Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-10-05
HARD WOOD FLOORS.
INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR CON-
STRuCTlON AND CARE.
CHARTERED White Oak Said to BE the Very
Best Material-IZow to Wax and Polish.
They Do These Things Better In England
Than We DO In America.


They Do These Things Bet:er In England
Than We DO In America.
1t is only a few years since advocates
of the house beautiful began to preach
in favor Of hand floors, and there is now
hardly 4 village III the country where
this doctrine Of health and beauty has
not penetrated. Yet every enc who has
discarded carpets and adopted hard wood
floors has found some drawbacks in the
way. In nine cases out of ten the floor
is simply shellacEed, often without pre-
vious filling, and every scratch of the
bOotheel shows on its surface. The wood
is soon laid bare and permanently
stained, CT perhaps the wood is oiled
with clear oil which has not been prop
erly rubbed i'll. The residue gums on
the surface and collects dust and debris,
and altogether tho hard wood floor,
which has been we'll laid by the carpen-
ter, is source Of discomfort and disap-
pointment.
European hOusekeepcrs suffer from
none of these disadvantages because
they try none of these experiments. The
European floor is floor Of parquetry.
1t is made by gluing together thick
nesses of hard wood on pine backing,
q method by which they obtain
stronger and more durable floor than
when thick floor of hard wood alone is
used, for every builder knows that the
best door is not one of solid hard wood,
but one of two thicllnesscs of hard wood
over pine core. These doors are natu-
rally more expensive, because they are
more trouble to make. So the veneered
floor is more durable, though very ex-
cellent floor may be laid in hard wood
seven eighths thick over rough floor
of pine, providing the wood has been
properly seasoned. Or thinner floor
may be laid over q perfectly level floor
of pine.
Builders recommend quartCred white
oak as the very best material for floors
This is western wood and costs about
800 1000 feet in this state Maple
and birch, which are much cheaper
woods, also make excellent floors. Ma
tive birch, which may be bought in this
state as low as $40 1000 feet, is a
very hard, smooth wood, and makes a
very durable kitchen floor which does
not silver up like Georgia pine. Narrow
boards, measuring about two inches or
less laid, make most desirable floor.
The skillful carpenter matches his joints
with faultless precision, planes and
scrapes his floor and polishes it down
with hard wood shavings after it is laid
as we'll as finishing it before, When this
is properly done, hardly joint is visi
BILE, and it is then ready to be filled.
1t is this process that is so often neg
lected and upon which so much depends.
It should be a thoroughly trustworthy
wood filler, purchased from dealer
whose name is a guarantee for his goods.
These filters usually come by the pound
often in paste form, and may be thinned
to proper consistency with turpentine.
1t is applied to the wood with brush
and all that remains on the surface is
polished Off with hardwood shavings or
excelsior. This filler is allowed to dry
about 12 hours, when II coat of wax is
applied, or Of prepared oil if you prefer
it. Where oil is used it should be thinned
with O certain amount of 'drier."
The best wax is preparation of tur-
pentine and becsWaX, properly melted
together, and is kept by all dealers i'll
parquetry floors. The chief mistake that
amateurs make is TO apply this wax too
generously. An expert in this matter
says that pound of wax ought to cover
300 feet of surface. After the wax is
applied and rubbed in with weighted
brush it should be allowed to stand for
awhile and second coat applied before
the floor is used.