| The Easiest Thing
To Overlook By: Margeaux
You don’t need to hire some interior decorator to tell you what you like or what’s hot this season. You pick your colors, your window treatments, your furniture and your accessories to create something YOU enjoy. But whether you do your own painting or hire it out, don’t forget the wall vents!  You can see right into the vent & notice that ugly 2x4 can't you? I know you’re thinking the vents can’t be that important and you’re wondering who ever really looks at them anyway? But they ARE noticeable until you push them back into the background where they belong. When vent shafts are painted a light color, especially the “builder-blah” color of a new home, all the dirt buildup in your ventilation system can be seen- right along with all the dirt sitting on the vent covers themselves. You don’t want to display your dirt so you paint the vent shafts the same color as the room. You get points for this since most painters don’t even bother with the vent ducting. But, painting your ducts the same color as the room means repainting them every time you change the color, and for some of us that can be quite often. Not to mention the dusty hassle of painting in that little space in the first place or the fear of dropping a nice brush down the shaft into the black abyss. So Suzie came up with a great lifehack for the eternal problem of the vent ducts. You don’t have to worry about what color to paint them or dropping tools down the shaft. You don’t have to decide to paint them in the first place or get annoyed at all the dust you can see through your vents. The fix is simple, cheap and totally DIY. You heard it here first folks, exclusive tip from Suzie Paints: Black. Paint your vents ducts black. Get a can of FLAT BLACK spray paint from your local hardware or paint store and just paint your vent ducts black. Before you paint, don't forget to turn off your central air and wipe the ducting with a rag to get rid of the dust and dirt already there because paint doesn't stick to dirt! Also make sure to paint the sides of the duct and get the paint as far as possible into the vents on both the top and bottom. If your vent has a 2×4 in it, paint that too. Paint everything behind the vent cover black and you’ll never have to worry about them again. It will blend in as a shadow, conceal otherwise visible dirt buildup and release you from trying to figure out the correct way to put the vent covers back on.  Even with the cover installed upside down, you still only see shadow! P.S. Yes, there is a right and wrong
way to replace the vent covers. The cover fins
should point upward inside the room blocking your
view of the inside of the vent and also helping to
hide any dust or dirt buildup.
 This vent is done right: cover installed correctly and black ducting to further obscure the view. |