A/C vent cover won't stay on - hole too big?

Question

The people who owned the house before I did cut the hole for the A/C vent cover too big. It should be 10 x 4, but it's 10.75 x 4.5. As a result, I can't screw the vent cover to the floor to hold it down. I'm looking for suggestions on how to fix this. I was thinking I could superglue a piece of wood on the inside of the hole, making the hole smaller, but not sure if it would hold tight enough to do the trick.

Ideas? Thanks!

Answer 1

You are on the right track, but have the wrong glue. Use Elmer's glue, generously coat the side to be glued and hold in place with small finish nails until the glue drys. Wipe up the excess glue before it drys with a damp paper towel or sponge.

Believe it or not, Elmer's glue has wood bonding qualities superior to Super Glue, and there is the added advantage of it not sticking your fingers to the project.

Answer 2

Get some 3/16-1/4" thick pieces of sheet metal (about 1"x2-3") (OSH sells it, maybe Home Depot or Lowes, or a metal yard).
Drill a hole in them, and either tap the holes, or use sheet metal screws.
Use 1 where ever the cover (grill or grate) has a screw hole.
The pieces (tabs) go under the edges of the opening, and when you tighten the screws, it will clamp between the underside of the edges of the cutout and the grill.

Answer 3

Put a piece of board on each long side,I would suggest a 1x2
Use liquid nail to secure each piece,its very strong.
you can pick it up at anyhardwars store and it comes in a tube like caulk.Let it dry for about 3 hours.Then screw into the wood,Dan

Answer 4

1

Answer 5

If you can use screws through a strip of wood into the metal, that should work. Consider a strip of plywood as it won't tend to split with screws.