floor vent

[COOPDOGG]

I have a large Floor vent/grate in the middle of my house from when I used to have the old electric Floor heaters. The vent is still there, though the heater has been removed. I have oak wood flooring running throughout my house. I need so help on how take the grate out and patch the hole with new oak. What kind of bracing should I install and any tips on how to do it? I'm pretty crafty as far as electrical, plumbing, and general carpentry goes, but I've never done anything like this before.

Also, Does anyone know of any articles or DIYthreads that have discussed this? A year ago or so, I thought I remembered seeing a picture by picture DIY example of how to do this, but I can't find it anymore. Thanks.

[Phelps]

You need to sister on 2 x's around the perimeter of the grate hole, down about 1/1/2 inch deep ( or at depth that your new floor will come out right with what is there.) Allowance for a piece of 3/4 plywood AND if they ran tar paper under the old floor to keep out dissimilar humidity from the basement below, which can cause cupping of the boards if you don't put down tar paper. Depending on the width of the grate hole, put as many cross 2 x's in as you feel you need.

If you don't want the floor to look pieced in, you have to remove existing boards that cross the grate, back to each board's butt joint..which wil be staggered. To get started you have to saw down the length of just one of those boards (...on each side of the grate. So you will actually have to saw 2 boards in half, lenghtwise), so that you can break the tonege and groove pattern locking the boards together. Once these first boards are taken out, then the other ones can be extracted. You will need to pry up on the tongue sides. Naturally, when you go to piece the new boards back in, you are going to have to cut off the tongue of the last board, and nail that edge down, counter sink and matching putty fill.

Think this job through, real good, in your head, before starting it. Start by putting a new board's groove-side up against the tongue-side of the floor that is there, rather than the other way around. That way you can nail the tongues down of all the new piece-in boards, AND be able to saw off the tongue of the last piece before setting it.

Make certain the new boards are identical in width and lay out the entire width of boards ontop your existing flooring to make sure they match, before starting.