The midland journal., 1940-12-06
RI r ST-AlD :
to the
AILING HOUSE
BY ROGER .. WHIrMAN
20 Roger 3. whitman-WNU service.l

4k6StCHAkASs
~ UESTICN: Our dining room,
~ bedroom, and kitchen walls are
plasterboard, with two thicknesses
Of wallpaper. We want to put on
plaster with hard, smooth finish.
Must the wallpaper first be en-
tirely removed? Could we use plas-
tic paint?
Answer: Before plastering, the
wallpaper must be removed, which
can be done by soaking it with water.
Be careful in doing the job, so that
in taking off the wallpaper you do
not also take off the paper that is
part of the plasterboard. With the
paper off, you can apply wall plas-
ter, of the ordinary kind; but !
should prefer plastic paint of kind
that is made with gypsum This
contains an adhesive that will make
a good bond with your plasterboard.
It can be applied with broad brush
and smoothed down with trowel
or a plasterer's float.
Damp Cellar.
Question: In an old farmhouse
that we recently purchased, the cell
lar is very damp, even though it is
cemented. The stone walls sweat,
and in wet weather water comes in
at the side. Can we do anything
ourselves at no great expense to
make the cellar dry?
Answer: You can check or even
stop the leakage through the walls
by repointing the inside stonework.
Using cold chisel and hammer,
dig out the mortar to a depth OF
an inch or more, and replace it with
q mortar made of / part portland
cement, " part Of hydrated lime,
8 parts of clean building sand, and
only enough water to make work
able mixture. Wet the joints with
water, and pack them tightly with
this mortar. If your rainwater lead
ers discharge into the ground 10 feet
or less from the house, change their
positions SO that the discharge will
be at least Is feet away. For con-
densation, run a low fire in your
heating plant for a day or two; air
the cellar only on dry and hot days,
keeping it closed on days that are
humid and at night.
Damp Odor.
Question: Last years rains
brought strong, damp odor in our
basement, and much mold ap-
peared. With two rains in June the
smell reappeared. How can the eel
lar walls be waterproofed?
Answer: The moldy odor indicates
rotting wood, or other vegetable or
animal material. To get rid OF the
odor you must locate and get rid OF
the cause. If the dampness is from
condensation on the cellar walls,
which is likely, no coating on the
walls will prevent it. You must line
the walls with something that will
keep the warm and damp air from
being chilled by the cool masonry.
Floor Finish.
Question: My floors have just
been scraped by machine and two
coats of wax put on. Dirt is begin
ming to show where there is constant
walking. How can keep the floors
clean and fresh looking?
Answer: Wax should not be APP
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 preliminary coat of var
nish, you must first remove the wax,
which can be done by several wip-
ings with turpentine.
Rusty Refrigerator.
Question: In my refrigerator the
unit burned out, and the escaping
gas corroded the wire shelves and
the metal in the ice cube compart-
ment. These parts are all very
rusty. How can remove the rust?
Answer: All of those metal parts
were originally plated or coated with
some metal intended to prevent rust
ing; possibly zinc. Rusting shows
that this preventive coating has dis
appeared. Cleaning off the rust will
be only temporary. You should
either get new parts, or send the
rusty parts to a plating shop to be
cleaned and plated with chromium.
A garage can give you the name Of
q nearby plating shop.
Repainting a Porch Floor.
Question: Our porch needs re-
painting. In some places the old
paint is Clipped and peeling. Be
fore repainting, we plan to rub these
spots with sandpaper. Do you know
of any product which can be used
as base to cover these spots, be-
fore the new paint is applied?
Answer: Sandpaper the edges of
the Clipped and peeled spots. Ex-
posed knotty or resinous areas
should be wiped with turpentine. All
spots where the wood is exposed
should be given a prime coat Of
paint. To prevent peeling, seal all
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