Will

Do you have a plan to add a wall backsplash? Keeping the same range I assume? A possibility of adding crown to keep it all level might work, but I have to ask why are you thinking a range hood is needed instead of a outside venting over the range microwave...

Thanks for the reply.. Yes we would add backsplash.. Get a new stainless steel slide-in range and have a built-in microwave on top of pantry on another wall... Our range is on the neighbours wall (live in a townhouse) and the joists are not favorable.. so we can not get outside venting..

We want to install range hood to improve the aesthetics itself.... we are thinking of glass ductless hood .... i do understand ducted are better, but that would cost me lots of money just to lay out the vent.. .

Since there will be 42" cabinet + 4" crown molding with space on top because of 9 ft ceiling.... will it look good if I take the hood all the way up to the ceiling?

or should i have something like a horizontal bar between the cabinets on left & right of the hood at 42" level... and then end the hood at 42" meeting the horizontal bar.. and then use crown molding on top of the cabinets & horizontal bar at 42" height.

Any suggestions and pics will help..

Soffits. If you aren't going to the ceiling with the cabinets, and you aren't venting, then there is no reason to have open space above them to have to keep clean.

Sounds like you might have some issues, I'm not trying to dampen on your plans right now because I think you've got something you want in mind. It may just take some tweaks to get it right.

Venting on those ductless hoods goes directly back into the room if I understand correctly yeah? I think it defeats the purpose of the entire range hood if you're going to take the effort to install one... It may be alright for the look of it, but if you're going to drop cabinet space, you should really opt to have an outside venting one.

It's pretty tough to tell you what to do without knowing exactly what you're going for. Are you thinking you want a range hood for resale or are you planning to stay in this home for a while? It might be a good idea to sit down and put a price limit on your priorities and what you really want and don't. I'd be worried you'd be spending money and losing cabinet space for very little to no "upgrade" potential.

Thanks for the posts.. Well as I said, I do understand ducted is the right thing to do, but however I already have lots to spend on appliances.. granite..cabinets and the flooring..

I may possibly spend some additional money on duct down the road.. but as of now.. our priority is the looks..

We feel that having the ductless glass range hood would look far better then over the range microwave......And perhaps down the road, I can spend money on getting the vent... but as of now for sure, I dont want to spend around $1600 just for laying out the vent.. (quoted by contractor)...

I still have a open mind.. what would you suggest, I should do, if my goal is to have the great looks..... Do you think having upgraded cabinets with over the range Microwave will look better then having range hood with upgraded cabinets...

I think the direction of thread is going towards .. is ductless hood worth it.. rather I wanted to know, if I have to go with ductless hood, whats the best possible way to install considering 9 ft ceiling and 42" cabinets.. Thank you..

Having gone from a recirculating to a vented hood, I would save money wherever I could in order to have the venting. It's that worth it to me.

Is venting possible for you? You said that because it's a townhouse with a neighbor behind the range wall, ducting wasn't possible; but you also said that the contractor quoted a price for installing a vent. Was that to go up through the ceiling instead of through the wall?

To be completely honest -- and I did a fairly low-budget Ikea remodel so I don't like to spend money either -- $1600 is not a huge amount of money in the context of a kitchen reno. If it were I (and it was, a couple of years ago), I'd cut some of the other costs to get venting. Here are a few ideas:

1) Wait to replace one or more of the appliances. It's much easier to swap out a range or a fridge later than to install a vent later.

2) Change the built-in MW to a countertop one on a shelf. Built-ins are MUCH more expensive and much harder to swap out later on; sometimes the cabinetry around them has to be modified when it's time to replace them.

3) Get a less expensive countertop now and granite later on. (I suspect this might not be your favorite suggestion [grin] and I understand that, since countertops are such a big part of the look of a kitchen.)

As far as hood styling and installation, it depends on the look of your kitchen (the redone version). Sometimes standalone vent hoods look a little odd in a small space, and a less obtrusive under-cabinet one could look better. But it just depends. I am happy with my under-cabinet hood; in my kitchen, a standalone one would have broken up the wall in a strange way and continuous wall cabinets look better; but that's not the case in all kitchens. (Mainly I was just wanting to not lose any cabinet space and not spend too much money.)