Evening star., 1942-05-09
First Aid
For the
|Aiing gHouse
BY ROGER b. WHITMAN.

BY ROGER b. WHITMAN.
O. Can felt-back linoleum be used
In place Of wallpaper as q finish for
walls?
A. Linoleum Is an excellent finish
for walls, but it must be of kind
intended for that purpose. Felt
back linoleum will not work be-
cause the felt back is not dense
enough to give the cement a perma-
nent grip on the plaster.
Air-Raid Precautions.
@. I have a two-flat brick house
with brick garage. Is there any
room in particular that would be
advisable to fix up as an AFRAID
shelter for the family? Where can
I get information on this and on
prefabricated air-raid shelters? How
can my roof be protected?
A. All of these questions and many
others are answered in detail in a
pamphlet issued by the British Lii
brary of Information. 80 Rockefeller
plaza. New York, which can be had
for 10 cents The title OF the
pamphlet is: Air Raids. What You
Must Know and What You Must
Do" The library issues another
pamphlet called Shelter at Home"
covering the making of an afraid
shelter in the house. This also can
be had for 10 cents.
Cleaner for Upholstery.
O. Can you recommend a cleaner
that would be safe and reliable for
use on striped mohair living room
suite?
A. You can use soap jelly Make
It by soaking cup of any high
quality mild soap flakes in five cups
of water The jelly forms as the
flakes dissolve. Beat a portion of
the jelly in a mixing bowl with an
egg beater, which will raise thick
and dry suds. Apply to the fabric
with soft brush in an area a foot
or SO across. The suds will loosen
the dirt, which can then be taken
off with a cloth damp with clear
water. Shampoo materials can also
be had at department store.
Dusty Floor.
@. NY living room is over the
heater room of the cellar. Its floor
is double. The subfloor is badly
laid, has wide cracks; the flooring
on top If it is pine and shrinks
badly when the heat is on. There
Is no paper between, and dust from
the cellar comes through the floor
ing in such quantities that we have
to spray the coal with water every
night to keep down the dust. The
pipes along the cellar ceiling prevent
putting in duStproof finish. What
could be done?
A. Using a filler in the cracks
would be only temporary, for it
would fall out with the swelling and
shrinking Of the wood. It seems to
me that your best move will be to
cover your living room floor with
llnoleum. cemented down over felt.
This should make the floor perma-
nently dustproof at the least pos
sible expense.
Leak In a Boiler.
@. I have a hot-water heating
plant about 7 years old. Last year
! had an oil burner installed and
1t operated satisfactorily all winter
until recently. A small leak has
now developed on the side of the
boiler near the bottom. Can this
be welded or brazed?
A. Yes, it can be welded. Or YOU
may be able to repair the leak with
iron cement. Your local hardware
dealer should be able to supply you
with the proper grade.
Rough -Textured Walls.
Q. Our one-family house has a
couple Of rooms with rough -textured
plastic paint on the walls. NV wife
would like to have the walls
smoothed. What is good way to
do that?
A. Remove the toughest part of
the surface by rubbing with coarse
sandpaper wrapped around a block
OF wood. Light depressions that
remain can be filled with a mixture
Of glue size thickened with whiting.
The surface can be made smooth
with a trowel or with q rubber
squeegee Of the kind used by window
cleaners.
Noise Between Rooms.
Q. have a mean problem: Two
bedrooms with a connecting door.
In one bedroom two people sleep
and one person in the other 1t
seems that no matter how low the
two people think they are talking
1t disturbs the person in the other
room. What can be done with that
door to deaden sound?
A. presume the door is not used
II so much of the sound can be cut
down by mailing a sheet Of insulating
wallboard on both sides of the door
frame.
Rough Farm Road.
@. have q road leading up to
my farm that is about three
tenths of a mile long, all upgrade
and about feet wide 1t is of gravel
and deeply rutted from previous
traffic and now has a high crown
which makes travel difficult. would
like your opinion on the best and
cheapest way to put the road in
condition.
A. The road should be leveled OF
and made smooth. In some COM
munities you can get road con-
tractor with road equipment who
could do this work properly and
quickly. After smoothing the road
an asphalt binder should be put
over the gravel Your local road
commissioner can give you the
names of road contractors and
makers Of asphalt binders.
'Linoleum" Rug.
Q Is there any particular method
~ r,ickinn 1n an ailclnth linale1ir,,