How To Choose The Best Hood For Your Kitchen

Functional and stylish, kitchen hoods are an excellent investment when renovating or remodeling your kitchen — but they are often an overlooked accessory. Most people don’t fully understand what they do nor do they know what to look for when buying one. To help you purchase the best hood for your kitchen, we’re answering some of the most common questions here.

  • What exactly does a kitchen hood do?

Kitchen hoods make the kitchen a more pleasant space by removing smoke, odor and heat from the room when you’re cooking. The fan within the hood works as an extractor and filter, getting rid of unwanted byproducts. Not only does this action help make time at the stove more comfortable but it also prevents smoke, grease and moisture from damaging your walls and kitchen cabinets.

  • What type of installation do you need?

What type of installation do you need?
Depending on where your kitchen hood will go and the style you prefer, there are a few different installation types. Choose from under cabinet, wall mounted or island. If you’re leaning towards a wall-mounted unit with a chimney hood, take into consideration that it could affect the layout of your kitchen cabinets. Try our free kitchen design tool to avoid a mishap like this!

  • What’s the difference between ducted and ductless?

Some hoods exhaust to the outside (ducted) while others use a charcoal filter to trap irritants (ductless). Convertible hoods give you both options. You get better ventilation when you duct to the outside but as long as you change out your filter every few months there is nothing wrong with using a ductless venting kit.

  • How much should I pay?

Prices can range between a couple hundred dollars to over a thousand. Installation type, finish, and features are a few of the factors behind the significant price difference. An economy system will have your basic set up, while a high-end choice will include bonuses like electronic controls, multiple light settings and a quieter fan.

  • What is the best width for my kitchen?

You will select a hood width based on the size of your cooktop and the space around your kitchen cabinets. If you’re replacing an old hood, simply measure the width of the system you already have in place. If you’re updating your kitchen design, base your hood on the size of the oven you are going to install and the layout of your cabinets. Ideally you would have a few inches on each side between your hood and cabinets.
When determining the best width for your kitchen hood, the distance between your cooktop and system is also relevant. For example, if your hood is higher up, you may want additional width to compensate for the hood being farther away. This is often the case with island hoods.

  • What does CFM mean?

CFM stands for cubic feet per minute. In relation to your kitchen hood, it tells you how much air your fan can move per minute. Is bigger better? Not always, but you will want a fan with a higher CFM if you have a large oven, a large kitchen or you cook frequently.
 
At TheRTAStore we help make your dream kitchen a reality with RTA (Ready To Assemble) cabinets, Pre-Assembled cabinets, and accessories with the same (if not better) quality you would find at any retail store but for a fraction of the price. Stop by our website or give us a call and let one of our friendly kitchen designers help make your kitchen dreams come true!