Evening star., 1942-03-07
First Aid
For the
AiingHouse
By ROGER b. WHITMAN.

and den of the s>cond-foor apart
ment get absolute.y no heat. What
would be your advice?
A. With hot-air heat the common
reason for a cold room Is that out
side air leaks into the room around
the windows and elsewhere in such
great volume that warm air is pre-
vented from coming out Of the reg
lister. In that case the remedy Is
to make the windows tight with
weatherstrips and storm sash. An
other method is to install fan in
the furnace, so that warm air will
be driven through the registers un-
der pressure. This Is not an expen-
sive attachment and can be provided
by any heating contractor. When
properly installed it should give
equal distribution of heat through
out the house.
Shrunken Door Panels.
Q. Although we have a humidi-
fer, the panels of our white Colonial
doors have shrunk so that unpainted
wood shows around them. The pam
els may swell when damp weather
comes again. How can the appear
Rnce of the doors be improved?
A. Take out the panels by remov-
ing the strips of molding that hold
them in place, and smooth the edges
with sandpaper. Then paint the
edges white. A simpler method Is
to smooth the bare wood that is now
exposed by light sandpapering, then
to apply two thin coats Of white
paint. The finish may not be quite
so good with this second method, but
even so, the appearance Of the doors
will be greatly improved.
Cracking Paint.
@. When we built our home two
years ago we painted the woodwork
ourselves with two coats of fiat
white and one of enamel. In two
months it began to crack, and now
has checks and cracks all over. We
would like to repaint this spring, but
are afraid that the same thing will
happen. How can we prerent it?
A. The paint that you used was
evidently too hard and brittle to
follow the movement of the wooo as
1t dried out and seasoned. In pre-
pairing for repainting, ask the advice
Of the paint manufacturers on the
correct method of thinning paint Of
the first and second coats for the
Kind of wood that Is used.
Attaching Curtain Rods.
@. How can curtain rods be at
tached to cement blocks in base
ment rumpus room?
A. At o hardware store you can
get fiber plugs to be forced into
holes drilled into the concrete by
tool that comes with them. Drilling
the holes is not at all difficult.
Oil Burner Trouble.
O. We have a sheet iron stove on
our third floor, with two 7-inch oil
burners. Once in while there Is an
explosion that blows open the door
of the stove and fills the room with
smoke and SCOT. What could be the
cause?
A. Because of poor draft the vapor
Of tn coil is not carried off. The
stove itself becomes filled with this
mixture of vapor and air, and the
explosion occurs when it becomes
ignited. You should do something
to make the chimney draft stronger
and more positive. Another pos
sible reason may be that the room
itself is so tight that too little air
gets into it around closed doors and
windows to support the combustion
Of the oil. If this Is the case, leav-
ing a door slightly ajar would end
the trouble. A third possibility is
that you are using the wrong grade
Of oil. Check up on this with the
dealer.
Damaged Floor Finish.
Question-When I moved into a
newly decorated apartment many
months ago I placed newspapers
under the rug. These stuck to the
floor and on removal left spots on
the floor finish. How can these be
cleaned off?
Answer-that depends somewhat
on the finish of the floor. If it is
shellac, wipe with denatured alco-
hol, following with thin coat Of
white shellac. If the finish is var
nish, try wiping with turpentine.
Redecoration.
Question We are redecorating
our house. Before papering, we
should like to know what to do with
walls that are now enameled, and
with walls and ceilings treated with
a variety of varnish. These ceilings
show many large patches. In re-
painting, what should be done so
that the patches can be concealed?
Which is best for new plaster: oil
paint, calcimine or casein paint?
Answer - Before repapering over
enamel or varnish, you should use
coarse sandpaper, so that the wall
paper paste will strike through and
make a good bond, Before repaint-
ing, all glossiness should be dulled
by sandpapering. The new paint
will undoubtedly hide the patches.
The lime in new plaster will be in
furious to paint oils, but will have
no effect on casein paint or on
calcimine. My own preference would
be for casein paint.
Soap Making.
Where can I get in
formation on making soap at home?
Answer-Inquire of the Depart
ment of Agriculture of your State.
You can also find books on the sub
ject in your public library. Old
time cookbooks have full informa-
ton.
Eff1orescence.
Question-How can I get rid of
the white, powdery mass that forms
on the outside of my brick house?
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