Evening star., 1941-04-05
First Aid
For the
AHing House
Rx ROGER b. WHITMAN.

Plans for q basement recreation
room usually call for the covering
of the foundation walls with some
thing that will hide the concrete or
brick. Sheets of stiff insulating
board are excellent for the purpose,
but these, as we'll as wood paneling
or plaster on wood lath, must be
protected against rotting from
dampnesS that may pass through
the foundations. There is also the
possibility of dampness from con-
densation on the cool masonry. One
treatment is to give the masonry
walls a coating of tar or liquid
asphalt. Another is to put similar
waterproofing on the backs of the
insulating sheets or of other wood
work. The inside lining is best at
tached to Turing strips that will
cover any possible unevenness of the
foundation walls. These strips can
be braced between the floor and the
beams overhead. If the wall is fiat
the lining can be attached to it
with steel nails, of the kind intend
ed for driving into concrete or NOR
tar joints.
Rubber Tiles.
Question: Would rubber tile blocks
on bathroom floor get sticky when
damp from cleaning?
Answer: The tiles themselves will
not be injured by dampness, for
rubber is waterproof. The floor
would be damaged should the tiles
be loosened from the floor as
result of poor laying, or of swelling
or warping of the wood beneath.
Stained Bathtub.
Question: How can I remove
large brown stain in my bathtub
caused by the constant dripping of
water?
Answer: Use scratches clean
Ing powder moistened with kerosene,
and plenty of elbow grease. Do
not use steel wool or any harsh
abrasive, for this would cut the gloss
of the enamel, and staining would
become worse.
Painting Enamel.
Question: I have painted my
dark gray enamel sink with ivory.
but this peels off. How can I make
1t stay on?
Answer: Unfortunately, that can
not be done. The enamel is too
dense to allow paint to strike in and
take hold. To make the change,
your only move will be to get a
new sink. Very often used sinks
In good condition can be had from
building material yards or from
plumbers.
Finish For Insulation.
Question: Insulation on pipes in
our basement is torn and becoming
worn. Can new asbestos be put on
over the old? How would it affect
the warmth of the basement.
Answer: Asbestos paper can be
pasted on over the old insulation.
From your letter I gather that you
want your basement to be warm.
Asbestos paper will not reduce the
heat. You can finish with paint.
Septic Tank.
Question: At my country house
I am putting in 500-gallon septic
tank for all waste except the kitchen
sink, which has its own drain. I
am told that should have a sepa-
rate trap coming from the tub and
wash basins, for soap water would
kill the bacteria in the tank. Is
this so?
Answer: Not unless you do an
abnormal amount of laundry work.
The action of the tank would not
be affected by the soap used in an
ordinary household Should the
bacterial action stop for any reason,
you can get it going again by dis
solving six cakes of yeast in cool
water in plumbing fixture and
letting 1t drain of.
Canvas on Walls.
Question: We want to paint our
walls and are planning to replace
the wallpaper with canvas How
should this be applied? What should
be used as a first coat or filler?
What kind of paint for the finish
ing coats?
Answer: Although you do not Say
30 take it that your plaster walls
are cracked. Your best move will be
TO close the cracks with patching
plaster, the patches being smoothed
with sandpaper wrapped around a
block of wood. With smooth wall
you can use paperhanger's muslin,
which will not need filling. To put
up canvas, add one-half pound of
casein glue to each bucket of paste.
As filler for the canvas you can
use a thick mixture of powdered
whiting and glue size, getting a
smooth surface with rubber squee-
gee, such as is used by window
cleaners. For finish you can use
any type of paint.
Resin Seepage.
Question: Resin comes through
paint on an outside stairway. The
painter guaranteed that it would not
happen, but it has. How can it be
stopped?
Answer: When any mechanic
guarantees his work, he should be
required to make good If anything
goes wrong. BY all means get after
that painter. If he refuses, scrape
off the paint to the wood and wash
several times with turpentine. This
will dissolve the resin near the sur
face and remove it. Put on first
coat of aluminium paint.
Swedish Putty.
Question: How can make Swed-
ish putty?
Answer: There are several differ
ent formulas, all giving about the
same result. In one, pounds of
rye flour are mixed in u gallon of
cnld Mater and oallnn of hnilino