How to hide the extractor hood's smoke outlet duct inside a wall cabinet
Extractor hoods can work with an external smoke outlet or through air recirculation with a carbon filter. In both cases, a duct must be installed inside the cabinet connected to the hood. Even in recirculating models, the duct is necessary because it houses the carbon filter that purifies the air before returning it to the kitchen.
Since this duct passes through the wall cabinet, it can be hidden using a simple internal structure, allowing you to make use of the cabinet’s storage.
If you have an integrated IKEA hood, such as the UNDERVERK, IKEA has a specific wall cabinet, which allows you to hide the pipe.
If your extractor hood or filtering group is not IKEA, don't worry: we explain how you can hide the tube step by step in this article.
Materials needed
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Extractor hood
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Flexible duct
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1 or 2 standard ⤡37 cm shelves, depending on the hood type (see below)
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Jigsaw
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Mounting battens or leftover cuttings
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Drill
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Measuring tape
Step-by-step: how to cover the duct
1. Adapt the cabinet base depending on the hood type
There are two situations, depending on the hood model:
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Hoods fully integrated into the cabinet, like IKEA’s UNDERVERK, occupying the cabinet base: in this case, the cabinet base is installed above the hood. To allow the duct to pass through, a “U”-shaped cut is made at the rear of the base so the duct crosses into the cabinet interior without interference.
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Hoods using a pre-cut cabinet base as support: here, the base cannot be placed above the hood, as it is already in use. Instead, an additional shelf must be fixed above the hood to serve as a base for the rest of the structure. This shelf should also be “U”-cut if the duct passes through that area.
Cuts must be precise and not compromise the cabinet’s stability.
2. Install the side battens
Fix two battens of any material to the interior cabinet sides. These will act as supports for the front cover that hides the duct. Position them at the correct depth to fully conceal the duct without obstruction.
3. Install a shelf as a rear cover
Use a ⤡37 cm shelf, cut to the cabinet’s width and height if needed, as a vertical rear panel. Place it on top of the battens to close the space where the duct is located.
4. Add interior shelves
To maximise storage, interior shelves can be installed in front of the rear panel.
- These shelves should be cut in depth (e.g. about 10 cm for the UNDERVERK hood) to fit in the cabinet front without interfering with the duct.
- Drill new holes for the rear shelf pins in the cabinet sides. The existing front pins can be reused.
- It is also necessary to notch the rear of these shelves so they sit flush over the installed rear panel.