

Purchased hood liners are less expensive than custom made designs, and are straightforward to install. If you have the ability to design a decorative hood, or plan to purchase one from a cabinet supplier, you can easily create a custom look in your kitchen. Once installed, the hood liner will work the same as a traditional range hood.