The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-06-09
'ERMS $500 PER ANNUM IN ADVANCE.
Whitewashing and COlOr.Washing.

When spring returns and paints aneS the
grass with its lovely shades of green, and
throws crimson garland over the branches
OF the naples, and covers the elins and oaks
with tiny quivering leaves of every emerald
tint, We cannot but notice the contrast
between the brightness of nature and
the blackness Of our farm yard fences,
barns, stables, and the like. 1t costs
something to paint such things, and
money Is often scarce article in the SPRING
'iiiie' Dat by little expenditure of time and
money we can whitewash or color our prem
ises SO that theylwill present a very fresh and
clean appearance. This viii ais, nr,.vent The
decay OF both out-houses and the fences. and
destroy the vermin which lurk abont The
poultry houses and stables.
You can prepare whtewash that will mot
rub off with every thing that comes in contact
with it, and will also present glossy annear-
ance, by using skinned milk, in lieu of wa
ter, for slac ,ing the lime, reducing IL IN a
proper consistency. Ifyou desire to apply II
to the ceilings Of your rooms, (an6 every room
should be thus cleansed and renovated every
spring. take half bushel Of unslacked lime
and slack it in firkin or pail with boiling hot
milk. Then to reduce il TO proper thick
ness, add one peck of fine salt dissolved IN
water, and one-halfpound of powdered whit
ing. This mixture makes a most excellent
whitewash, which will neither peel nor fake
of, and cannot rub of.
For putting on the wash, pail or bucket
with wire fixed across it is the most suta-
Bile, as you can press the brush upon it, and
only take up a small quantity of the wash at
time, and then you can spread it on more
easily; In addition to long handled white
wash brush you will require paint brush to
| use in the corners of tue buildings, and be-
tween the pickets on the fences.
Before commencing to whitewash walls and
ceilings, they should be cleaned by pinninSa
strong cloth or towel over the broom, and
wiPing of all the dust and tiny cobwebs. 1t
on y requires little practice to make any
one skilful whitewasher, and saves a few
dollars which would have to be paid out to q
regular workman.
To be sure, il is nst the easiest work, for
it will make both your neck and arms ache,
but the superior appearance and the cleanli-
ness will repay you for the pain. A good
workman will never let a drop fall upon the
| carpet, but will put his brush perpendicularly
into the pail, and press off all that would
easily drop.
Be careful not to put too much on at one
brushing, and apply it in parallel strokes |:
then let it dry, and put ON another coat. II
| 80 D"u'J uioSViOACu3 ulLle lDulxO
dissolved thoroughly in hot water will give
the wash blush tint, which will aid In con-
cealing the smoky surface. II other colors
than white are preferred, they can be obtain
ed BY adding various pigments TO the lime.
Thus, for stone color, you can add to half
bushel oflime, four pounds OF raw umber,
and two pound of lamp-bl ok. For fawn
color, four pounds of umber, one pound OF
lamp-black, and one pound of India red this
is an excellent color for out-budrngs and
fences. For light pink, you should stir in
Spanish brown until the tint is suitable. For
a lemon colored wash, add chrome yellow
kalsomine is much used now for nice work.
1t is made from Paris white and glue sizing.
Twenty pounds of the former to one pound
OF the latter. Dissolve the glue in boiling
water and add the whiting. Then dilute the
mixture with water until OF creamy Thick
ness. 1t requires little practice to know
just how thick to make it, so that it can be
well applied, and it is well to try little at
| first upon the wall, so as not to have 1t too
thin. 1t is the best coating for walls which
are covered with hard finish.