Evening star., 1916-04-24
PAINTERS ARE BUSY
BEAUT|FY|NG CITY
Cleanup Campaign Marked by
Great Activity Throughout
the District.
DECORATION OF HOMES
is FEATURE OF PROGRAM
First Week of Movement for Better
ment of Sanitary Conditions
Shows Marked Results.

That Washington is to take rank
among the best painted cities of the
United States this spring is amply
evidenced by the volume of painting
that is being done in all parts of the
city. Never before has SO much paint
ing been in progress at one time as is
the case at present, and painters as
well as dealers in painting materials
and supplies say that more general
effort is being made this spring to
make the National Capital a "spotless
town" than ever before.
HouSeholders are experiencing more
or less difficulty in getting competent
workmen to do the W ork. Most of the
painters of the city already are at
work or are engaged to begin jobs as
soon as propeGty owners are satisfied
with weather conditions and prospects.
In addition to the regular painters
scores of men who know something
about handling paint brush and ap-
plying colors are busy. with prospects
of work for many weeks to come.
One establishment that deals largely
in ready-mixed paints and other paint
ing materials said today that sales
have been heavier this spring than
ever before at the same time of year.
"Spree" of Painting and Decorating.
The people of Washington seem to
be on regular spree of painting and
decorating" said the manager of this
establishment While we usually ex-
pect to have a much larger volume of
business in the spring than at other
seasons of the year, the business this
spring has been much heavier than we
have ever known it before at this
time of year. owners of residence
properties seem to be paying more at
tention to keeping the properties prop
erly and neatly painted than they used
to. Apparently they have come to
realization of the fact that a well
painted house not only looks better
but lasts longer than one that is paint
ed only once in dozen years or so.
a real estate concern that handles
rental properties in the four sections
of the city has given orders for paint
ing more than fifty OF its tenement
properties this spring.
We have learned that house newly
and handsomely painted will rent to
better advantage and TO better tenants
than one on which the paint is old,
dingy and scaling off. Self-respect
seems to go along with new paint. Peo-
pie who are satisfied to take house
that presents a shabby. dingy appear
ance are usually the kind of tenants
that abuse a place. Occupied by such
tenants for year, a property is likely
to be damaged to such an extent that
necessary repairs will cost much more
than fresh paint all over would have
cost. Besides this, houses that are
properly painted do not deteriorate as
rapidly as property that goes without
fresh paint for years.
Painted roofs. guttering. downspouts
and other metal work do not develop
leaks nearly as soon as those from
which the paint has worn away. Alto
gether the upkeep of a properly paint
ed house is very considerably less than
that of an unpainted property, so that
we have found painting a good invest
ment from all points of view"
Paperhangers Busy.
Papering and interior decorating. ac-
in this line of work. is keeping pace
with the exterior Frightening up of
Washington homes, while the cleanup
campaign is showing its influence in
every part of the District.
The 1916 n-up-paint-up cam
paign has passed its first week and
results are plainly visible wherever
one looks Before the campaign comes
to close IL is not too much to hope
that the National Capital will be the
cleanest. handsomest and most at
tractive, as well as the most sanitary
and healthful, capital in the world
Cooperation will do it. so let every
Washingtonian enlist in the cleanup
paint-up army. II he or she hasn't done
so already