The Omaha guide., 1942-03-28
TFIRST-AID'
to the
AILING HOUSE
By ROGER 3. WHITMAN
Roger B. whitman-wNU Service.

RECOMMENDING OLD SURFACES
"A N UNEVEN concrete floor can
"A not be smoothed by the simple
process of spreading new concrete
on top. for the eason that concrete
is not sticky and that the new will
not adhere to the old surface. The
usual process is to hack and gouge
the old surface with a pointed ham,
mer or cold chisel to provide rough
nesses around which the new con-
crete can harden, and so form a
bond. This may be a long and tedi-
GUS job. One of my correspondents
describes a method that he has used
with success and that simplifies
matters. He treats the old concrete
with a mixture of l part muriatic
acid and 4 parts of water. After a
few minutes the acid win eat into
the old concrete and roughen the
surface sufficiently to permit the
new concrete to bond to the old. He
says that this works even when the
edges of the new concrete are as
thin as feathers. The process
must be used with great care, how
ever, because of the corrosive quail
ties Of the acid. In the first place,
rubber boots, rubber gloves and old
clothes should be worn. In making
the mixture the acid should be
poured slowly into the water with
constant stirring, for otherwise it
would spatter. 1t is left in contact
with the old concrete for only a few
minutes, and is then flushed off with
plenty of water. A very thin layer Of
cement is scattered on the wet con-
crete, followed by a mixture of one
part cement and / to 2h parts of
sand. The new surface should be
kept wet for three or four days in
order to gain harness and full dem
sity. In applying the acid solution
the greatest care should be taken to
protect the skin, and anything else
that might be injured by it.
Paint on Bricks.
Question: In my home there is a
very old fireplace, and back of it a
brick oven. The bricks are the soft
pink variety, but previous owners
have given them several coats Of
paint. Most of this 1 have taken off
with a paint remover and putty
knife, with %turpentine and muriatic
acid. The gray first coat remains in
the indentations of the bricks. How
can l get it out?
Answer: One way would be to
use a gasoline ~blowtorch, which
would turn the remaining paint into
a powder with no strength. A stiff
brush should take it out of the in
dentations. If there is nearby
woodwork, the %blowtorch, of course,
must be used with very great a
One-Flue Chimney.
Question: My chimney is built of
blocks, with a terra Gotta lining. l
have a hot air furnace in the cellar
and would like to have a stove in
my kitchen Would a hole in the
chimney for a stovepipe be a fire
hazard? The kitchen is finished
with plasterboard. Is this nor in
f1ammable than lath and plaster?
Answer: If there is only one fue
in the chimney. connecting a Sec
ond fire to it would impair the draft
and neither your furnace nor your
kitchen stove would burn properly.
Every fire should have its own flue.
Plasterboard is considered to be less
infammable than plaster on wood
lath.
Sticking Door.
Question: My heavy front door
cannot be tightly closed without
slamming, which is hard on the
ears. AS a result of the slamming
one of the panels is cracked. How
about a quiet closing?
Answer: The door frame is out
Of square with the door, possibly
from the settlement of the house, in
which case the edges of the door
that rub against the frame should be
planed to fit. Possibly the top hinge
is loose, so that the door says. Tight
ening the screws should help this.
When properly fitted a door should
be closed tightly without any of the
edges striking the frame.
Roots in Sewer.
Question: Please repeat what you
said some time ago on clearing tree
roots out of sewer pipes.
Answer: The surest method is
with an electric pipe-cleaner. All
localities now have operators own
ing a machine of this kind, which
cuts the roots SO that they are car
ried through to the end. Tree roots
in a sewer can be killed by dissolv-
ing a half-pound or more of copper
sulphate-blue vitriol-in a plumb
ing fixture and letting it drain into
the pipe.
Cracks in Walls.
Question: There r cracks in the
tongue-and-groove board walls of
our enclosed porch. Putty put in
them lasts only a short time. Could
plasterboard be nailed on? Would
it stand the weather?
Answer: In an enclosed porch the
plasterboard would not be exposed
to extremes of weather. and should
give good service. especially if
painted.
Cleaning Feathers.
Question: How can feather bed
ding be cleaned and renovated? Will
this take away their luffiness?
Answer: You will find that all
modern laundries are equipped to
do that job. Whether or not the
feathers will fatten depends on their
quality. Feathers of high grade will
have their springiness improved, if