Evening star., 1941-06-21
First Aid
For the
AHing House
By ROGER B. WHITMAN.

BY ROGER b. WHITMAN.
For a garden. nothing is more
appropriate than rustic furniture.
The natural twists and curves of
the woodwork together with the
bark, make this type of furniture fit
into the surroundings better than
any other. Unfortunately, however.
It can quickly lose its charm through
attacks by insects. Various types
of borers find protection under the
bark and can make inroads into the
wood before being detected. One
sign of insect attack is looSening of
the bark, and when this happens,
all of the bark should be stripped
off. Channels made by insects will
be found in the wood leading to
nests in which eggs are deposited.
Eggs ano worms can be destroyed by
washing the wood with kerosene.
Bare and unfinished wood will dis
color in the weather, but before
this happens coat of spar varnish
makes an attractive finish, and Will
60 far to retain the original color.
II darker color is wanted, 1t can be
had with varnish stain.
Preventing Squirrel Damage.
Q. We are planning to have
cabin up North, but folks IN the
woods have trouble from squirrels
and mice chewing the mattresses
apart to make nests. How can mat
tresses and other articles that can
not be stored in boxes be protected?
A. That damage would come only
when the cabin was not occupied.
At those times, mattresses and blan-
kets can be hung over stout wires
stretched from one end of the cabin
to the other, so that the articles Will
he out of contact with shelves and |
furniture. When closing your CABIN, |
scatter pound or two of moth balls |
all over each room, including the |
mattresses. Animals hate the odor, |
and will keep away from 1t.
Shingie Stain.
@. What are the ingredients OF
good Shingle stain?
A. Four parts linseed oil, parts |
of coal tar creosote oil, and part OF
Japan drier. If you want color, add
linseed oil to color -ground-in-oil to
the consistency of paint, and use
parts in the above mixture.
Wall Insulation.
O. am thinking of filling my |
walls with rock wool, but am told
that this would cause the paint to
peel on the outside and that there
would be sweating on the inside.
Is this so?
A. In some cases that has hap
pened. Dampness in the house and
air in the form of water vapor may |
60 through the plaster and the
rock wool and condense on the in
side surface of the Notwithstanding.
The damper the house air the more
likely this is to happen. 1t can be
prevented by protecting the inside
walls with a film of water-prooflng
that will keep the water vapor from
going through. For this the Bureau
OF Standards has suggested two coats
of aluminium paint on the bare
plaster, to be finished with paint or
wallpaper.
RANT ais on SiliS.
@. Paint on my window SlllS does
not last. although the same kind of
paint stays good on the other parts
of the trim. What is wrong?
A. Interior paint is not weather.
proof. With your windows open
paint on the sills is as much eX-
posed to the weather as If it were
outdoors. After removing the old
paint and repainting put on a coat
of spar varnish or use outside paint
OF the same shade. Either one will
have a gloss, but even so, the effect
will be an improvement over paint
that is worn and failing.
Grease-Spotted Wallpaper.
@. How can I take a grease spot
from wallpaper?
A. Cover with a paste made of
fuller's earth or powdered chalk
and carbon tetrachloride. Allow to
dry and then brush off. If neces-
sary repeat.
Leaking Windows.
@. Last spring I remodeled the
front of my house by replacing two
windows with three. 1 painted
them white outside and vanished
them inside. Last winter the paint
peeled off, mostly in the corners,
and the inside varnish disappeared
What can I do about this?
A. In putting in the windows you
neglected to use water
proof f1ashings. Water has come
In through the joints between the
window frames and the outside
walls and it is this that has caused
the peeling. The joints should be
packed with caulking compound,
put in with a tool