Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Cook Top Hood
Doug Reynolds in Seattle
>I am making a kitchen island cook top (range) hood out of wood that will conceal the vent fan and duct work. Was thinking of making raised panels from solid wood to match the existing kitchen cabinets. Am I asking for trouble with heat and humidity causing joint failures? Should I just stick with plywood? Any other advice or warnings on this project? Thanks for your continued support, Doug.
Re: Cook Top Hood
J. Robison
>We had a downdraft cooktop in our previous kitchen and although our cabinets (at the time) were made of particle board, I don't recall that heat and humidity were a big problem in the cabinet below the cooktop.
Re: Cook Top Hood
DB
>If I am reading your post right you are putting the hood above the cooktop and totally makeing the hood out of wood. If you make a lot of rice then you might have problems with expansion and contraction of the wood. The bigger problem that I see is with the grease. I would use a pre-made metal range hood and cover it with wood. another option would be to go with a down draft range/ cook-top, if that will work with your house construction.
No Problem
Garrett in Victoria BC
>Hi Doug
We did just that in 1997 when we reno'd the kitchen. The house had a Jenn-Aire cooktop with a terrific exhaust fan, so when we tossed the cooktop, I pulled the fan out, installed it over the stove in the new location and ducted it to the outside. The kitchen cupboard guys made a beautiful hood to match the new cabinetryout of maple plywood and a lot of maple trim. (I can post a photo if it would help.)
We don't fry much, but do make LOTS of pasta, rice, and soups. No problems whatsoever after 9 years, so I'd say you're good to go. (Use Tite-Bond III.)
Cheers, Garrett
Cheers, Garrett
Re: Cook Top Hood
NickB
>One thought-what kind of range/cooktop do you have (or are you installing)? I have a BlueStar restaurant-style stove (2x18K burners, a 15K burner, and a 8K 'simmer' burner), and I wouldn't put a wooden hood over it for all the money in the world. The true restaurant style stoves (Viking, Wolf, DCS, BlueStar) put out so much heat I would be very worried about a wooden hood (I worry about the upper cabinets that flank my stove-the bottom corners nearest the top of the stove getting pretty warm when I'm doing any high-temp cooking). I wouldn't be so worried with any of the other stoves I've had-they didn't put out anywhere near as much heat.
If you're not worried about heat, just make sure you use a good finish (KCMA-rated) so it can take some heat and the cleaners you'll have to use on the grease.
Hope this helps,
Nick
Re: Cook Top Hood
J. Robison
>I second that. My Sister-in-Law runs a catering business out of her home with a commercial range/oven combo in her kitchen. She has a stainless hood for it but the builder grade cabinets next to it have warped and been damaged by its output.
If this is an island, you're talking downdraft.....correct?? Are you concerned about damage to the island cabinetry?
Clarification
Doug Reynolds in Seattle
>The 3ft by 2ft hood will go about 38 inches above the stove top which is the smaller home-owner version not the big industrial types. It will cover/enclose the usual metal filter,light and fan assembly. Plan to have a removable panel to allow access to the wiring and duct work that goes into the ceiling. The intent is to make it look like the rest of the kitchen cabinets and not some metal albatross hanging from the ceiling. Per suggestions, I will take it to a professional finish shop for CAB laquer or similar finish.