Evening star., 1941-09-20
First Aid
For the
AHing House
Nv ROGER b. WHITMAN.

A retaining wall supporting ter
race or bank of earth is under pres
sure from the earth behind 1t, and
must be correSpondingly strong and
solid The higher the bank behind
1t the stronger and heavier the
wall must be. The base of the wall
should go to or below the frost
level 10 avoid trouble from the
heaving of the earth due to freezes
and thaws.
The exposed face of the wall
should be vertical, and to gain.
strength, the back surface should
be sloping so the wall is much thick
or at the bottom than at the top.
Should water be allowed to collect
behind the wall, the earth will be-
come soft and mushy, and in set
fling the pressure against the wall
will be greatly increased. This can
be avoided by providing half-inCh
holes in the lower part of the wall
through the mortar joints, by which
water can drain out. If the wall is
low. a few holes will serve, but for
higher wall. there should be many
of them.
Moving Walls.
c. Foundations of our walls are
hollow concrete block. The walls
seem to be moving out. and the in
side wall finish is cracking. The
contractor recommends a concrete
retaining wall on two sides from
the ground level to below the foot
ings, Do you think this would be
wise?
A The ground under your house
evidently is filled in, or in the nature
of nuicksand. If the contractor
knows his business and has made
Q thorough examination, his rec
concentration probably is correct,
# nossible. ask him to give you
written guarantee of satisfactory
results.
Resin in Wood.
O Posts on our porch are oozlng
resin. How should this be removed,
and how could the posts be finished?
A. Liberal washing with turpen-
fine should take out the resin on and
near the surface. primlng coat
Of aluminium paint should prevent
further trouble.
Paper on Sand Finish.
@ NV rooms have walls of sand
finished plaster. Will wallpaper
stick to this? If not, how can we
put it on?
A. Wallpaper will not hold over
sand finish. for the surface is 100
rough. You can smooth it with
plastic paint made of gypsum. in
coat thick enough only TO make the
surface smooth. Plastic paint con-
tains an adhesive which will hold
where ordinary wall plaster will
not. You can get smooth flnlsh
with a troWel.
Killing Trees.
O What can be done TO Kill a
diseased tree. so that nearby trees
will not be harmed? I 90 not want
to go to the expense Of cutting it
down.
A. A tree can be killed by cut
ting through the bark to the wood,
forming a ring around the trunk.
This will prevent the flow of sap.
The tree will then die quickly.
Rusty Nail Heads.
O. In my house rusty nail heads
show through the paint. In re-
painting, how can this be prevented?
A. Rub the nail heads with sand
paper, until they are bright. and
then coat them with aluminium
paint.
Painting With Enamel.
Q. I should like to paint the out
size of our house with white en-
amel. Is this as good or better than
the best outside paint? Will it
stay white longer?
A. Enamel would not be as sat-
isfactorv for that job as top-quality
white paint. and the cost would be
much higher.
Cracks in Siding.
O. In my new home cracks are
In the white pine. beveled siding,
and openings due to nails not being
set. Would it be advisable to set
the nails so as to draw the boards
closer together?
A. Yes. You should Also close
cracks with putty or white lead
before repainting. to prevent trou-
bic from the soaking in OF moisture
Cracked Plaster.
@. Plaster in our 40-year-old
house is badly cracked. Can the
cracks be filled so smoothly that
they will not show through paint?
A., If the plaster is still tight on
the lath, the cracks can be filled
with patching plaster, to be had at
hardware store. Instructions for
use are on the label. 1t should be
possible to fill the cracks so smooth
ly that they will not show.
Chimney Creosote.
@. MY old house, originally for
one family, has been made over into
three apartments It has a peak
roof with an inside chimney. Each
apartment has a kitchen stove,
burning range oil. In the top apart
ment black liquid drips down the
pipe on the stove and floor. How
can this BE stopped?
A. Apparently, the three kitchen
stoves are connected to the same
f1ue, which makes the draft poor
for each one of them. If the top
of the chimney is not at least 2
feet higher than the highest point
of the peak roof, this also will affect
the draft AS a result of poor
draft, the vapors from the burning
oil condense in the cool part of the
chimney above the roof, and the
liquid which forms runs into the
Smokepipe of the top apartment.
Rebuilding the upper part of the
chimney with thicker walls would
help the situation, because that part
of the chimney would be warmer
then, and there would be less con-
densation. The chimney cap should
be the full size of the flue; if it is
smaller, it will reduce the draft.
Basement Wall Finish.
@. I finished my concrete base
ment walls with aluminium paint,
but it peeled. Cement paint did
not hold, or caSein paint, either.
What ron do aboI1t ito