Evening star., 1941-09-06
First Aid
For the
AHing House
BY ROGER b. WHITMAN.


leading from the kitchen to the
cellar. Knowing those stairs, I
could understand her accident, for
going down them was tlike stepping
into a tunnel. The family had
planned to do something about it,"
but the accident happened before
they got around to it. For full
safety, an electric light should have
been put in the ceiling, although
this would have meant somewhat
complicated wiring. AS an alter
native, white paint could have been
used-and plenty of it. In the first
place, the treadS of the steps at the
top and bottom could be painted
solid white, while white bands an
inch or two wide could be painted
along the front edges of the remain
ing treads. These would have
shown the position of the steps,
even in a dim light. In addition to
this, the sides of the ceiling of the
stair even could also be white. Had
this been, the accident would have
been prevented, and needless to say,
the saving of the doctors bills would
have paid for the Improvement
many times over.
Crumbling Mortar.
g. Brick mortar in house walls
has been crumbling and washing
away until part of the brickwork is
bare. Why? What is the remedy?
A. The mortar is porous, possibly
because too much black coloring
was used in proportion to the ce-
ment. Have it replaced by compe-
tent mason.
Room Decoration.
Q. A study used by four people
has a white ceiling: walls are light
blue, and window frames are light
yellow. Walls and ceiling are dirty
and should be done over. The room
is II feet square. In redecoratlng,
what colors would make the room
appear larger?
A. A light room will seem larger
than If finished in dark colors. Had
I your problem I should use one
single light color for everything,
ceiling and woodwork as we'll as
walls. My choice would be light
ivory or a pastel shade. Colors to
relieve the monotony could be in
curtains and upholstery.
Spotted Enamel.
@. A few weeks ago deep cream
on woodwork was covered with ivory
~..a1 Ororpo crotc hoUo pouJ on
peared through the enamel. What
can be done to hide them?
A. There is evidently something in
the original cream color that bleed"
into the enamel. Bleeding can be
prevented with a coat of shellac, or
better yet, of aluminium paint. II
the orange spots always appear in
the same places, scrape off the en-
smel, coat the bare spots with
shellac or aluminium, and apply new
enamel.
Cracking Cement.
@. White sand and white cement
are mixed together to make porch
steps, and the mixture usually
checks and cracks. What causes
this? How can it be prevented?
A. For steps concrete should be
made not only of cement and sand,
but also with crushed stone or peo-
bles. One good mixture is l part
cement, 2i2 parts sand and 5 parts
stone or pebbles Use only enough
water to make the mixture workable.
Another reason for the cracking may
be that the mixture dried out quickly.
If 1t is applied over a foundation OF
concrete this should be soaking wet
and the new concrete should be
kept wet for four or five days so
that the cement will cure to its
greatest density.
Cracking Plate Glass.
@. A 5 by 6 foot plate glass win
dow has begun to crack. 1t cracks
q little more each day. Replacement
would be expensive. Can the crack
ing be stopped?
A. The cracking can be stopped
by drilling a small hole one-eighth
inch or so in sizes at the extreme
tip of the crack. The job can be
done by any dealer in plate glass
at very little cost.
Storm Windows.
@. Is there anything new in the
vav of storm windows? I have the
usual kind and putting them up
and taking them down costs about 81
A. Storm windows are now made
with metal rust-proof frames that
are permanently attached to the
outside of window frames. Both
glass and insect screening are pro-
vided in frames to fit the openings
and can be taken out or put in
from inside the room, with but little
effort. Dealers in building materials
or lumber yards should know OF
them.
Removing Verdigris.
Q. What will remove verdigris
from brass pipes and bathroom fix
lures?
A. Verdigris can be taken off with
household ammonia or by applying
a paste made with sal ammoniac
and water. Green stains on enam-
eled plumbing fixtures can be re-
moved by rubbing with scratches
cleaning powder moistened with
kerosene or with a powder for clean.
ing porcelain that can be had al
dime store.
White Crusted Bricks.
@. Does a white crust appearing
on bricks indicate deterioration?
A. That is the coming to the sur
face of mineral salts in the mortar
and sometimes in the bricks. 1t Il
usually harmless, except for ap-
pearances. 1t will eventually disap-
pear.
Mr.. Whitman is sorry he can
no longer answer personal letters.