Evening star., 1939-09-16
First Aid
Forthe
AHing
By ROGER b. WHITMAN.

Question: In kitchen and bath
room there is a separation caused
by the failure of the material al
the point where the tiling meets the
floor. How should this be filled?
Answer: If the floor is also tile
small cracks can be filled with q
cement intended for tile work, to be
had at a hardware or paint store
and large cracks with paste made
of Portland cement and water. If
the floor is wood, fill the cracks with
caulking compound.
Soiled House.
Question: The north side of my
country house is very dirty in
some places almost black. The house
was painted last year. Is this due to
fall and winter storms? Would it
be remedied by putting wood gut
ter on the north side of the roof?
Answer: If the soiling is from dirt
1t should scrub off; use warm water
with a cupful of trisodium phos-
phate or washing soda to the gallon
dissolved in it. If this does not
clean the paint, the soiling may be
mildew If so. report the case to
the maker of the paint. BY all
means put on cutters.
Brown to Light Gray.
Question: My bungalow is now
finished with brown strained shin
giles. I want to change to light gray
My plan is to put on a coat of alumni
nun paint and then a coat of gray
stain. Can l use oil stain over alu-
minum paint, or must use ordinary
paint?
Answer. You cannot use stain over
paint, for it is so thin that the color
would not show. You are right in
using aluminium paint to hide the
dark color. You can follow with any
kind of good quality house paint.
Cleaning Artificial Leather.
Noting reference to cleaning
artificial leather a correspondent
recommends the removal of dust and
dirt by washing with any mild soap
and water. Then, after letting it
dry thoroughly, go over it with a
soft cloth dipped in egg-white, and
let dry. The sickness will disap-
pear. When egg white is first ap-
piled it may look bubbly, but this
will dry smooth" Breaking up the
egg white by beating makes it easier
to apply. Egg white is also an excel
lent finish for real leather, and
have often recommended it.
Shrunken Blankets.
Question: A pair of all-wool
blankets have become very hard and
stiff after washing. How can l re-
store their softnesS? l wish to do
the Job myself
Answer; Fill your bathtub with
tepld water, dissolve half a package
of soap flakes completely, and soak
the soap in the wool Wiring lightly,
hank over line, and with someone
to help you, pull and stretch the
blankets as they are driving. Do not
subject the blankets to any great
change in temperature, either of air
or water.
Skidding Rugs.
Question: Is there any way to keep
rugs from slipping without driving
tacks into the floor
Answer: At most of the depart
ment stores you can buy powder or
a rubbery material made for this
purpose AS substitute you can
sew table oil-cloth to the under
side of the rug, with the shiny side
next to the floor.
Floor Finish.
Question: My floors have Just
been scraped by mechine and two
coats of wax put on. Dirt is begin
ming to show where there is constant
walking. How can l keep the floors
clean and fresh looking?
Answer: Wax should not be ap-
piled directly to the floor boards, for
dirt will go through and into the
wood The floor should be given a
coat of varnish or shellac before
waxing. To take up the dirt, wipe
with liquid waX-not water wax.
This will loosen the dirt, which can
then be wiped up with clean cloth.
Follow by reWaXing. If you decide to
put on a preliminary coat of warm
ish. you must first remove the wax,
which can be done by several
wipings with turpentine.
Vines on Stucco.
Question: Vines have started to
creep on our stucco house We are
told that this should be prevented,
for vines hold water and in winter
the ice that forms tends to crack the
stucco Is this true?
Answer: If the Stucco is in good
condition and without cracks, the
only harm that cap come is the
holding of moisture during the sum-
mer, and the invitation to birds to
nest in it. The stucco will be dam
aged only when there are cracks into
which the tendrils can penetrate.
Soundproof Door.
Question: After 1 have insulated a
wall to keep in the noise, how can I
make the door soundproof?
Answers: Reasonable sound resist
ance may be obtained by applying a
felt stripping on the door frame, the
felt strips to fit closely around the
door when closed The space be-
tween the door sill and the bottom
OF the door is closed up by installing
a special type of felt strip, which
automatically closes down on the
door saddle. Panel doors should
have the panels taken out, and the
spaces filled with rigid insulating