Order matching floor vents as soon as your new flooring is delivered and you can set a spare plank aside, so the vents are in hand before your installer reaches the first duct opening. Measure the openings even earlier, while you're still choosing the floor. Lead times change, so ask us for the current one when you order and count back from your install date.
Why the vents should arrive before the installer
A flush vent sits level with the floor, so the planks around it have to be cut to fit its frame. During the install that's easy: the installer reaches the duct opening, sets the frame, marks the loose planks and cuts them at the saw. If a cut is off, they grab another plank.
Once the floor is down, the same job means cutting into finished flooring, and on a click-lock floating floor the boards can't just be lifted out one at a time. We cover that in more detail in why you should order custom vents before installing new flooring. The short version: the vents are a lot easier to deal with if they're sitting in the room on install day.
Your timeline, from choosing the floor to install day
We don't list a fixed turnaround here, so ask for the current lead time when you order. Plan around these stages and fill in the dates once you know it.
- While you're choosing the floorCount every supply vent and cold air return in the rooms getting new flooring. Lift out the old registers and measure the duct openings, not the covers. Our floor vent size guide shows how. Check the thickness of the floor you're considering, too: we build from flooring at least 5 mm thick, counting an attached pad.
- When the install date is setAsk us for the current lead time, then add shipping in both directions: your plank coming to us and the finished vents going back to you. Count back from the install date and leave yourself some cushion. For engineered hardwood, send your details on the hardwood vent quote page now, since hardwood vents are quoted per job.
- The day the flooring is deliveredBefore the crew starts opening boxes, pull one plank from your actual delivery and label it for the vents. Keep it somewhere it won't get cut up or hauled off with the scraps.
- Right after deliveryPlace your order with your sizes and send the plank. If the carton shows a style number and color name, write them down and include them with your order so we can confirm what you sent.
- While the floor acclimates and the subfloor is preppedMany manufacturers want the boxes to sit in the room before installation, so check your floor's instructions. Use that window to tell your installer which openings get flush vents and which get returns.
- Install dayWith the vents on site, the installer sets each vent frame at the duct opening and cuts the planks around it before they lock into the floor. Every cut happens off the finished floor.
Why you can't order much earlier
A matching vent from Vents.com isn't picked from a color chart. It's made from a piece of your own flooring on a metal backer, so it carries the same color, grain and bevel as the floor around it. That's why the plank has to come from the floor you're actually installing.
Flooring is made in production runs, and two runs of the same color can differ slightly. A plank from your own delivery takes that out of the equation. If you already have a plank from that floor, such as a box left over from an earlier room, you don't have to wait for the delivery.
If you're running short on time
If the install date is close and the vents won't be there in time, talk to your installer before they start, not when they reach the first opening. One option is to hold off on the rooms with vents and finish them last. Another is to add the vents later as a retrofit, knowing it means cutting into the finished floor.
Either way, contact us with your install date and sizes before you order so you know what to expect.
What to have ready when you order
- Duct opening sizes
- Number of vents and returns
- Spare plank from your delivery
- Style number and color name
- Your install date
- Flooring 5 mm or thicker
Returns are easy to forget because they're often in a hallway or under a window instead of in the middle of the room. Count them with the supply vents so you only ship flooring once. Our guide to matching cold air return covers lists the return sizes.
Still choosing your floor? Our partner store Floor City carries vinyl plank flooring, so you can plan the floor and the vents together.
Get vents that match your floor
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead of my flooring install should I order floor vents?
Order as soon as your flooring is delivered and you have a spare plank to send. Lead times change, so ask us for the current one, add shipping both ways, and count back from your install date.
Can I order matching vents before my flooring arrives?
You can measure and plan before then, but the vent is built from a plank of your floor, so we can't make it until that plank reaches us. If you already have a plank from the same floor, for example a leftover box, you can send that sooner.
Can I send a showroom sample instead of a plank?
It's better to send a plank from your actual floor. A sample of the same color can still look different from the boxes delivered to your home.
What if my floor is already installed?
You can still add flush vents, but it becomes a retrofit: the opening has to be cut and squared up in the finished floor, which takes more care than cutting loose planks during the install.
Should I order the cold air return at the same time as the vents?
It isn't required, but ordering them together means you only ship flooring once and every grille in the room arrives at the same time.
How do I order vents for an engineered hardwood floor?
Hardwood vents are quoted per job. Send your brand, sizes and install details on the hardwood vent quote page, ideally as soon as your install date is set.
Related guides
- Why order vents before new flooring goes inYour installer can fit the floor around the vent for a cleaner finish.
- How to cut flooring around a vent openingTools, marking and mistakes to avoid when cutting LVP or hardwood at a vent.
- Flush vents on floating LVP floorsHow a flush vent fits around the duct without pinning a floating floor.
- Floor vent sizes and how to measureA size chart, how to measure the duct opening, and the sizes we build most.
- Matching cold air return coversEgg-crate returns made from your LVP, LVT or hardwood, in all 8 sizes.
- 4 ways to get vents that match your floorDIY trays, vents made from your floor, printed vents and installers compared.