Great Falls weekly tribune., 1895-11-08
HARD WOOD FLOORS.
INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR CON-
STRUCTION AND CARE.
CHARTERED White Oak Said to BE the Very
Best Material--How to Wax and Polish.
They DO These Things Better In England
Than We DO In America,


Than We DO In America.
1t is only "a few years since advocates
Of the house beautiful began to preach
in favor of hard floors aud there is now
hardly village in the country where
this doctrine Of health and beauty has
not penetrated. Yet every one who has
discarded carpets and adopted herd wood
floors has found some drawbacks in the
way. In nine cases out Of ten the floor
is simply shollackod, often without pre-
vious filling, and every scratch of tho
bootheel shows on its surface. The wood
is soon laid bare and permanently
stained, or perhaps the wood is oiled
with clear oil which has not been prop
erly rubbed in. The residue gums on
the surface and collects dust aud debris,
and altogether the hard wood floor.
which has been we'll laid by the carDcr-
ter, Is q source OF discomfort and tlsaD-
pointmcut.
European housekeepers suffer from
mono of these disadvantages bccapsc
they try none Of these experiments. The
European floor is u floor Of parquotry.
1t is made by gluing together thick
nesses Of hard wood on pine backing,
method by which they obtain &.
stronger and more durable floor than
when q thick floor Of hard wood alone is
used, for every builder knows that the
best door is not one of solid hard wood,
bnt one Of two thicknesscs of hard wood
over Il pine core. These doors are natu-
rally more expensive, because they arc
more trouble TO make. So the venCored
floor is more durable, though very ex-
cellent floor may be laid in hard wood
vencighths thick over rough floor
OF pine, providing the wood has been
property seasoned. Or q thinner floor
may be laid over {; perfectly level floor
Of pine.
Builders recommend quartercd white
oak as tie very best material for floors.
This IS u western wood and costs about
500 a LOCO feet in this state Maple
and birch, which are much cheaper
woods, also make excellent floors. Ma
tive birch, W hich may be bought in this
state as low as $40 1000 feet, is q
very hard, smooth wood, and makes %
very durable kitchen floor which does
not silver up like Georgia pine. Marrow
boards, measuring about Two inches Or
less laid, make a most desirable floor.
The skillful carpenter matches his joints
with faultlcss precision, planes and
scrapes his floor and poliNles it down
with hard wood shGyjngS after it is laid,
as well as finishing it before. When this
is properly done, hardly Il joint is Visi-
BILE, and it is then ready to be flied
1t is this process chat is so often neg
lccted and upon which so much depends.
1t should be a thoroughly trustworthy
wood filler, purchased from Il dealer
whose name IL u guarantee fOr his goods.
These filters usually como by the pound,
often III paste form, and may be thinned
to ii prODyt consistency with tulpentine.
1t is applied to thp wood with Il brush,
and all tAat rcmaina on The surface is
polished off with hardwood shavings or
excelsior. This lillcr is allowed to dry
about II hours, when coat Of wax is
appllcd, Of Of prepared oil if you prefer
it. Whore oil is used it should be thinued
with Il certain amount of "drior.'
Tho best wax i preparation Of tur
pentine a'I tcCaWaX, properly melted
together, and is kept by all dealers in
parqUctrv floors. Tho chief miststkGtldt
anatours mako is TO apply this wax too
generously, An c,:UorC III this 14uttcr
says that Il pound Of Ws>X ou@rs to cover
800 feet Ct surface. AftCr he WAX is