Changing All My A/C-Heating Ceiling Vents for Better Airflow

Welcome to the 680th Metamorphosis Monday!

Not the most exciting Before and After but I am currently in the process of changing out all the air vent covers throughout the upstairs part of my home. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while. My home is almost 40 years old and some of the original vent covers are looking very tired.

I’ve started with these two here in my bedroom. It has always bugged me that the vents pointed downward and not out into the room. Originally, they were angled to the left and to the right along the wall. During a previous visit years ago, an A/C guy helped by bending the vent blades (or whatever they are called) so they weren’t pointing straight at the head of my bed. That was an improvement but it didn’t fix the fact they weren’t pointed out into the room where the heat/air conditioning really needed to blow.

Tartan Bedding for the Winter Bedroom

 

I didn’t think to take a photo of the old vents before I removed them but they looked just like this one in my guest bedroom. It’s hard to see in this photo, but they look a bit dingy in person–not as white as the ceilings. Again, the vents originally pointed to the right and to the left, but the A/C guy changed that for all the upstairs ceiling vents so they would point straight down since that worked better for each of the upstairs rooms.

Old Vent Cover

 

These are the new vents I’ve been purchasing. Hard to see in a photo, but they look much more open and less restrictive. This photo below is one of the two in my bedroom. I like that it has a one-way direction/flow because I can slant it to blow away from the wall and out into the room. I ended up slanting it a bit more after I took this photo. The blades are slightly curved so that helps direct the airflow, as well.

New Vent Cover

 

That makes much more sense than having it blow straight down along the wall and onto my bedside lamps. Really, I feel like they used the wrong style vents in this house when it was first built. They should have always been the style that directed the air out into the room and not to the left and the right along the wall, as they did originally. I just ordered 5 more of these vents for various rooms upstairs. (They are available here: 1-Way Air Vent.)

Cozy Winter Bedding, Tartan for a Winter Bed

 

Once I change out all the vents, I’m going to start working on replacing the intake vents. I’ve already done that with the one in my bedroom, just have a few more to go. They look so much nicer than the old ones! Probably no one will ever notice but me, but I really like how they look. Have you ever replaced any of your old ceiling or floor vents?

Tartan Bedding for the Winter Bedroom

 

Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday!

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Comments

  1. I never thought about replacing the vent covers! Hmmm, thanks Susan!

  2. Karen Koontz Fivecoat says

    I had no idea one way vents were available! Will start replacing mine! I just scrubbed down the air intake vents last week. Nasty job!

  3. Last year we had our oak floors sanded and a clear bleached looking finish put on, which I love. I have always hated that really dated golden look! Anyway, we replaced all of our old floor vents with matching oak vents. They look so much nicer. Should have done it years ago. Our house is 29 years old and we have been doing a lot of remodeling and replacing over the last five years. We joke that we are rebuilding it one room at a time.

    • I have one like that in my breakfast room and I do love it. The only thing about it is the wood sections/blades are kinda thick. I think it was made by the flooring company. I need to look for a better replacement with thinner wood sections.
      I totally get that feeling! lol I feel the same way sometimes.

  4. Yes! I know it seems like nobody will notice, but they WILL notice that the room looks nice! We’ve switched out several vent covers at our house and they make me happy every time I see them – that’s worth it right there! 🙂 Thanks as always for hosting, and Happy Monday!

  5. I have the same problem in my house! Thank you for providing a workable solution as well as inspiration! I am excited as I just provided my first post link for your Met Monday! From cracked eggs to a beautiful Perfect Chocolate Soufflé you keep in your freezer until you are ready to bake and serve. Enjoy!

  6. Laura DiSilvestro says

    So funny this just popped up in my email! I have someone here right now changing vents. I bought a condo built in 1984 and all the vents were silver metal and looking bad. So nice to have clean white vents. I paid a little more to get the vents that allow for more adjustments of the direction of air flow. There are vents which just allow blowing straight forward. The ones I purchased can be adjusted up/down and side to side. A worthwhile investment and they will last for a very long time.

    • That sounds really nice, Laura! Let me know if you notice a difference in the air flow. I think it’s made a difference thus far in my bedroom.

  7. Great idea to change them out. It’s the little things that can make so much difference in comfort. Thanks for hosting, Susan.

  8. As someone who has to be inside my home more than not, I find it’s the little things that can drive me crazy. When we had new flooring put in our kitchen a few years back I changed the floor vents from rusted metal to ones that can be washed. It made me so happy. I get it.

  9. Don’t throw away the old intake vents just yet. The new intake vents are made of a thinner metal than the old ones. After we changed a few, we noticed a low hum when the furnace or a/c was on. None of the remedies worked so we put the old vent back on and the problem was solved.

    • Thanks for that warning, Cathy! I think that’s why I replaced the one in my bedroom a few years ago, it was making a weird noise. So far, the replacement is doing fine, but I will definitely hold onto the old ones to make sure. That would drive me bonkers if the new ones made a weird sound! I’m really sensitive to stuff like that.

  10. Funny you should post this topic as I replaced some of my floor vent covers just yesterday thanks to the big A and a Sunday delivery. In my case, the paint on the covers gets chipped by the vacuum and because I live near the ocean, the covers tend to get rusty if they are near a window that stays open year-round. I don’t actually use the central HVAC, so I don’t have to worry about airflow, just appearance.

    • That is so interesting that they get rusted even though they are inside. I guess it’s the humidity. I would love to be on a beach near the ocean right now!

  11. This topic is really timely for me. I am having my HVAC replaced and wanted to update all my vents. See… you thought this was an uninteresting topic and you made a difference in my day. Thanks Susan!

  12. It’s the little things that make a difference! We have ceiling vents in our apartment and they look fine, but I am thinking of having them painted the same color as the walls – 2 are on a part of a wall that makes a alcove in the living area. Walls are tan, the vents are white. But…before we moved we had floor vents in the hardwood floors and over the years I replaced the all with decorative brushed chrome with a neat design . Looked SO much better…enjoy your upgrade !

    • So true! Yeah, I like it when the intake vent disappears into the wall and isn’t noticeable. The brushed chrome sound really pretty! Thanks, Ann!

  13. In our previous home, we replaced air vents and also replaced the intake metal wall grill with a beautiful one from Worth Home Products (more like a plantation shutter). Since it was in our foyer on the stair wall, it was quite visible and looked a thousand times better. We bought it unfinished and painted it to match our white trim. It was way easire to keep clean as well!

    • Debra, I looked up the Worth Home Products ones and they are beautiful! I think I may buy one for the big intake vent in my upstairs hallway. I just to measure so I get the right now. That would be so much prettier than what I currently have there. Thanks for telling me about those! I should probably buy it unfinished and let my painters paint it when I have the ceilings done. Thanks again for sharing that, I love how they look! So much prettier than what you find in big box stores!

  14. Susan,
    Thanks again for hosting this lovely party every week! I know how much time goes into doing so and I want you to know that it is greatly appreciated!! Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

  15. It’s these small improvements that make a big difference in the comfort of the home. Thanks for hosting the party, Susan

  16. Bee Healthy says

    We had the same problem with our floor vents shooting straight up the wall and not funneling the air into the room, so we added some clear “air vent deflectors”. We got ours at Home Depot but they sell them on Amazon. Make sure you get the ones designed for ceilings, not floor vents.

    • I did see those on Amazon, but my vents are pretty old and looking a bit dingy, so I just decided to replace the whole vent. That’s a great option, though. Thanks for suggesting that!

  17. Sharyn Kimbrough says

    Susan, so happy that you addressed the “vent” issue as I have been looking at my vents and they are also looking “tired.” I love how you address so many homeowner issues. Thank you for all your hard work and sharing with us, your devoted readers.

    • Thanks, Sharyn! I love making these small tweaks that don’t cost a ton but just look a lot better. Appreciate YOU being here reading!
      XXX

  18. What a big response to a post about vents!
    They say it’s all in the details!
    I’m waiting to hear your comments on the intake vents, as well.
    Thank you!

  19. I know just what you mean! Vents that blow directly on the bed, or up under furniture, or in lots of not-very-sensible places are not only annoying but also uncomfortable and wasteful. Have you seen these vent deflectors? They are magnetic, so they work on both ceiling and floor vents; they are also inexpensive and very good at redirecting air flow.

    https://www.amazon.com/s?k=magnetic+vent+deflector&crid=2339XIGQY3OJO

    • Yes! Definitely annoying, for sure. I have seen those. If my vents didn’t look old/dingy, I may have considered those but mine could use refreshing. Thanks for mentioning those though…a good alternative to buying new vents.

  20. Susan, I love the addition of drapes to your bedroom! How do they attach to the rods? Thanks!

  21. I definitely need to take a look at mine now too. I always forget to look at them! Thanks so much for hosting each week. I hope your Valentine’s weekend is a blessed one, CoCo

  22. Our floor registers matched the carpet (off white). When we went all hardwood I took a flooring sample to Home Depot and matched Rustoleum spray paint. We had 2 different wood floors (separated by the entryway) so each floor was matched to a spray paint. The registers disappeared after painting.

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