5 Cute Ideas for Updating Your Air Vent Covers

You can’t deny how good it feels when the air conditioner kicks on and you’re strategically positioned in front of a supply register. The cooling breeze provides welcome relief from the summer heat, but that doesn’t make the air vent any less visually appalling.

Have you ever thought about updating your air vent covers? You could always go out and buy replacements – or you could save money and complete an easy, fun project to camouflage your vents with the rest of your home’s décor. Here are five ideas to inspire you.

1. Create your own DIY vent cover by upcycling other products you planned to throw away! Lolly Jane explains her technique of converting an old kitchen drawer front into a vent cover. By punching out the center of the drawer, she makes space for aluminum sheet metal to allow air to flow from the vent. Using nothing more than scissors to cut the sheet metal to size and wood glue to attach it, it’s possible to make your very own air vent cover. A small nail right above the vent opening provides a spot for the cover to hang.

2. If you’ve shopped around for a large custom vent cover to hide a centrally located return register, you may have been discouraged when you ran across multi-hundred-dollar price tags. Fortunately, you can make your own cover for cheaper than you thought possible. You probably never thought you could build an air vent from 4” wide boards and a decorative radiator screen –it’s easier than you think! Follow the tutorial from Simplicity in the South to make your own.

3. You might have a stretch of boring white walls you want to cover with wallpaper. If you’re afraid this will make your air vent cover stick out like a sore thumb, cover the vent with wallpaper. While you’re at it, camouflage the light switch covers and outlets with wallpaper, too. It can be a painstaking process to cut the wallpaper for each individual vent slat, but the end result is gorgeous. Don’t want to do the work yourself? Hire a paper hanger to complete the job for you, the way Design Manifest did when redoing her lounge.

4. Do you wish you had a built-in seating area in the kitchen, but a big return register is blocking your way? Don’t let that stop you. Build a bench just like you planned and work around the vent problem by installing a decorative aluminum sheet on the front of the bench. This allows for ventilation and provides a decorative element you’re sure to love. Check out Casa de Lewis for all the instructions you need.

5. If you don’t have a big budget or a lot of creativity, never fear – you can still hide your unsightly air vent covers with a simple tip: spray paint them in the color you prefer. This is the simplest way to transform a drab, stained and rusty air vent into something that actually fits in your decor. The Frugal Homemaker spells out how to complete this project quickly and easily.

Looking for even more inspiration? Check out these other cute ideas for updating your air vent covers. We’d love to see what projects you try out! Share your successful air vent cover transformations on the Aire Serv® Facebook page.