TOPIC: Jay's Floor 5 - Aw, Cut It Out

Anytime you start a big project, it is important to keep first things first!

Safety first!

Whoa! Everything but the knee pads?  Where are the knee pads?

Whenever you are involved in a project, there are always obstacles to overcome. As I was laying this flooring, I noticed a hole in the floor! I think it was supposed to be there.

There was cold air blowing out of it.  Yepper, supposed to be there!

Actually, in this project, there will be two HVAC floor registers. While there are a variety of ways to cut out the flooring to accommodate the register over the space, you have to be careful not to cut into the metal opening.

I decided to use a tool I had used many times in the past to cut openings for drywall. But I had never used it to cut into hardwood flooring.

Time to try it out! Porter Cable calls this a “Cut-Out Tool.” I have always referred to it as a “zip tool.”

First, I tried a couple of test cuts to see if I could control it. And I could. So I cut it out.

You can see how not parallel to the wall this opening is. When there was carpet there it was not noticeable that the opening is not very square to the wall. But with the straight lines of hardwood flooring it will be easy to see how the register does not align with the flooring! It would have been very difficult to cut the opening in a manner that was not straight with the metal opening but straight with the lines of the floor. You can see how it looks when it is all said and done!

No, I did not work with all that “safety gear.”

Yes, I do work with very, very good knee pads.

Believe me – you have to!

Looking good Jay. Where's the picture with the register cover on it?