Installing flush mount hardwood heat vent cover, with frame, into a hardwood floor.

Our favorite method: Install the wood flooring leaving the vents open. Cutout the opening to accommodate the matching wood floor vent cover with frame.
(examples: 4 by 10 inch white oak vent covers, 2 ¼ inch white oak flooring)

	LOOK! New vent installed into finished floor. This wood vent was installed into an already finished floor by using the method llustrated on this page. If you are careful to install the wood vent frame to be flush  with the wood floor surface, it is possible to finish just the wood vent and frame, without touching the adjoining area. We, however, will sand the wood vent, frame and the surrounding area of flooring, then finish to match.
	Upon installing a flush mount wood floor vent cover, with frame, you will encounter one of four different possable situations.
	The situations from column left to column right are: (1) Floor vent length is running with the wood strip flooring. (2) The vent is to be installed diagonally to the strip flooring. (3) Floor vent length is running perpendicular to the strip flooring. (4) Floor vent position will not allow the use any of the natural board edges as in situation (2).
	Placed frame in position up side down and draw the outline on the floor with pencil. WOOD VENTURES width is divisible by 2 ¼".
	I use masking tape to make the cutting lines easier to see. Cut inside of the line with a circular saw. Use existing board edges wherever possible.
	Set you saw depth to the wood floor thickness to avoid cutting through the sub-floor. Finish the cuts at the corners with either a chisel or a saw zaw.
	The vent frame is grooved on all sides. When using natural board edges at the perimeter of your cutout there will be either a tongue or groove on those edges. Glue a spline into any groove as in the example to the right. Set the blade depth of your saw to ¼ inch. Remove the bottom of the groove from any side of the vent frame where there is a tongue or spline protruding into the cutout.
	Liberal apply wood glue on all board edges, sub-floor and any tongues. Insert the vent frame into the cutout and push it down to the sub-floor.
	Tap with a hammer, if necessary, to insure that the vent frame is as close as possible to being flush with the surface of the surrounding wood flooring. Insert #6 or #8 finishing nails, or equivalent, through the recessed area inside of the vent frame and into the sub floor in at least four places. Put the vent cover into the frame and mark the bottom indicating to which frame it belongs and the way it fits best.

		Fill any gaps where the wood vent frame interfaces with the adjoining hardwood flooring with ZAR wood floor filler.
	The flush mount wood vent cover and frame are now ready to be sanded, stained and finished along with the hardwood floor. The other method used to install flush mount vent covers: Position vent frame over vent openning and fasten to sub-floor. Install wood flooring around the frame. You will be able to tounge into frame on most sides using wood spline.