The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-01-07
KITCHEN FLOORS.
Queer FIoorings in Use in England
How a New York House is
Guarded Against Rats-Floor Cow
erings of Various Kinds-Paint
Stain and Oil.

lsuch as those constructed less than a
generation ago in all our large cities,
Icopies, do doubt, of those in foreign
a large house in Liverpool where the
lprison-lil1e effect of the barred windows
through which the smoky light sifted
flor a few hours, enhanced by stone
flooring, and / afterwards learned that
|such floors were by no means uncom-
Imon in English houses. 1 heard once
on good authority that a bishop in
one of the northern shires paved his
kitchen floor with old grave stones
taken from the church-yard of the
parish.
The back-kitchen, or "scullery" as it
lis called in England, is always fitted
with tile flooring, though the kitchen
lproper in modern houses has a floor
lin imitation of our own. L say in
limitation for an experience with one
taught me that there is nothing like
Georgia pine for flooring. The English
boards warped so badly in a year
time that l was compelled to have the
floor relaid. N. Bat my own ex-
tpense.
In the country districts in England
brick floors are common. From an
artistic point of view nothing could be
better. Brick floors possess, moreover,
the merit of being warm and easy for
the feet and of not being hard to
cfean. The drawback is that they
break with rough usage. Otherwise
brick would be the ideal kitchen floor
ing. Perhaps, on the whole there is
nothing better than Georgia pine.
AS l have said the comforta bleness.
or observation-disclosures of certain floors
lIcy ~ E-x.1
and whatever the flooring material a
large pad of carpet, several thicknesses
lstoutly tackled together, ought to be
placed in front of the sink or table
where dishwashing is done, and this
can also be used in front of the ironing
table; especially should this be pro
vided in case the floor covering is cold
oilcloth
RAT PROOF FLOORS.
1 saw a new kitchen floor laid not
long ago in a house that had been
infested with rats No less than
thirty of the vermin had been taken
out when the old floor was removed.
As the matter had been entrusted
to an expert l was interested in the
precautions taken to prevent such a
plague in the future and for the ben
eft of possible sufferers from similar
visitations will give the details.
The earth being dug out, cleansed
and purified, was carefully levelled.
Then binding joists of some hard wood,
hickory, I believe, with the bark on.
were wedged in tightly, crosswise.
Next. carloads of clinkers were
brought from a large factory and were
packed SO as to form a solid barrier
to the passage of any animal, however
small. On this cinder foundation the
floor was laid, and the plan has appar-
emily proved successful.
1t is customary in New York and
Brooklyn for builders to lay cinder
foundation not only under the cellar,
but under the walk outside the house,
so as to prevent the ingress of rats
which are one of the greatest plaques
of all our seaboard cities.
AS TO OILCLOTH
The floor being laid, what is the
most satisfactory covering? Having
heard from various kitchen sources
that oilcloth draws the feet L have
made careful inquiry among those who
may be considered unprecedented au-
thoritieS on the subject, and find that
it is not a servants fad'' but a real
ity, though not exactly as they express
lit.
The manager OF. the oilcloth depart
ment of a New York house which has
a national reputation, tells me that
oilcloths were long since discarded in
injurious to the feet producing fire.
lquent cramps. Therefore, when used
for kitchen floor care ought to be
taken to provide mats or strips of car
pet to overcome this very serious OBJ
lection.
/ Oilcloth is nothing more than paint
ed canvass. Primitive specimens of
homemade manufacture may often be
seen in fishing villages, where old sails
have been covered with red paint and
made to do duty on household floors.
I have used material which close
ly resembles enameled cloth except
that the backing was of Sacking, in
stead of muslin. / find that this paint
ed canvas is not sold in America. It
is a great pity since it is very cheap
and wears better than oilcloth.
An oilcloth should be judged by its
thickness. It's whole value depends
upon ''the body (white lead and can
vas) and the paint with which it is COW
cred. Thin oilcloths cannot stand much
wear.
AS those who have followed the dis
cussions concerning the revision of the
tariff probably know, the manufacture
of oilcloths has become an important
Industry in the United States In all
but the finest grades of inlaid iinoleum,
our goods equal any that are imported.
The best American oilcloth retails for
Isl per yard and the best imported (Eng-
lish) for S1.40.
Dealers say that light colored oil
cloths, in small or medium sized pat
terms, are considered most desirable,
for as many housewife has been
heard to remark: When they are
clean, they look Clean"
LINOLEUM.
The first improvement in oilcloth was
a material known as skamptulicon." II
&c raYa afica I1u lipOlQIIr1 hIIf hQiDQ
more expensive to manufacturers, has
been superseded almost entirely by limo
Ileum The basis of Iinoleum is ground
cork, which gives it two advantages,
namely, that it is warm to the feet
and is as noiselesS as carpet. 1t is
lalso remarka bly, durable.
There are two kinds of this ground
cork" covering, the printed and the
Iinlaid. The former has the patterns
Complaint has been made that these
colors wear off" but an expert in the
trade declares that this is no more
so than in oilcloth, but that because
the body of linoleum outlasts the
body of oilcloth, the disappearance of
the color is more noticeable.
From the testimony of houselleepers
I am inclined to believe that a good
oilcloth will wear as well as a printed
llinoleum.
For those who can afford the initial
Expenditure, 81 per yard, an inlaid limo
Ileum is the very best material that
can be bought for kitchen floors. The
colors are pressed into the body of the
fabric and could be seen on the wrong
side, as in certain carpets, were it not
for the extra coating of paint on the
as long as the material itsef-one
dealer saws TWENTY-FIVE wears: from per-