Evening star., 1941-03-15
First Aid
For the
AHing House
BY ROGER b. WHITMAN.

Last year while calling on friend,
he talked of the need for repaint-
ing his house, although the Job had
been done only two years previously.
The outside walls were clapboard,
and the white paint on them GER
talnly looked dingy. On eXamina-
ton, however, saw that this effect
was only on the surface; that the
paint itself seemed to be in
perfect condition. I asked him for
pail of water and scrubbing
brush, and did little work on some
clapboards. The dingineSs disap-
peared and disclosed paint that was
cleaning white as when it was
first put on. Repainting was not
necessary, All that he needed to do
to restore the appearance was wash
Ing, which. of course, was far cheaper
than repainting would have been.
He reached much of the house with
a scrubbing brush on a long pole,
and used soap and warm water.
This is not the only case in my ex-
perience in which soap and warm
water did job of restoration for
which the owner had thought that
repainting would be necessity.
Cool Radiators.
@. I have hot-Water heat with a
stoker, which for several years has
worked perfectly. This year two hall
radiators only get hot when the
ct dc f,Ils in mild "a
they remain cold, although the
other radiators are warm. What
could be the trouble?
A. There is something in the pipes
that is partly obStructing them,
something that shuts off a gentle
flow of water, but that opens when
the flow is strong. Quite possibly
the cause is in the radiator valves.
Some part of them may have loos-
ened slightly. Have them inspected.
Knotty Pine Finish.
@. The knotty pine walls of our
log cabin have light oak oil stain.
tried paste wax on them, but it
gave the panels a dry look, and the
knots turned white. What protect
ing finish will bring out the beauty
Of the panels?
A. You undoubtedly put on the
wax too thickly. Go over your walls
with a cloth damp with turpentine
to take off most or all of the wax.
In reWaxing use very thin coats.
You will probably need several
After half hour for drying, rub
well.
Wax for Furniture.
Q. For seven years I have been
using wax on my furniture, but am
now told that in time wax will
cause veneers to buckle. Is that SO?
A. No, it is not; there is nothing
IN wax that would have that effect.
In waxing furniture, it is a mistake
to use too mucn. Furniture should
be reWaXed only when the old coat
ing has worn off, and new wax
should be applied in a very thin
coat. Frequent rubbing is all that
Is needed to keep wax in good con-
dition.
q. have noticed walls covered
with Hnoleum, and believe that it
would be ideal for our kitchen.
We cannot afford tile, and I am
always washing off dirty finger
marks made by four small young
sters. How Is linoleum attached to
walls?
A. You are right in thinking that
hnoleum would be ideal for kitchen
walls. However, putting it on can
only be successfully done by pro-
fessionals who have been trained
In it. 1t should not be expensive;
ask lnoleum layer about it. AS
an alternative, you might cover the
walls with heavy table oilcloth,
which can be had in tile designs.
1t can be hung like wallpaper. Use
ordinary wallpaper paste, to be
had at paint store, but dissolve
& half pound of casein glue in each
pailful.
Washing Paint Work.
Q. How can wash painted and
enameled walls without taking off
the gloss? Something which will
do good job and not break my
back?.
A. Use the suds of fine laundry
soap. For bad places, scatter
little powdered whiting on the wash
cloth. Follow by ample rinsing
with clear water; the streaking
of painted walls after washing is
often due to insufficient rinsing of
the cleaned surfaces. In washing
q wall begin at the bottom and
work up. If you begin at the top,
and work down, you are likely to
make streaks that cannot be taken
off. At paint store you can get
an inexpensive powder much used
by professionals for cleaning painted
walls.
Paint on GalyaniZing.
@. Black paint on a galvanized
IRON stovepipe cracks and peels off
when the pipe becomes hot. How
can I make it stay on?
A. In the first place, new galvan-
lied metal has a surface with which
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