Tried a different way to cut around a tricky floor vent and it backfired

I was doing a job in a 1950s house in Akron, and the floor vent was set at a weird angle, not square to the wall. Instead of my usual method, I thought I'd try cutting the carpet in place after the main piece was down, thinking I could get a tighter fit. I used my hook knife and went slow, but the cut line ended up wandering about an inch off my mark because the backing stretched. Had to patch in a whole new piece from a scrap. Anyone have a surefire trick for vents that aren't square?

3 comments

3 Comments

pat7812d ago

My third vent patch job taught me cardboard is cheaper than pride.

evan_cooper732d ago

Ever try a cardboard template first?

murphy.tessa2d ago

Used to think it was a waste of time. Then I messed up a really nice piece of plywood because I just went for it. Cutting a quick template from an old box showed me the fit was totally wrong. Now I do it for almost any weird shape. It saves so much material and regret. Why learn the hard way, right?