Evening star., 1941-02-15
First Aid
For the
AHing House
BY ROGER b. WHITMAN.


There have been many requests
for information on the reflnishing
of furniture and woodwork in the
popular light-toned effects, known
as blond, wheat, Swedish, picked
pine, etc. These are obtained with
bleaches that take out the natural
wood color. even the dark colors of
walnut and mahogany. Bleaches
for this purpose are now on the
market and can be had through
well-stocked paint stores Full direc-
tons for use are on the labels of the
cans.
A fairly successful bleach can be
made at home by dissolving oxalic
acid crystals in denatured alcohol,
the crystals being added to the
liquid until no more will be dis
solved. Its use should be followed
by rinsing with clear water with
plenty of time allowed for thorough
drying before finishing. For a
picked finish the wood is sanded to
satin smoothness with No. 00OO
sandpaper and then coated with
white paint or white paste filler
mixed with turpentine to the con-
sistency of cream. After a few
minutes the surface is wiped dry.
This leaves the pores filled with
white. After drying the surface is
again sandpapered to smoothness
and given a shellac, varnish or other
clear finish.
Table Finish.
O. My dining table is used by the
children for homework and for play
ing ping pong and cards. The finish
Is gone and I want to do it over.
You have spoken of a linSeed oil
treatment What is it?
A. The first step should be to take
off all the present finish to the bare
wood. which you can do with a
varnish remover. Full directions are
on the label of the can. Be careful
IN its use for the vapors are inf1am-
mable. have plenty of ventilation in
the room and do not smoke. After
drying apply literally a mixture of
one-third each of boiled linseed oil,
turpentine and denatured alcohol
Let this soak in for a few hours
and then wipe the surface dry. Re-
peat in two days and then, after
drying, polish with a rough cloth.
A piece of carpeting wrapped around
a brick is handy. The more you
polish the better the finish will be.
Attic Storage.
- We oro onr Iori1ou h1li1Jir,O
cedar closet in the attic of our bum
galow. Would the intense dry heat
injure woolen clothing and blankets?
The attic floor is insulated.
A The mothproofng effect of
cedar quickly disappears. What you
need Is a room built so tightly that
moths cannot find a crack through
which to enter. The doors should
be weatherstripped. Wool and
blankets would not be injured by the
heat, but it would be risky for furs.
You will do very we'll to put venti-
lators high up in the main part of
the attic to permit the escape of
the storeroom without being sure
that 1t is free of moth worms and
eggs.
Ceiling Beams.
@. have a 30-foot living room
with 7l2-foot ceiling. There are
four 8x10 inch wood beams on the
ceiling painted to match the wood
work. With the low ceiling the two
center beams are conspicuous. How
can this be improved?
A. The simplest method would
be to paint them to match the
ceiling, for they would then be less
conspicuous than when in con-
trasting color. You will probably
find that the beams are false and
that it would not be much of an
operation to remove them. This
would give a greater ceiling height,
which would be an improvement.
You should be sure, Of course, that
they do not contribute to the sup
port of the floor above.
Liquids in Cold House.
A. Is there any way to pack fruits
in liquids in a house that is to be
closed for two winter months and
be without heat?
A. Under that condition anything
that is freezable will freeze, no mat
ter how it is packed.
Cold Air Return.
O. We have hot-air heat, with
two cold-air return registers down.
stairs and none up. Cold air COM
ing down the stairs makes the front
room very cold and drafty. How
can this be remedied?
A. If possible, put in cold-air
register upstairs, at some point
where it will catch cold air run
ming toward the stairs. Otherwise,
put it at the foot of the stair.
Floor Refinishing.
@. MY floors are pine, finished
with walnut varnish. l want them
In a natural finish and will have
them scraped. Should the present
finish first be taken off with varnish
remover?
A. No, that will not be necessary.
Scraping will remove it.
Cold Floors.
q. I have the downstairs apart
nent in a building with no base
ment. There are ventilators, now
closed. in the concrete foundation.
How can 1 make my floors warmer?
A. One way would be to cover
them with carpeting laid over pads.
Another way would be to line the
under side of the floor with insulat-
ing material in blanket form.
SoundprOof Floor.
O. am about to convert the sec
ond story of my home into an
apartment. How can I make the
floors soundproof?
A. Complete soundproofing may
not be possible, for some sound will
be carried by the framework of the
house One method would be to
lay stiff insulating boards on the
n