Laminate Installation Instructions

Visual Inspection

1 - Check to ensure that the register opening is at least 1 1/2 inch away from a wall. Otherwise, the vent register will not fit without modification. If necessary, the register frame can be modified by trimming with a carbide saw blade on a table saw.

2 - Consider the location of the register in the layout of the floor. Planning layout of flooring around register should eliminate or reduce awkwardly shaped pieces.

Installation

3 - Before installing, make sure the subfloor around the vent is clean and level. Place the frame over the vent opening. Do not secure the frame to the subfloor. The register is designed to float with the laminate. Install the register directly on the subfloor, not on laminate pad.

4 - Cut laminate flooring material to fit into the channels of both the cradle and frame. Use a power saw with a guide. Use clear silicone adhesive to attach flooring pieces inside the Chameleon’s channels. Do not glue register to the sub-floor or foam pad — it will void the laminate floor warranty.

5 - The register is designed to move or “float” in concert with the laminate floor material.

6 - The interior width of the frame is 1 inch, so laminate cut between 15/16’s and 7/8’s of an inch will fit nicely. How long to cut laminate pieces depends on the size of the vent register purchased and the design selected (see below).

7 - After cutting pieces for the frame, cut pieces for the cradle. The interior width of the cradle’s channels measures .29-inch, so material cut 9/32’s of an inch will just fit. You will need 15 cuts for a 10-inch cradle, 18 cuts for a 12-inch cradle and 21 cuts for a 14-inch cradle.

8 - To make a square cut in a laminate board, we recommend the following: Use a table saw with a guide, a sharp carbide blade, and a blade height adjustment capacity. Be sure to follow all saw manufacture safety instructions carefully. First, place the register over the board to be cut and mark the laminate board with a pencil or other marker at the exact location where the cut needs to be made. Cut the short cuts first so as to mark the location where the long cut will begin. After making the short cuts, lower the blade to below the cutting surface of the saw. Turn the board 90 degrees and align the board against the fence so the blade will cut the laminate board in the correct location. Slowly raise the saw blade to engage the laminate board from the bottom side, raising the saw blade high enough to cut completely through the laminate board, and move the board forward and backward to match the long cut with the previously-cut short cuts.

9 - Fit the board to the floor, set the register in place. Fill any gaps between the board and the register with color-matched latex caulk. Force the caulk into the gaps with your finger, then use a damp rag to carefully remove any excess caulk from the joint.