Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-23
First Aid
For the
AIing House
BY ROGER b. WHITMAN.

g. How can I get rid of termites In
IN old house?
A. There is far more to be said
about termite control than can be
covered here. You can get informa-
ton from the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture, and from the
Department of Agriculture of your
own State.
Smoking Chimney.
@. We have a circulating heater
and have always had trouble with
smoking. 1t fills with eoot and then
Elbows up" filling the house with
BOOT and smoke The chimney is
low, and there Is a big house close
70 ours. Could this be the trouble?
"A furnace man finds nothing wrong
with the stove and chimney. Why
can some people use the cheapest
coal without trouble, while our stove
will not draw on high quality coal?
A. Your low chimney is a likely
cause Of trouble, especially with that
neighboring house. Extend the
chimney as much as you can to in
crease the draft. The smokepipe
connecting the heater with the CHM
ney should slope upward, for then
draft will be better than if the pipe
Is horizontal and has sharp bends.
Examine the chimney and connec-
fions to he sure that air is not leak
Ing in. Do not connect more than
one fire to a single flue.
Removing Calcimine.
g. Walls of a house that we are
remodeling were covered with caleb
mine. In trying to take 1t off we
have used paint remover, vinegar
and q blow torch, but with no sue
cess. What can you suggest?
A. A finish that resists all of
those treatments evidently contains
casein, which is waterproof and has
nothing in it that would be affected
by paint remover or a blow
torch. If the calcimine will not
soften when soaked with plain water,
1t is on to stay, and you will find 1t
an excellent base for oil paint or
for papering. If it is rought, smooth
1t with sandpaper wrapped around
block of wood.
Sawdust in Concrete?
q. What is the right amount of
eawdust to use with cement in max
Ing concrete
A. Sawdust should not be used in
making concrete, for the result
would be very weak and there would
be deterioration. Materials to use in
mixing concrete should be perma-
nent, as is the case with sand and
hard cinders.
Bathroom Wall Finish.
@. You have spoken of table OIL
cloth for waterproofing bathroom
wall. Could use this in new bath
room? With what kind of paste
A. For the best modern effect,
finish your bathroom walls at least
half up with wall linoleum or
white tiles. For the rest of the wall
sou can use wall-cloth, which is
waterproof, and can be had in hand
some designs. 1t is much better
looking than table oilcloth. Another
choice would be glossy enamel. If
you cannot use linoleum or tile. wall
cloth or enamel can be used for all
of the wall, except around the show
er. There the plaster of the walls
should have a waterproof covering;
wall cloth will serve.
Cracked Plaster.
ON building our home we used
sand finished plaster in the di-
nette and living room. When the
plaster started drying a multitude
of small cracks appeared all over
the ceiling and side walls. We
thought of covering them with wall
paper, but the paperhanger would
not guarantee the work. What was
the cause of the cracks and what
can we do?
A.-Cracking Of the surface coat
may have been because it was put on
when the undercoat was too wet or
too dry. 1t may also have been
from improper mixture. If the sur
face coat is firmly attached in spite
of the cracks, you can get a smooth
surface with plastic paint made OF
gypsum. This contains an adhesive,
and it will hold where ordinary