Evening star., 1936-11-21
FLOOR PAINTING
PROVES SEFFECTNE
Practice Is Especially De-
sirabIe on These of
Old Houses.
Special Dispatch to The Star.


NEW YORK, November 21.-Even
more numerous than the new houses
being built are the old ones being
renovated through long-term Govern
ment loans. In houses of the latter
class, especially, decorators are get
ting new and varied effects with
painted floors. especially where sat-
isfactory finish at comparatively low
cost is desired. For the traditional
minded, there are the Colonial pump
kin yellow and Indian red, while the
moderniSts paint borders and other
divisions of the floor in contrasting
colors.
Properly done. painted floors are
long-lived. Modern paints and
varnishes supply much better fin.
ish than was possible in the old days,
and the growing practice of protect
ing all kinds of floor finishes with q
coat or two of polish wax is an aid
to both permanence and beauty. One
great advantage of a painted floor is
that it can be Of exactly the color de.
sired to agree with the rest of the
furnishings.
Hall Should Be Painted.
The entrance hall of an old house
k one of the best places to have q
painted door-if it is covered with q
final coat of good spar varnish which
Is easily cleaned and is impervious to
rain drops from umbrellas and wet
overshoes. Sometimes the Dashboard
and perhaps a 6-inch wide border Is
painted black If the hall Is fairly
large, a star inside 3-foot circle may
be painted on the floor in white or
light gray.
In changing tiny hall bed room in
an old house in Connecticut to q
bath room, the floor cracks-including
any that appeared below the base
board-were first thoroughly puttied,
then given three coats Of good paint
finish of with coat Of waterproof
varnish. This treatment made the
floor virtually water-tight. A cheer
full red was chosen for its color, to
harmonic with the cora1-red shower
curtains.
Paint Around Edges.
Where a room-sized rug or carpet
H used on a floor, the space around
the edge is often painted. Some of the
lighter colors may be used here, since
the space has little wear. Often ap-
propriate Is color deeper than that
OF the walls or one which harmonizes
with the dominant hue of the carpet.
Recently in a Fifth avenue exhibi-
tion of fine rooms very dark green,
almost black, was observed. Red-black
and blue-black are also used to ad-
vantage.
With paint it is easy to have black
and white squares on a dining room
floor, following a traditional style Of
early Colonial or early nineteenth
century days. To furnish setting
for the rare antiques of New York
collector, old-time spatter work has
been used on the floor. This effect
Is obtained by first applying light
color, such as gray or buff, and then
scattering tiny dots of red. green
and blue on the ground color by
striking the brush sharply on the
side with piece of broom handle.
The dots are not more than an eighth
Of an inch in diameter.
A modern painted floor In q pic
ttresque old house in the East Sixties
has broad bands Of light and slightly
darker gray alternating. These run
the length Of the living room. In
the dining room large lozenge-
shaped space in the center is painted
cream, and the rest OF the floor ma
room. A painted border near the
Dashboard which combines both col
ors unifies the design.