Evening star., 1941-11-15
Gudgets
Pecun Wood Used
Successfully for
House Floors
By HILSON MUNSEY.

The floor in a home is the most
used part of the structure. 1t has to
be not only pleasing to the eye, but
1t must stand up against lot Of
punishment. Various woods are
used, of course, for flooring. Maple
and oak are perhaps the most pop
ular, because they combine wear
ing qualities with a good appear
ance. Pine and edge grained pine
are also very popular. A manufac-
turer of oak flooring has gone out
side his line to introduce another
kind of wood for flooring purposes.
That wood is pecan, more familiar
to the general public on account Of
the fruit of the tree than of the
wood. Pecan wood is 20 per cent
harder than maple and Is per cent
harder than oak. while the weight
Is approximately the same. This
toughness, combined with its wear
ing qualities, makes it very deSlr-
able flooring 1t is between 40 and
80 per cent tougher than its great
rivals, maple and oak.
Various Grades.
The laying of this flooring is the
same as that used in putting down
the regular hardwood floor, and the
finishing is the same, although the
manufacturers recommend a pene-
trating finish to bring out the beauty
Of the grain.
There are six grades. First there
Is first-grade red, which practically
Is free of defects, bundled in odd
lengths from 16 to feet in length.
This is the heart wood and produces
the greatest variety of grain effect.
The first-grade white is made
from all bright sapwood; otherwise
It conforms TO the same grade in
red. Then there is the first t-grade
regular, which combines the heart
and sapwood. Second grade regu-
lar has some tight, sound knots,
some tiny wormholes and streaks
and slight working imperfections.
The bundles are likely to contain
a slightly higher percentage of the
and 2 foot lengths. Second grade
heart is the same as second grade
regular, except it is all heartWood
The third grade will lay a sound
floor, but the percentage of short
lengths may run as high as so. The
fourth grade may contain all or any
defects, but must lay sound floor.
The flooring is 1882 of an inch
thick and 2l4 inches wide on the
surface The flooring also is sup
piled in block form. each block
measuring q by ga, by 9 or ia
by Ia inches.
Bathroom Heat.
Here is a small gas heater for the
bathroom or any other small room
that will not take up any floor space
and will do an excellent job Of
warming the room. 1t fits between
the studding of the wall and has
an overall size Of 115s inches in
width and 1914 inches high. This
heater has a heavy clay backWan
and the surface is finished in white
vitreous porcelain enamel.
Its shipping weight is only q
pounds, and it can be used for
either natural or manufactured gas.
The door which fits over the
burner has five louvres at the bot
tom and this door hides the burner
while allowing the heat to enter the
room At the same time, the louvres
permit enough air to get to the
burner for combustion purposes.
There are two other designs Of
this wall gas heater. One is finished
In porcelain, the same as the smaller
unit already described, and the
other in antique or statuary bronze
They both have three heating units.
as against two in the smaller type.
These heaters are 10 pounds
heavier than the smaller one. The
overall size is 143. inches wide and
2034 inches high. This requires
wall opening IA inches wide, which
Is the width between studding with
the regular 16-inch centers. The
height Of the wall opening would
have to be 1872 inches. The depth is
334 inches.
NOte-For further details about
the products described above
write Mr.. Munsey. in care of The
Star. and inclose stamped, self
addressed envelope.