Jenn Todryk's HGTV Team Updates A Dated Kitchen Hood Vent With This Clever Trick

HGTV's Jenn Todryk is not about to rip out any vent hoods — after all, she is the star of "No Demo Reno." However, there's also no denying that old school hoods can date a kitchen fast, so when Todryk was tasked with updating one couple's home, she couldn't leave their flared-out, old-school wooden hood untouched either. Enter, an incredibly clever, surprisingly simple solution: drywall. As the HGTV host clarified, her team didn't actually touch the hood itself at all. "They just drywalled around it, and the old vent hood is still in there. It's just boxed in!" Todryk laughed (via YouTube). 

Happily, you don't need Todryk or her crack team to do this in your own home. Simply build a basic frame around the hood. Actual dimensions will vary depending on your specific vent hood, alongside the rest of your kitchen and your chosen décor. For instance, if you have cabinetry on either side of the vent hood, you'll have to build the frame with that in mind. Either way, if you need a quick refresher on frame building, YouTuber Woodworking with DIY tools has a great how-to guide.

Once you've built a frame around your vent hood and have secured it to your wall, it's time to connect the drywall. Unfortunately, you can't use regular screws to put up drywall, so ensure that you have the right ones before getting started. Once you have those, though, securing the drywall to the frame is relatively simple. Finish off by sticking on some corner bead, which you can get at Walmart in a variety of materials, from metal to vinyl and PVC. Next up is the taping and mudding part of the process, which will help everything look smoother and hide any unevenness, as well as the beading and the screws. Essentially, you'll need to apply the mud (also known as joint compound, available at Walmart for around $22), then drywall paper tape, which you can pick up on Amazon for around $13. 

From there, you'll need to do a few more coats of the mud, leaving it to dry each time. Be sure to consult our exclusive expert guide on how to mud and tape your drywall like a pro for any clarification. Once everything has dried completely, it's time to prime and paint the drywall (yes, prime — no skipping that step here). Your new vent hood could easily match the rest of your cabinetry, or the island counter, as was the case with Jenn Todryk's "No Demo Reno" project. Either way, your dated vent hood will be a thing of the past. All that, and no demo.