UPGRADING A BUILDER-GRADE AIR RETURN COVER WITH WORTH HOME

For anyone who has ever wanted to find an alternative to the beyond ugly builder-grade air return covers that builders have quite the knack for placing in the most impractical (from a design point of view) places, this post is for you!

Our main return is right smack dab in the middle of a wall in our living room; I’ve tried to draw the eye to a floor-to-ceiling gallery display of family photos instead, but the metal grate was a total eye sore and nothing was going to hide it. So, when Worth Home reached out to see if I would be interested in one of their luxury decorative wood vent covers, I jumped at the chance! Their products are so incredibly well made and their customer service can’t be beat, so I was very excited to work together.

Here is a glimpse of what the wall looked like with the builder-grade cover, in all its bent metal glory:

I went over the measurements with a customer service rep from Worth Home, who graciously walked me through everything I needed to get the right size. I would not only be replacing the decorative cover, but also the little box that fits in the wall. Not even two days later, the vent cover arrived and not only was it BEAUTIFUL, but it also offered a custom millwork look. This is the one I received; mine is 20×20 inches:

The pine cover arrived already primed, so all it needed was a few coats of paint; I gave it three light coats of ICI Newcastle Gray, mixed at 50%, to match the existing wall paint. I could have used my sprayer for this, but it was too cold to dry fully that day, so I just hand painted, using a brush, instead:

I can honestly say that I’ve never been so excited to get rid of something and luckily, removing the old cover and box and popping in the new from Worth Home couldn’t have been easier. The new one includes a 16-gauge easy-to-install metal housing that holds a 1″ air filter and locks the vent cover in place. There is even a video on the website that shows you how to do it (see it here). It’s amazing how much better this whole area looks now:

A few helpful tips before ordering: be sure to remove the existing box and measure the rough opening inside. DO NOT MEASURE THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR EXISTING COVER. The pine cover has about a two and a half inch outer edge that will sit above the hole in your wall. Also, the new one sits *almost* flush with the wall, but not completely; after quite a few tries to get it right up against the wall, I ended up reading on the website’s product description that it will sit nearly flush.

I love the louvers and how beautifully this turned out so much that I’m going to be replacing the rest of the covers in the house! Thank you so much, Worth Home, and especially, Lori who was so gracious with her time and assistance!