Today’s flooring vents, grills and registers serve a common purpose, but by no means are all products created equal. One particular company, Ventiques, is looking to set itself apart from the pack via its line of specially designed yet highly functional flush-mount flooring vents.
Ventiques flush-mount vents—composed of powder- coated aluminum—do not bend, crack, rust, peel or chip, according to the company. The products are made of aluminum, can support up to 850 pounds of compression strength and the flush-mount frame design ensures a smooth transition between the face of the vent and the underlaying flooring material. That means no more raised vents above the floor and no more stubbed toes or tripping hazards to worry about. And thanks to Ventiques’ two-part design, vents/grills can be interchangeable, thereby giving the home-owner or end user greater flexibility in terms of design.
“What separates us from some of the others on the market is ours is a two-part design with a frame and a grill insert,” explained Nick Seeman, lead sales associate for Ventiques. “It allows for pretty much any type of flooring to be installed with our vents.”
Whether that’s tile flooring, SPC, LVP, hardwood or laminate, all the installer has to do, according to Seeman, is set the flooring, make their cuts around where the frame design is and then just drop the insert in. “It’s pretty simple to do,” he said.
Seeman recalled how the innovative product came to be. “When Don Benowski, owner and inventor of Ventiques, was a tile installer, he noticed that a flush mount vent for tile did not exist. His niece, who was dependent on a wheelchair after a car accident, would find that her wheelchair would have trouble going over raised vents, creating an everyday obstacle for her that could easily be avoided—if the vents were flush.”
With that in mind, Benowski came up with a unique design that allowed the tile to sit on top of the frame, creating a perfectly flush, smooth transition that not only looked cleaner but was also more functional. “He essentially invented Ventiques for two purposes,” Seeman explained. “It’s easier for the installers to use, and wheelchairs roll smoothly right over the top of the registers, too.”
The product’s user-friendly attributes aren’t the only draw. They also provide retailers with an opportunity to boost profit margins. “There’s quite a bit of room for retailers to make money,” Seeman said. “If somebody is going to be spending $10,000 on their flooring, they’re going to be able to get this wonderful product that is going to complement their flooring instead of the old, cheap-looking vents that stick up above the floor.”
A vent for every need
While the original inspiration behind the development of the product line was the need to provide vent options for tile projects, Ventiques vents can be used with a variety of floor- ing materials, including laminate, carpet and LVP. Virtually any type of flooring will work with Ventiques vents, according to the company. “There’s a variety of different styles that will match most any floor the customer is looking for,” Seeman said.
Currently in development is an adjustable-height register that will open up even more design opportunities. This new, exclusive and patent-pending feature will allow the user to add spacers and adjust the thickness of the vent to match the flooring height. According to Seeman, the sizing will range from an eighth of an inch up to three-quarters of an inch to ensure a flush mount for each and every project, every time.
“This new feature will be coming down the pipeline within six to eight months,” Seeman noted. “We already have our prototypes made and it’s just going to manufacturing as we speak.”
