Is Your Return Air Grille an Eyesore? Here’s How to Replace It

Have you ever really looked at your return air filter grille? If so, you’ve probably noticed how much of an eyesore it is. But what if we told you there was a way you could replace the grille with a beautiful decorative accent that matches the aesthetic of your home? 

At Beaux-Arts Classic Products, we offer a wide assortment of elegant return air grille options to replace those ugly vent covers. Below, we outline the unique features that make these grilles so extraordinary, but first, let’s cover some of the basics.

What is a Return Air Grille?

Every house with central heating or cooling has at least one air return vent (if not several throughout the home), covered by a return air grille. The return air filter grille is a component of your HVAC system and is necessary for the proper operation of the system. It also helps maintain the proper airflow for your HVAC system, drawing air from the room back into your system, where it is redistributed throughout the home.

Why Is an Air Return Grille Important?

Air return grilles are usually located at the top of a wall or ceiling. The returns are important because they direct the airflow back to your HVAC system to filter the dirty air to return clean air back to each individual room.

How Does a Return Air Filter Grille Work?

There are two types of air vents in any given home. There are air supply vents and air return vents. The air supply vents are what the conditioned air flows through to reach each room in your home. The return air vents and grilles are the vents that pull the air in from the rooms and return it to your HVAC to be cleaned by passing through air filters.

So basically, air return vents and grilles work by pulling in the air from all the rooms throughout your house then pushing it back to your HVAC system where it is cleaned then heated or cooled. Then clean hot or cold air is redistributed throughout your home through the home’s air supply vents.

There are two different types of Return Air Grilles; ones that open like a door to change the filter and ones that don’t open.  Most older HVAC systems use regular return grilles that don’t open because you change filters at the air handler in your utility room.  More recently Return Air Filter Grilles open like doors so you can change filters behind your return grille.

The Problem with a Traditional Return Air Grille

Traditional air return grills are industrial looking and an eyesore, to say the least. These returns have remained unchanged since they were first used in the 1950’s.

At Beaux-Arts Classic Products, we offer classic, elegant and beautiful air return grilles that function as a traditional air return grille, but look like a timeless piece of wall art or decorative panel.

How to Select the Best Air Return Grille for Your Home

Every return air filter grille must open, so the filter can be periodically changed. At Beaux-Arts Classic Products we go a bit further. Our air return grilles are mounted to a customized proprietary True Air filter grille door set. We then cut it to the exact size of the filter door. The grille then goes through a number of detail-exacting steps to make it into a historical replica and an elegant piece you would be proud to have in your home.

We also provide you with two size-specific cuts of black mesh (one for now and one for later) which serve to go behind the filter so all you see is the black background.

Where Can I Buy a Decorative Air Return Grille?

You can buy these high-quality, decorative air return grilles right here at Beaux-Arts Classic Products. We also carry decorative foundation vent covers for crawl space vents and other decorative products you can use to outfit your home.

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If you are looking for a high-quality return air grille, browse our wide selection of decorative grilles in sizes and styles to match the beauty of your home. Our air return grilles come in over 60 sizes and are made with precise interior architectural details that will add beauty to what was once an embarrassing eyesore.  Shop our two different Return Air Grilles here – Regular Return Air Grilles and Return Air Filter Grilles