The Washington herald., 1913-06-08
NEW FLOOR MAY BE
PUT OVER OLD ONE
Floor Having Ordinary Wear Need
Not Be Polished More Than
Twice a Year.

Pine, maple, birch. or oak should be
used for new floors. OF these woods,
pine is the cheapest. and oak perhaps the
most expensive. The latter is the best
in appearance, though floor Of good
pine, in the NARROW two-inch boards. Is
much more TO be desired than a carpet.
Many prefer CHARTERED oak because 1t
takes a better polish. but If one be
anxious to economic, the straight oak Is
a little cheaper and usually quite salts
factory.
Be sure to get a man who viii lay the
floor well. for In its evenness lies much
Of its beauty. In ordinary cases IL Is
best to lay the new floor directly over
the old one. A layer of heavy paper be-
tween the old and new floors will do
much to deaden the sound as well as to
Insure warmth and to keep out dust
After the floor has been planed and care
fully wiped with a dry cloth, it is ready
for its final treatment And whatever
else you may do to your new floor do not
varnish It. The black corners and white
spots which We see on many a floor are
due to the fact that the floor has been
vanished, and this evil can never be
overcome. Instead, get a mixture OF
equal parts Of linseed oil and turpentine
with a little Japan drier. Any dealer In
paints will mix them for you and VIII
know better than an amateur Just the
proper proportion Of drier TO use Apply
this mixture with broad brush. taking
care to have the floor wiped free from
dust with a dry cloth. Let this dry over
night and the next day put on another
coat When the second coat is thorough
" dry, the floor is ready for polishing.
Some persons like to use over this
wood filler which closes all the pores OF
the wood. The use of this insures a
higher polish, but unless very slippery
floors are desired 1t is not necessary.
Use Good Floor Wax.
The next process is the polishing. For
this some good floor wax should be used
Some housekeepers prefer to make their
own, using a mixture Of beeswax and tur-
pentine, but the prepared wax Of one OF
the standard grades which your dealer
will recommend lis just as good" as the
homemade and much less troublesome.
This wax should be applied evenly over
the floor with a wooden cloth and allowed
to dry over night Do not make the mis-
take of putting on too much wax, for II
too liberal a supply be used the wax will
not rub in well and dust will gather. II
this should happen, the dust and wax
NAV be rubbed off by means Of little
turpentine. When the first coat OF wax
has thoroughly dried, apply a second.
And when that has dried go over the floor
with a weighted brush and wooden
cloth. Rub until you have good pol
fsh, and always rub with the grain OF the
wood.
A good poIisher may be made At home
by covering a block of wood with several
thicknesses. Of heavy wooden cloth Put
a handle on this block, a leather strap
will answer IL nothing better can De
found. and rub the floor well A moor
having ordinary wear need not be waxed
oftener than twice a year. All that is
necessary in the meantime. is a careful
wiping and brushing each day and a pol
ishing once a week. OF course dry
cloths only should be used on the floors.