Question about the right way to cut around a floor register

I was doing a job in a 1950s house last month, and the homeowner asked me to replace the register cover after I was done. When I pulled up the old one, I saw the previous installer had cut the carpet in a perfect square, about an inch bigger than the hole. My whole career, maybe 12 years, I'd been cutting a tight, exact fit right to the metal edge of the register frame. Seeing that extra inch of carpet tucked under the new cover made me stop and think. It seems like it would prevent fraying and make future replacements way easier. But is that extra material a potential lump or a tripping hazard over time? What's the standard method you all use?

3 comments

3 Comments

william_henderson25d ago

My old boss, a guy named Frank who did carpet for 40 years, always taught me to leave a half inch border. He said cutting it tight to the metal is what rookies do because it looks clean at first. That extra bit gets tucked under the lip and keeps the edge from getting chewed up when you vacuum. I've never had a callback for a lump or a trip from doing it his way.

sean_hill925d ago

Wait, you've never had a single callback for a lump? That's wild. I get a few every year from people saying they can feel the edge.

angela_grant25d ago

Man, that's the kind of thing that makes you totally rethink your whole process. I mean, I get why the tight cut looks cleaner on day one, but Frank's logic makes so much sense. Leaving that border is basically future-proofing the job. It has to be better for the carpet's edge in the long run, getting tucked away and protected. I've never noticed a lump on any register done that way either.