Somebody say something negative please.

1. An inline squirrel cage motor,
2. A custom hood made of large flat porcelain tiles

Sounds like ... ? a plan?

Why do you need the porcelain, again? What does the porcelain do inside your ducting (yes ?) or on the exhaust end outside the house that the metal could not?

Not getting the picture, perhaps.

The large tiles are the visible part in the kitchen. The beautiful object in the kitchen.

They make the upside down container that holds the bad air that needs to be vented. This is the "sump" if I have learned my terminology right.

Since porcelain is fire-proof these tiles can also serve as the liner. Here I am not sure if I am using the right terminology.

The metal ducting is the cheap (inexpensive) galvanized duct one can buy at any big box store.

The motor is any squirrel cage installed as an in-line motor. "Any" meaning any rated for kitchen exhaust.

-David

Covering an exterior of a custom made hood is all about the aesthetics. If you like the tile's look for that, then it's your kitchen.

Now, as for the liner? You're talking creating a hood liner out of tile? Especially large tile that will need a zillion cuts? How are you going to insert the lights? The filters? Make it cleanable? Attach a blower? This is a case of overthinking and reengineering something that doesn't need the thought or the engineering. Inexpensive hood liners already exist that you can insert into your hood frame and then cover with whatever substance on the exterior you deem appropriate.

ok, this is good. I guess I need a "power pack"-- would that be the right term? And then I'd build a porcelain cover around it.

And, to take the opposite approach, if I have a remote blower, and if I want three or four tiles to shape the air container (sump), then all I need is a filter, lighting, and a home steamer to clean the insides.

-david