What is the difference between standard and flush mount?

Standard mount vents and flush mount vents refer to how the vent cover, register or grille sits within the wall, ceiling or floor.

For standard mount, the vent cover, register or grille will sit proud, forward or above the surrounding wall or floor. This is the most common way to mount the grille, and still maintains a very sleek, low profile appearance. Our custom aluminum and steel grilles maintain their strength and integrity even at a slim 3/16” thickness.

For flush mounting, the vent cover or grille sits flush or flat with the surrounding wall, ceiling or floor. This is also referred to as low-profile, flush fitting, no-gap or close-to-ceiling mounting. 

We carry many options for flush mounting grilles. For wood floor installations, one option is to have a professional installer router a pocket in the flooring and then place a cast aluminum, laser cut steel or brass grille in the pocket. Our grilles can all be cut to match the thickness of your wood flooring to make the grille sit flush to the floor. The grille will simply be dropped into the cut out wood. 

The same method of installing flush for wood flooring can also be used for tile or stone flooring. We can match the thickness of the tile or stone used in the flooring to create a custom vent cover that will sit flush on the floor.We also carry three different flush-mount frame options for solid wood floor grilles, each offering a different mounting option. The three flush mount options for solid wood vents are:

Flush Mount – Used with hardwood floors as independent inserts (without frame) that rest on top of the sub floor and sit flush with the finished floor.

Flush Rim – Provide two way diffusion and are the preferred style for prefinished hardwood floors where an architecturally smooth installation is required. These grilles “drop” into a pocket routed in the finish flooring.

Flush with Frame – Each frame is grooved on the outside to accommodate most 3/4″ tongue and groove flooring. All grilles are 3/4″ thick, with 1 3/8″ wide frames which adds 2 3/4″ to the overall dimension of the grille.

Linear bar grilles are another option in either steel or brass that can be mounted flush to the wall, ceiling or floor. We carry two options for wall and ceiling, either a standard frame or a pre-drywall frame, as well as a specialty option specifically for installation in floors. Please reach out to us with your specific application regarding linear bar grilles.

For a wall or ceiling installation our flush mount frames can be used with our custom aluminum, steel or brass grilles. The frames are designed to be installed pre-drywall or during the framing stage of your home construction. The frame will allow the grille to sit flush with the wall or ceiling for a sleek, modern aesthetic.

For more information please see our Frequently Asked Questions page.