Evening star., 1939-07-22
First Aid
for the
Aiing House
BY ROGER b. WHITMAN,

ny hOGEh b. WHITMAN.
Question: The porch floors of our
cabin IN the woods were painted
once. Last fall, to prevent warping,
my husband put thick coat of lin
seed oil on the front portion. This is
now very dark and rough. Before
repalnting. how can the hardened
oil be taken off?
Answer-You can take off the
hardened Oil by washing with
strong solution of washing soda in
water; say, three pounds to the gal
Ion. Follow by ample rinsing with
clear water and allow to dry thor
oughly before painting
Paint Over Oil.
Question: Can paint be success
fully applied over oil or creosote?
Answer-If the oil is a kind that
hardens and turns into a gum, like
linseed or tung oil, paint can be put
on over it. If the oil is like lubrica-
ting oil, and does not harden, it can
not be painted; for paint will not
stick. The oil must first be removed,
which can be done with benzine, gas
oline or some other solvent. (Be
very careful of fire when using these
inflammable liquids) Creosote does
not harden, and when it is painted,
the oil will soak through the paint
and cause staining. This can be pre-
vented by sealing in the creosote
with aluminium paint or shellac.
Woodpeckers.
Junction. MTooJpooLore Lo,,o 49,. ..
a number of deep holes in shingles
on my house. A number of shingles
are damaged. What can 1 use to
keep them off? We hope it is not
termites
Answer-If the holes are made by
woodpeckers you would not be in any
doubt as to the cause, for the noise
would resound all through the house.
II the holes have appeared in
silence, they are more likely to be
due to insects. They could not be
termites, but might be carpenter
ants. If the holes are apparently
fresh, you should lift a shingle to
note the condition underneath. Car
penter ants when discovered can be
killed by spraying with kerosene. If
you know that the damage is by
woodpeckers, the only way to keep
them off is by thumbtacking strips
of sheeting to the outside of the
house, for the fluttering will act as
scarepecker.
Overhanging Floor.
Question: I have a room so small
that it almost drives me crazy. Could
I enlarge it by extending the floor,
or building bay window overhang-
Ing the floor below? How could this
be done, so that it would not sag?
Answer-Whether or not that can
be done conveniently depends entire
ly on the construction of the floor:
If the beams run in the direction of
the extention, the job is far simpler
than If they run across it. Your
first move should be to call in an ar
chltect or a competent builder to ex-
anime the structure. He will advise
you on doing the job.
Stove and Refrigerator.
Question: Where can I obtain a
gas stove and refrigerator combined?
I have very small kitchen and
thought this would be space saver.
Answer - The refrigerator and
stove are made in separate units, but
the manufacturers make them in
small sizes for the apartment house
kitchenettes. Your local utility COM
pany should be able to help you. The
small range is set on top of a low
type OF refrigerator.
Storing Silver.
Question: Could you give me the
name OF preparation, which, if
placed in a closed closet containing
silverware, will prevent tarnish?
AnsWer-Lumps or cakes of cam
phor packed with the silver will help.
A surer way is to make bags for your
silver OF heavy outing flannel, then
soak them in solution made of one
half pound of cadmium acetate in a
gallon of water. After a thorough
soaking, hang up to dry. The sill
verWare should be washed in hot
soapsuds before it is next used.
Rustic Chairs.
"A correspondent SENDS me a spec
linen OF insect found under the
bark OF rustic chair. A large area
under the bark has been eaten away.
Chairs were stored in the cellar dur
Ing the winter. The insect is not a
termite, as she suspects, but variety
OF borer. These insects get under the
bark and do good deal of damage
before they are discovered. The bark
is eventually loosened. The bark
should all be taken off, and after 60
ing over the wood with stiff brush,
two coats of spar varnish should be
applied. There is no possibility that
the insects will do any damage to the
house.
Questions on Painting.
Question: I am repainting kitchen
furniture from which have re-
moved all old paint. I did two chairs
few days apart, and found each of
them to be of different shades of
green. The enamel was out of the
same can. How can I avoid getting
more than one shade of green? What |
caused this in the first place? Can I
avoid dust particles from settling on |
the enamel? Do you recommend |