New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-07-14
THE HARDWOOD FLOOR
HOW TO TAKE CARE OF 1T.

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF IT.
II is only few years since advocates OF the
house beautiful began to preach In favor OF hard
floors, and there Is now hardly village in the
country where this doctrine Of health and beauty
has not penetrated. Yet every who has de
carded carpets and adopted hardwood floors has
found some drawbacks In the way. In nine cases
out Of ten the floor Is simply shellacked often with
out previous filling. and every scratch OF the boot.
heel shows its surface. The wood is soon lAto
bare and permanently stained: or. perhaps. the
wood is oiled with clear oil which has not been
properly rubbed In. The residue gums on the sur.
face and collects dust and debris; and altogether
the hardwood floor which has been well laid BY
the carpenter, is a source Of discomfort and dlsap-
pontment.
European housekeepers suffer from none Of these
disadvantages, because they try none Of these ex-
periments. The European floor Is a floor OF par.
quetry 1t is made by glue.ng together thicknesses
of hardwood a pine backing. a method by which
they obtain a stronger and more durable Moor tnan
when a thick floor OF hardwood alone Is used. for
every builder knows that the best door Is not one
Of solid hardwood. but Of two thicknesses Of
hardwood over a pine These doors are nat
urally more expensive, because they are more
trouble to make. So the veneered floor Is more dur.
able. though a very excellent hoor may De iaid n
hardwood seven-eighths thick over rough moor OF
pine. providing the wood has been properly sea-
soned Or thinner floor may be laid over per.
fectly level floor OF pine
Builders recommend quartered white oak as the
very best material for floors. This Is q Western
wood and costs about 500 a thousand feet IN this
State. Maple and birch. which are much cheaper
woods. also make excellent floors. Native birch,
which may be bought In this State as low az N0
thousand feet, is a very hard. smooth wood. and
makes a very durable kitchen floor which does not
silver up like Georgia pine Narrow boards. meas
uring about two inches or less laid. make Q most
desirable floor The skilful carpenter matches his
joints with faultless precision. planes and scrapes
his floor and poshes 1t down with hardwood snav-
ngs after It is laid as we'll as finishing 1t before.
When this is properly DONE hardly joint Is ''s'0''
and 1t Is then ready to be filled.
1t is this process that Is so often neglected ana
upon which so much depends. 1t should be thor
oughly trustworthy wood-filler. purchased from
dealer whose name Is a guarantee for his sooo&
These hlers usually come by the pound, often IN
paste FORM and may be thnned to a proper con-
sistency with turpentne 1t Is applied to the wooo
with a brush. and all that remains on the Surface
Is polished of with hardwood shavngs or EXCELSIOR
This filler is allowed to dry about twelve hours
when a coat Of wax is applied or OF prepared oil X
you prefer IT, Where oil is used 1t should be thinned
with a certain amount Of dryer
The best wax Is a preparation OF turpentine ana
beeswax properly melted together. and Is kept ~
oil dealers In parquetry floors The chef mis'aks
that amateurs make Is to apply this wax TOO sen.
erously An expert In this matter says that pouno
OF wax ought to cover 300 feet Of surface After the
wax is applied and rubbed in with weighted orusn'
II should be allowed to stand for while and Sec
ond coat applied before the floor is used
A great many American families attempt to take
care of q hardwood floor without a brush. THIS y
a waste Of much laborious energy. The work can
be accomplished by the use OF brick wrapped IN
flannel and then In cotton but 1t cannot be properly
accomplished except by strong man, while an
ordinary servant readily WELD the twenty-tw4ec
pound brush which sells in our shops at from ~ ~
10 s. and with will last many years Y snIuIo
be passed irst across the grain OF the wood Tnen
the floor should be vigorously polished with sns
Finally piece Of old carpet is laid down and the
floor is polished under this A properly cared-Iot
floor should be polished with the brush once week
II should not be rewaxed oftener than once month
or once in two three months. according 20 tnss
amount Of wear on IT, After certain peri e 81 Of
time II may be necessary to scrape the moor ana
apply some kind OF restorer though this should be
hardly required unless the floor has been Improperly
| dressed. -.
or course the best way Of polishing such 2 9ocr
Is in the foreign fashion with brush attacneo 20
one foot Of a robust man. who goes skating ABOUT
| until the surface CLEANS like marpie: but Uni
method Is not often possible In this country except
| in those households where there are foreign mem