Evening star., 1939-07-08
First Aid
For the
AIing House
BY ROGER b. WHITMAN.


Question: What should be done to
my house to make the paint stay
on? The house, when new, was
given two coats of white paint.
Three years later it was given two
more coats. A year later the paint
checked, curled and fell off. The
paint scaled off down to the wood.
The clapboards on the north side
are affected worst.
Answer-Remove the old paint
down to the wood. Thin out the
paint according to manufacturers
directions for each coat. Aluminium
paint makes an excellent printing
coat. The surface must be thor
oughly dry before painting. Several
days drying time must be allowed
between coats. Paint is applied in
thin coats we'll brushed out. A thick
application of paint will not dry out
quickly and is apt to cause trouble
later on.
White Paint.
Question: Is there a pure white
fat paint that will not turn yellow
when used on bathroom radiator?
Answer-All white paints when
subjected to heat for long periods
of time will turn yellow. Some heat
resisting enamels will last longer
than the fiat paints, but they also
will change color eventually.
Rubber Flooring.
A correspondent sends me SAM
pie of the flooring in his dining
room and asks for the best method
Of cleaning it.
Answer-The material is rubber,
which can be cleaned by mopping
with clear water 1t can also be
waXed, but care should be taken to
use a bright, drying water wax, not
paste or liquid wax, for these con-
tain oils and solvents that are in
furious to rubber.
Brittle Reed Chairs.
Question: My fine reed sunroom
chairs and furniture seem very
brittle and small pieces frequently
break out. Can I do anything to
make it less brittle? How can 1 re-
finish the surface?
Answer-After removing the fin
ish, coat the reed with a half-and-
half mixture of raw linseed oil and
turpentine. After an hour or so
wipe the surface clean. Allow to dry
for "a hours, then finish with one
or two coats of top quality spar
varnish.
Refinishing Furniture.
Question-HoW can table tops of
solid or veneer mahogany be treated
for an oil finish. and for a glossy
finish? What should be done to get
a mahogany finish on table tops that
are not mahogany? Legs and other
parts of the table are dark red, and
the tops should match.
AnsWer-In any case, the finish
should be removed to the bare wood,
which can be done with liquid var
nish remover. Do not allow the re-
mover to drip on the legs and other
parts. The remover is applied lib
orally. and allowed to stand for 20
minutes or so: the finish can then
be taken off with rough cloth and
a scraper. The remover is inflam-
mable, so take precautions against
fire. This will take off the stain as
well as the finish. Follow by wash
ing with turpentine, and then, after
drying, apply mahogany oil stain. |
Allow to soak in for a minute or two
and then wipe off. Continue to
apply stain in this way until you
have reached the shade that you
want. Allow to dry thoroughly.
For an oil finish apply a mixture
Of three parts linseed Oil and one
part turpentine. After an hour for
soaking in, wipe dry. Repeat in "a
hours and then, after two or three
days for drying, begin to polish with
piece of carpeting or other rough
cloth
For a glossy finish. apply one coat
OF quick-drying varnish to the bare
wood. When dry, rub smooth with
very fine sandpaper. Then put on
a second coat and polish by light
rubbing with finely powdered rotten
stone and sewing machine oil, or
other light oil-not linseed oil.
Squeaking Stairs.
QuestiOn-StairS from my en-
trance hall creak and groan. Stairs
are straight ascending in one un-
broken line. How can 1 cure the