Evening star., 1940-02-03
Homeowners Save
Money by Making
Own Improvements
Weather Stripping
Now Is Easy Job;
New LinoIeum Uses
By DOROTHY DUCAS and
ELIZABETH GORDON.

question, do you want to make
your home warmer, cleaner and
more livable?" there would be only
one answer, of course. But you
might add to your 'yes" the impor-
tant words, eff it isn't too expensive
or too much trouble"
For, sold as most of us are on the
idea of improving the houses we
live in, we all have to keep
weather eye on the household
budget, and we certainly do not want
to add to our housekeeping prob
lens any long period of muss and
fuss and nuisance.
Weather stripping for windows
and doors is one of the modern con-
veniences which more of us would
have, however, if we knew how
easily and ineXpensively its advan-
tages could be gained. Chilly rooms,
drafty floors, rafting windows, dust
covered curtains and draperies are
difficulties with which no one wants
to cope. And now they may be ban
ished easily.
Do Own Weather Stripping.
We can do our own weather.
stripping, using packaged metal
strips which keeps the wind and dirt
out, keeps the heat in. These units
come all cut to size, complete with
nails, dust pads and instructions for
installation. You merely order
enough weather stripping for each
window or door and each individual
carton that is delivered to you con-
tains everything you need to make
that one window or door tight
against the weather.
Ordinary carpenters tools, such
as hammer, screWdriver and pair
OF pliers as are found in every we'll
equipped household, are all that are
needed. To put the weather strip
ping in place you merely remove one
window stop and the lower sash and
follow the directions in the package.
Thirty to As minutes a window or
door is all the time it takes
OF course, you have to measure
carefully before you do your order
Ing. The entire width and height
of the lower sash is the important
measurement for double-hung win
doWs; the full width and height of
easement frame openings is the
measurement for easement windows.
Doors should be measured for full
width and height of door-frame
opening, single or double type, and
the kind of sill-stone or wood
should be stated.
Defects Should Be Corrected.
One caution: before you set to
work, see If the window or door is
free of defects You won't have the
best results if you Weather-strip be-
fore repairing broken, loose Or
cracked glass, frayed or broken sash
cords, broken locks or other hard
ware, imperfect parting strips, rails
or lemons, worn thresholds.
The weather stripping is made of
a special alloy that won't corrode
or turn black and is rigid enough,
so that it won't vibrate under wind
pressure.
1t costs approximately SIPS for
3x5 window and $3.50 for single
door with 1a-inch sill, allowing no
charge for labor. If you don't want
to do it yourself, add the cost of
handy mans time-a day for the
whole house, unless it is an extreme
ly large house, should be enough.
Linoleum WainscOting.
Something new to do with linO-
leum! Goodness knows we are all
linoleum conscious these days, but
how many of us have thought to
use wall linoleum to combat the
ever-present problem of tiny finger
prints on the painted or papered
walls of children's rooms?
You can put a linoleum vain
scoting one-third of the way up the
wall in nurseries, binding off the
edge with chromium or contrasting
colored linoleum strips. This makes
a pleasing decorative effect, espe-
cially if the wainscoting binding
matches cove base installed where
wall joins floors. And it will pre-
vent sticky or grimy fingers from
depositing stubborn spots on the
wall, since linoleum is easily cleaned
with damp cloth.
The wainscoting can match or
contrast with the floor linoleum. We
have just seen an excellently deco
rated den which used linoleum re-
sembling random width boards for
the floor, with solid-color linoleum
wainscoting. The curtains and fur
niture upholstery carried out the
color of the wainscoting. The floor
was the color of natural light
stained wood. Only its resiliency
made you realize it was linoleum
floor.
With linoleum wainscoting, run
ming 2Aa or perhaps feet up the
wall, you can use paint or paper
for the rest of the way to the
ceiling, and thus not sacrifice
the color or pattern you have set
your heart on for a given room In
fact the paper or paint will last