Air vents, a necessary part of your home…but not very aesthetically pleasing. All the intake air vents in our home are located high on the wall in the most unfortunate locations. They were your basic cheap white air vent style that I knew I needed to upgrade.
I started looking online at different options and I could not believe how expensive these simple covers costed, upwards of $150.00 for one air vent. Thats crazy! So I decided to make them myself using decorative sheet metal and wood for the frame.
These really were not that hard to make and very inexpensive. I replaced all the air vents in our home from one piece of decorative sheet metal that cost about $30.00 and a couple thin pieces of wood. I call that a win!
[Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no cost additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Not all links are affiliate links and if I can no longer find the item I purchased I will try and link a similar item for you.]
To get started creating your own air vents here are the materials you’ll need…
Tools + Materials:
- Wood
- Decorative Sheet Metal
- Staple Gun
- Staples
- Wood Glue
- Measuring Tape
- Miter Saw (This is what I used but you could use a miter box saw)
- Snips or metal shears to cut sheet metal
- Sharpie
- Hammer
Step 1:
Measure the size of your air vent and mark your pieces of wood with your measurements and make your cuts. Make sure to cut your wood pieces at a 45 degree angle so they butt up to each other to make a frame.
Step 2:
Now that all your wood pieces are cut to the correct length use wood glue to connect the edges together creating your frame. Let the glue dry for 30 minutes to an hour before moving.
Step 3:
Using your measurement mark your decorative sheet metal with a sharpie marker and use your metal shear / snips to cut your sheet to size. Make sure to leave a little overlap of the sheetmetal so you can staple the sheet metal to the back of your wood frame.
Once you start cutting the sheet metal be careful as the edges get very sharp!
[Tip: Wear a gardening glove to protect your hand while cutting.]
Step 4:
Once your sheet metal is cut to size, lay it flat on the floor and hammer any jagged edges until they lay flat. I did this step on my garage floor so I didn’t damage any flooring.
Step 5:
Now that the glue on your frame is dry, use your staple gun to secure the corners by stapling them together over the seam.
Step 6:
After all four corners are secured, you are ready to attach your sheet metal to the frame. Position the sheet metal evenly on the frame and staple the sheetmetal to the frame.
Step 7:
At this point your frame is created. You could leave it as is or decide what you want your finished product to look like. I chose to spray paint the entire vent a champagne gold that matched some of the other fixtures in our house.
Remember it is better to do a couple light coats of spray paint to avoid any paint build up. Once your paint dries you can secure your air vent to the wall with a screw on the left and right side and enjoy your new and improved (stylish) air vent!
Tag me on instagram [@bridgette.alexandra] to show me your DIY air vents!
