Evening star., 1939-07-29
Aid
for the
Aiing House
BY ROGER b. WHITMAN.

ny noUEn d. w nj MAN.
Question: Kindly inform me as
to the cause of the finishing coat
blistering on reconditioned plaster
walls in old buildings.
Answer: I presume the paint Is
blistering. The trouble is usually
caused by the application of paint
on new plaster, which has not been
given sufficient time to dry out.
Weeds in Road.
Question: Would you advise me
the best way of Kidding little
Travelled country road of weeds?
The road Is dirt and gravel. I
should like to use something that
could be put on the road in the
spring to prevent the weeds from
growing.
Answer: Calcium chloride, in ad-
dition to- killing weeds, will also
keep down the dust in the road.
Firms handling this chemical can
be located through the classified
telephone directory under the head
ing of Calcium Chloride" Another
method is to sprinkle the road with
q saturated solution of rock salt.
You do not need to wait until next
spring; do it now.
Cutters and Leaders.
Question: We have had new
cutters and leaders installed on our
house. The roofer did the jop so
that the leaders of the roof empty
on the porch roof, which has just
been reshingled. The porch also has
new copper cutters and leaders.
When I returned from a trip, l ex-
pected the roof leader to come down
to the ground, and feel disappointed
The roofer says his method makes
a better job. What is your opinion?
Answer: My preference would be
to run the leader from the main
roof directly to the ground. The
volume and force of water flowing
over the wood shingles from the
roof above may cause a good deal
of wear.
Stain From Beams.
Question: The upper part of my
house is stucco with wood beams.
Drip from the beams has stained
the stucco. plan to refinish the
stucco with white cement paint. An
oil stain is recommended for the
beams followed with varnish but 1
am wondering if an asphalt base
paint without the varnish would not
serve as we'll.
Answer: An asphalt base paint
would make the beams black or
nearly so, whereas an oil stain would
give you any color that you please.
If you want dark beams, you can
use asphalt. For a one-coat Job
you could use top quality varnlsh-
stain in any Of the wood shades.
Furniture Polish.
Question: After 10 years use of
a certain furniture polish, I find that
the wood surfaces of my furniture
have become very sticky. How can
the sickness be removed? Soapy
water does not take it off
Answer: Wipe with a cloth damp
with turpentine. The fault is un-
doubtedly from failure to rub off
all traces of the polish each time it
was used. After using the turpentine,
use the same polish, but rub well.
Damp Spots in Cellar.
Question: The center of the con-
crete basement floor shows damp
spots, particularly when the furnace
is not in operation. Ordinarily I
get no water. not even dampness in
the cellar. Is it advisable to use
waterglass?
Answer: This condition may be
due to condensation. Lay a piece
of metal or glass on one of the damp
spots, and If water or moisture ap-
pear on the surface your trouble is
condensation. A condition of this
kind can be minimized by keeping
the basement windows closed during
humid weather and at night. To
correct dampness, put down an ad-
ditional layer of one to two inches
of waterproof cement. Waterglass