Evening star., 1941-03-22
First Aid
For the
AHingHouse
By ROGER b. WHITMAN

"When my home was finished In
August two years ago." writes a
correspondent. the weather was
ideal, ana the house was immediate
ly given two coats of paint. The
following spring the paint began
to blister and peel off In repaint-
ing how can this be prevented"
The bliStering and peeling of
paint is almost invariably from
moisture in the wood. In this case
the house was painted before the
plaster and concrete work had dried
out, and in the following winter the
heat in the house drove the moisture
into the outside clapboards and
shingles. Warm weather drew it
out, and broke the bond of the paint
with the wood. In Older houses,
failure of the paint may be due to
the leakage of water into the walls,
where it runs down and in time
soaks into the outside finish Leaks
of this sort are usually due to open
Joints between window frames and
the outside of the walls. Those
leaks can be closed with calking
compound. In repainting, all paint
that is loose should be Scraped off
or removed in some other way. One
common method is burning with
blowtorch. but this should be done |
only by some one who is an expert |
at it. The burning off of paint by
an amateur is one of the common
causes for fire.
Pipe Holes in Plaster.
@. Pipes of our hot water heat |
ing system go through a ceiling and |
plaster will not stay around them. |
Metal rings cannot be used. How |
can the holes be covered?
A. Cut table oilcloth into pieces |
shaped like doughnuts that can be |
put around the pipes and cemented |
to the ceilings If the ceilings are !
white, use white oilcloth; otherwise
it can be painted.
ClOgged Sewer.
O. Every two weeks my sewer stops
up, and I have to rod it out The
trouble is not from tree roots What
do you think might be the cause of
the trouble?
A. Is is likely that with the heav-
ing of the earth, or with vibration,
one of the sections of pipe has slipped
out of place. Another possibility
is that a joint is open, so that
earth and sand can sift in. Your
best move will be to eXcavate and to
correct whatever may be the trouble.
With your rod you can locate the
approximate place for the excava-
ton.
Scuffed Doors.
@. The bottoms of doors have dark
marks made by kicking feet, and |
floors are marked by rolling fur
niture around. How can these be
removed?
A. If kicks on the door have dug |
into the finish, touching up with |
varnish may be needed, preceded by |
washing with soap and water. Black |
marks on the floor from furniture |
casters can be scraped out with a
razor blade or with steel wool. II |
the job is neatly done, touching up |
with paste wax may be enough to
restore the finish. Instead of using |
metal casters, put on the kind of |
rollers made of compressed fiber.
Linoleum Finish.
@ Is there any particular varnish
that will give inlaid linoleum a
smooth, slick surface?
A. There are varniShes and lac
quers on the market intended for
that particular job. However, in
time they will scuff and lose their
gloss. Touching up with new var
nish or lacquer is unsatisfactory, un-
less the whole floor is done over.
Paste floor wax Is a better finish for
linoleum when put on in two or
three thin coats. Each coat should
be polished after a half hour for |
drying.
Basement Game Room.
@. In making a game room in my |
basement, I must build wall about |
28 feet long Would quarter inch |
plywood be strong enough for it?
Would three thicknesses of pressed
paper be suitable for the ceiling?
A. If you put the plywood on 2x4
studs, spaced 16 inches from center |
to center, you should get ample
strength. Pressed paper would not
be suitable for the ceiling because
1t might be softened by dampness
Quarter-inch plywood could be used,
or plasterboard.
Leakage Into Cellar.
Owners of brick veneer houses
pmetimeS find that in rainy weather
there is leakage of water into the
cellar. This is due to the construc-