Milford chronicle., 1929-03-29
MAKE USE OF THE BASEMENT
Marie Hulser

Few lOuSenOlQS are SuuCleuIly III
destructible to withstand the hard
ships of children's indoor games. Nor
do they permit the INTO enjoy thor
oughly their modern imperiling toys,
without wrecking the family's peace
of mind, to say nothing of its pride
full possessions.
Damp and uninviting weather de-
MES them the freedom of the out
of-doors during this season, and
since normal, vigorous youngsters
must necessarily expend their ener-
gies, why not relegate them to the
cellar? Not the dingy old coal cell
lar, that would be depressing to
their spirits-but the new modern
cellar, which, you, yourself, can
turn into a cheerful and altogether
charming playroom.
White paint on the walls will re-
fleet enough of the light that enters
to brighten by the basement-and
will at the same time be huge step
towards cleaning up" since paint,
in itself, is a clean, durable cover
ing that can be easily kept sanitary
dlu lIGG 4IOln I'LL ny dOnAhG HASA
soap and water.
The pipes which carry the heat
from the boiler to the radiators to
heat the house need not be serious
detraction in basement decoration"
If they are given coat of metallic
paint their appearance will be inn
proved and in addition their efficien-
cy of operation will be Bothered by
this coating. Recent tests have
shown the now disappearing custom
of painting heating pipes and radi-
ators upstairs with metallic paints
to be poor one. And, the reason
for this is that metallic paints act
as non-conductor of heat. Then,
for exactly this reason, metallic
paint on the pipes in your basement
would be excellent for the purpose
of keeping the heat within the pipes,
and would give it an opportunity to
travel upstairs where it is most
needed. The furnace itself will
probably give sufficient heat for the
basement.
Bright color, in addition to the
cheerfulness Of the light wall paint,
will do a great deal towards creating
a livable atmosphere in the base
ment An old table and some chairs
painted in a crisp green-one paint
ed red perhaps. If the floor is Of
cement, some old discarded rugs can
serve their remaining years in max
ing a downstairs room coy and liv-
able. Children aren't fussy about
quality-so long as they are sur
rounded by colorful, homelike things,
they are satisfied. 1t would by all
means be advisable to paint the
floor with a good cement floor paint,
whether or not rugs are used. This
will not only add to appearance but
will insure complete dryness.
Instead of turning the entire base
ment over to the children it might
be a good idea to reserve a section
for the more adult, but equally
strenuous and disturbing, diversions
of the grown-ups Of the family.
What perfect freedom for the golf
enthusiast who must keep his swing
and putt in form for the approaching
golf season-or the family carpen-
ter who can hammer and plane to
his hearts content.
Even the smallest ones can be
taken care of in the basement. Be
hind a lok picket fence, a sand-pile
in a box will provide happy play
space for rainy days. And in another
corner might be placed the basement
billiard-table, for instance, with the
CHEEKY felt green ground of the ia
BILE matching the pieces of painted
furniture-or the wooden toy box
which has been fashioned to harbor
playthings in the cellar, and painted
to chime in with the finished atmos-
phere.