Evening star., 1940-12-07
First Aid
For ! the
AHing House
By ROGER B. WHITMAN.

Question: The interior walls and
ceilings of my new eight-room house
are all of half-inch insulating
board. We want to decorate them
and are thinking of paint, paper.
calcimine or whitewash. There are
many Joints and counter-sunk nail
heads. How should these be filled?
What finish do you suggest?
Answer: Fill the nailheads with
spackle, which is form of patch
ing plaster and can be had at a
paint store. Write to the manu-
facturers of the board and ask for
their recommendations for filling
the Joints. A lumber yard may have
the sheet or directions. Do not fin
is good and sizing will not be need
ed: this paint comes in colors as
we'll as In white. For oil paint. size
with a half-and-half mixture Of
paint and wall varnish. The sur
face may be too rough for thin
wallpaper: a covering of paper
hangers muslin may first be need
ed.
Paint for Heating Pipes.
Question: Asbestos coverings on
the heating pipes in my basement
are soiled. Could I paint them?
Answer: Yes, the coating will take
paint. If it seems to soak in too
much. use a half-and- half mixture
OF paint and varnish. You could
also use aluminium paint.
Drainage Problem.
Question: In building a house, I
have put drain tiles around the out
side of the wall. intending to drain
them into pit in the cellar, to be
kept clear with sump-pump. A
heavy rain throws in more water
than the pump can handle The
cellar has clay bottom. I am
planning to put in two inches of
sand and then a two-inch layer Of
concrete. After drying. I would
put on two or three coats of tar
with another two-inch layer of
concrete. Would this make a dry
floor?
Answer: 1t would be a better plan
to level and pack the present floor,
to put down a layer of heavy tar
paper with the Joints overlapping
by half the width, and then to
pour your concrete floor on top,
four inches thick Paper should
be carried up the walls on all sides
to the ground level. and held there
with a concrete liring. Your out
side drain tile should discharge
Into a dry we'll, or. If your land
slopes, to a point Of discharge lower
down
To Eliminate Painting.
Question: The exterior Of nv
house Is constructed Of clapboards.
l am considering putting on as
bestos cement shingles to elimi-
nate painting and also for the
purpose OF making the house warm
er IN winter. I have been told that
asbestos shingles have a tendency
to make the house colder In winter
and hotter In summer. What is
your opinion?
Answer: With a fairly heavy as
phalt saturated felt under the as
oestos shingles, the house will GER
talnly not be colder in winter or
hotter in summer On the con-
trary. the added wall thickness will
give greater resistance to weather.
Sap Stains.
question: Carpenters placed a fir
timber to carry a stairway. The
hr was shellacked and painted, but
the sap comes through. 1t there
any way to stop this?
Answer: Remove the paint, wipe
the timber with plenty of turpen-
tine. then apply a coat of good
quality aluminium paint and finish
with paint or enamel
Paint on Brick Steps.
Question: Will you advise me
what to use to remove white paint
from brick steps? Paint was spilled
accidentally.
Answer: You can remove the
paint by scrubbing with a solution
OF one cupful of trisodium phosphate
In a quart of hot water. If large
area is stained. leave the solution
on the paint until it is softened.
then wipe off the thickest part of
1t. Scrub off any that remains.
then rinse off the solution thor
oughly with clear water.
Hot Water Supply.
Question: We are having an oil
burner put In our hot air furnace.
Should we leave the hot water pipes
In the furnace or take them out?
Answer: A coil in the firebox of
. furnace that burns oil is not sat-
isfactory. for the heat cannot be
controlled and steam is likely to
be produced. You should put in
separate heater for hot water. You
can get good results from a pot
stove burning coal, fitted with a
regulator.
Soft Bricks.
question: Surfaces of bricks on
The side of my house come off when
touched, leaving fuzzy white sub
stance underneath. Can this he
prevented or repaired?
Answer: The trouble starts with
.ne soaking of water into the bricks
Inls can be prevented bv painting
the bricks with a water-proofino
compound which can be had clear
80 that the appearance will not be
cllangeo. Inquire at a paint store,