Evening star., 1940-11-16
First Aid
For the
AHinq House
BY ROGER b. WHITMAN.

BY ROGER b. WHITMAN.
Question: have difnculty In
keeping wallpaper, In part Of my
vestibule from peelipg. What could
use to. keep the paper on the wall?
Answer-If peeling Is due to
dampness in the wall, which is pos
sible, you should locate the leak and
close it. Another cause may be poor
sizing Of the plaster, which can be
overcome by putting on new size.
Another cause may be condensation,
which is likely If the part of the
wall where the paper peels is ex-
posed to cold outside air. Casein
glue. which is waterproof, should be
satisfactory.
Wet Chimney.
Question-My chimney seems to
have water in 1t. Whether the
weather is rainy or dry, the wall of
the room where the furnace flue
goes up is wet, and the wallpaper Is
discolored. The chimney Is always
dry in the attic. The wall dries out
In winter when there is heavy fire.
AnSwer-Water may be getting
into the chimney through a cracked
chimney cap, defective mortar
joints in the part of the chimney
above the roof, or through leaks in
the roof f1ashings. If you burn gas
there Is likely to be condensation in
the chimney. which will soak
through defects in the chimney
brickwork. If this is possibility,
ask the gas company to make an ex-
animation.
Varnish on Linoleum.
Question-Our inlaid inoleum was
vanished, and the varnish is worn
off where we walk. The rest looks
badly and I would like to remove it
all. How can we take it off?
Answer-Any kind of varnish re-
mover would eat into the linoleum
and damage it. Your best move will
be to take of the varnish with steel
wool, which can be dampened with
turpentine. It is slow job, but will
not harm the linoleum. Instead of
varnish, finish your linoleum with
paste floor wax, applied in thin
S0dIS, CdC11 O1lC 1uDOCo well d1tCl a
half hour for drying. Self-rubbing
wax could be used, but would not
last as long as paste wax.
Mildew Spots.
Question-How can mildew spots
be removed from awnings?
Answer-Use a weak mixture of
water and bleaching liquid, to be
had at a grocer's. After a minute
or two. rinse with plenty Of clear
water, for if the bleaching liquid is
allowed to remain on the fabric the
hbers will be injured. Repeat if
necessary.
Condensation.
Following our very damp summer
I have had many questions on damp
walls in houses anI ~-usty smells,
on wet cellars and on many other
evidences of condensation-conden-
sation that occurs when warm and
damp air is chilled by contact with
cool surfaces. Cellar walls that are
underground are kept cool by the
earth outside, and very often by
dampness under the concrete floors,
due to springs or a high water level
in the ground. A Pennsylvania cor
respondent complains of dampness
that peels the paper from the walls
Of upstairs rooms, and says in pass
ing that the plaster is applied di-
rectly to the stone walls of the
house. This condition is very COM
mon, and as a result the plaster is
at the same low temperature as the
walls. On humid day condensa-
ton cannot be avoided.
Musty odors are from rotting
wood and will continue until steps
are taken to replace the wood with
something that will not rot. One
common case is the laying of q
wood floor over q dirt or concrete
floor in the cellar. Although such
. floor may seem dry on the surface,
moisture will be present, and in
time wood floor will rot.
Houses should be built so that
inside surfaces will not be chilled
BY contact with outside masonry.
For example, walls can be covered
with plaster on lath on Turing
strips, so that an insulating air
space is included. A lining of in
sulating board is also a possibility.
Any lining should be so made that
house air cannot come into contact
with the cool outside wall. Con-
crete floors on the ground should be
built with a layer of waterproohng
and, If necessary. layer of insula-
ton as well.
Condensation seems to be one of
the chief troubles of a home owner,
but unfortunately, the possibility is
rarely considered when the house is
designed and the specifications
written. OF course, protection
against condensation would add
little something to the cost of the
house. But considering the expense,
annoyance and general trouble that
would be saved later on, that added
drst cost would be a real bargain.
Finish for Brick.
Question-What whitewash is
least likely to peel when applied
over used brick? Are there any
substitutes?
Answer-Instead of whitewash use
cement paint, which is intended for