Evening star., 1941-03-01
First Aid
For the
AHinq House
By ROGER b. WHITMAN.

BY hOGEh II. WHITMAN.
@. Is it practical to use one stove
for heating water and to heat two
or. three average rooms and a small
bathroom with hot water radiators?
Would it be necessary to have a
separate stove and tank, or is it
possible to use each one for both
purposes?
A. A small water heating stove
can be used for heating two or
three rooms. providing the capacity
of the water heater unit is right for
the hot-water radiators. A heating
contractor should be able to furnish
you with the proper sized equip
ment to supply the necessary
amount of heat. A separate stove
should be used for heating water
for domestic purposes.
Refinishing Floors.
@. My home is about II years
old and I am contemplating re-
finishing all the floors. The lower
floors are oak and the upper floors
pine. I have been advised by some
to reflnfsh with the new floor seal
ers, and others advise the old
fashioned way of scraping, shellack-
ing and waxing. 1 would like your
advice.
A. Liquid floor sealers are COM
ing into wide use, but like many
other products they vary in quality.
This type of floor finish has been
used extensively for finishing wood
floors in auditoriums and other
public buildings. Any floor finish
ing material, if it is of good quality
and properly applied, should give
you satisfaction.
Shuttle Board Court.
@. Where can I get directions for
making a shuttle board court? OF
course, the surface should be
smooth. I have been told it should
be terrazzo.
A. Instructions for making a
shuttle board court of concrete are
issued by the Portland Cement As
Sociation, BAT Madison avenue, New
York. Chicago Office is at 33 West
Grand avenue.
Cleaning Travertine.
@. I have some travertine to clean
up. Can you tell me which is the
best way to clean it up?
A. If it is genuine travertine
stone. scrubbing with mild soap
and water will be sufficient. Imita-
ton travertine can be cleaned in
the same manner, but painting may
be necessary.
Papering New Plaster.
@. am having my house remod-
eled. How soon after the plastering
is finished can I put on wallpaper?
A. Damage to paper might come
from lime in fresh plaster. To
neutralize the lime wash the plaS-
ter, after it has dried, with a Solu-
ton of zinc sulphate in water,
pound to the gallon. Apply literally,
allow two or three days for drying,
brush off the fine crystals that will
have formed and go ahead Before
pspering, of course, the walls should
be well sized.
Noisy Elevator.
@. A noisy elevator adjoins bed
room, with a clothes closet between.
Is there any way of Soundproofing
that closet to deaden the sound?
A. Some of the sound can be cut
down by lining the closet wall with
two layers of insulating board. The
first layer is put on the wall, then
Turing strips applied and finally
another layer of insulating board
over the Turing. The job can be
done by good carpenter,
Maple Kitchen Set.
@. have a light color maple
kitchen set which I would like to
clean well. What solution could I
use which would be strong enough
to remove all marks, especially on
the legs, and yet not spoil the finish?
A. Wood furniture can be cleaned
by washing with thick suds of any
mild soap Follow with a clean
cloth damp with clear water, then
wipe dry with cheesecloth. Do not
flood the surfaces with water. Fin
ish by polishing with paste wax in
thin coats or liquid furniture polish.
Musty Odor Under Porch.
@. The uneXcavated space under
my sun porch causes musty odor,
which remains even after removing
building block for ventilation.
What chemical will deodoriZe it?
A. A musty odor comes from rot
ting wood, and in your case it is a
sign that you have a bad condition
under your porch. You should re-
move enough of the building blocks
on the ends and side to permit a
full draft of air to sweep through
underneath. One of the holes
should be big enough for you to
crawl through so that you can
examine the condition of the wood
work. You will undoubtedly find that
some of the wood is badly rotted
and may need replacement.
Basement Floor Paint.
G. painted my basement floor
with a good grade of floor paint, and
it is peeling off in patches. What
caused this? How can I remove the
rest of the paint? What should
use in the place of it?
A. Ordinary floor paint will not
last on concrete basement floor,
because the paint oils are destroyed
by the lime IN the cement. At a
paint store you can get a paint re-
mover that comes as a powder to be
mixed with water. Follow the di-
rections on the label. For the new
finish, use kind of paint that is
intended for concrete basement
floors. Some varieties are made with
rubber, and others with synthetic
resins. But both are proof against
lime.