Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-06
WOOD FLOORS
HOW TO PREPARE AND CARE FOR
THEM.

Wood foors-either hard or soft-must
first be shellacked, whether they are to b
subsequently finished with oil or wax. 9TH
erwise they cannot be kept polished o.
serviceable for daily use. For without thin
surface covering to prevent the wood from
becoming marred and full Of indentations
the boards would soon be in unsight'y con-
dition and DETACHMENT instead Of IN ad-
dition to the finished appearance of room.
The average floor in a city fiat or apart
ment should be shellacked at least once a
year to preserve the wood and keep 1t in
good condition, and occasionally, If a room
is much used. it will be necessary to give
the boards an extra coat of shellac during
the interim.
Once the flooring is properly filled with
putty colored with ochre to match the
boards, the shellac can be applied. If the
filling is to be done by an amateur the
greatest care must be taken to putty all
the nail holes and the cracks between the
boards, and to see that none of the sub
stance is allowed to remain on the wood
for if the surface is not perfectly clean and
smooth when the shellac is applied the
work will look botched and the floors
rough and uneven
Shellac, q combination of turpentine and
a transparent furniture fluid, can be sue
cessfully applied by any housewife who will
take particular care to lay 1t on smoothly
and sticky, and the operator must work
rapidly. In applying it the amateur should
work with the grain of the wood and 1t
would be well to go the entire length of
one board before starting in another.
After the entire floor has been shellacked
1t should not be used for from three to five
days, during which time the finish will
have time to dry and be smooth and free
from disfiguring marks.
Once shellacked the floor may then be
either waxed or Oiled according to taste.
In the of soft wood floor no extra
finish is needed as a rule, though crude oil
keeps 1t in good condition. When oil is used
once week is often enough to apply 1t and
a soft piece of flannel is the best for the
purpose. The liquid must be sparingly ap-
piled and rubbed thoroughly into the boards
and then polished off with clean piece of
flannel to prevent it from being sticky and
collecting dust.
Hardwood floors treated with oil must
be rubbed and polished in the same way.
If the floors are waXed the surface finish
should be applied once a month unless they
are constantly in use; in that event once
in two weeks will be none too often. Floor
wax. a combination of beeswaX and tur-
pentine made into paste, is put on with
a piece of cheese cloth. Care should be
taken not to get it on too thick in one place
or too thin in another, for in that event
the surface will be uneven and the polish
no higher, because of the extra amount
of wax. After applying the wax and rub
bling ii into the boards, with the grain,
an hour before a brush weighted and made
especially for this purpose of wool or felt
is used. When the surface has been
brought to a high polish a piece of Brus-
sells carpet, placed beneath the felt brush.
will when rubbed over the floor insure a
more brilliant luster.
Should the wax wear away in spots the
best plan is to sandpaper the finish down
to the sheac and then apply fresh finish
of wax and treat 1t as is done when hrst
waxing the boards
Quite as necessary as the finish is the
daily care of wood floors. They must all
be swept with hair brush or wiped up
with a bit of cheese cloth every day to re-
move the dust and grit that would other
wise grind into the surface and spoil the
finish
Water should never be used on hardwood
floors for wherever it is dropped the polish
turns white unless 1t is Immediately wiped
up and of course any stain, whether from
water or grease, is a Disagreement, and
to be avoided If possible by careful house,
keepers.