Evening star., 1953-07-04
By Roger c. Whitmon

Question: My back door faces
east and has no protection
against the elements. conse-
Quently In the rainy season and
extreme dampish weather 1t
swells and warps. How can I pre-
vent this condition?
Answer: Evidently the door is
not completely coated with paint
or varnish to prevent the pene-
tration of moisture. It is very
Important that all edges. top,
bottom, and sides are well
coated. If the door Is painted,
before applying new paint, put
on two coats Of good quality
aluminium paint then apply the
finish coats.
Storm Door.
Question: In the spring Of the
year We installed a od-framed
storm door which was cut to 1it
and was then painted. In a short
time the door had to be shaved
down because the door would
not close properly. The door
needs to be shaved again. I am
afraid If we keep on shaving
the door we just won't have one.
Can you help me?
Answer: Evidently the door
was not properly painted. par
ticularly around the edges. After
the door has been shaved down
and the wood allowed to dry out
thoroughly. coat all of the door.
particularly the top and bottom
edges, with aluminium paint,
then finish with any good out
side paint.
Powder Forms on Brick.
Question: We just bought
new brick home. A white powder
formed on the surfaces during
last winter. It gives the brick
a white, frosty appearance. Is
there anything that can be done
to correct this condition?
Answer: In many instances
this eff1oreScence that appears in
new brickwork can be brushed
of with q steel wire brush. Then
to prevent q recurrence, an ap-
plication Of q colorless water
proof1ng compound containing
silicon Is generally sufficient.
However, if wire brushing does
not remove the mineral salts
from the surface of the brick,
make solution by mixing / part
muriatic acid in 10 parts of
water. Use a wooden container
to hold the solution. First wet
the brick with clear water, then
apply a liberal quantity of the
muriatic acid solution. After
two or three minutes scrub with
more of the liquid, using a fiber
brush for the purpose.
Rinse well with plenty of clear
water. Since this chemical is
highly corrosive, wear rubber
gloves, old clothing and goggles
to protect the eyes. The above
suggestion about waterproofing
should be followed afterward.
Roofing Canvas Advised.
Question: I wish to build a
garage roof that can be used as
a sun deck. It should be fiat and
yet waterproof. I know this can
be accomplished with a built-up
roof consisting of layers of tar
paper and tar, but this is not
satisfactory because in summer
the surfaces becomes soft. I
would like to keep porch furni-
ture on the roof and be able to
walk on it. Do you know of any
type of roofing suitable for the
purpose?
Answer: The roof can be
covered with roofing canvas. This
is a specially woven and treated
fabric made especially for the
purpose. Dealers of canvas prod
ucts in the larger cities could
supply this as well as the de-
tailed instruction sheets for the
installation of same.
L0OSened Wallpaper.
Question: My wallpaper is
coming loose at the seams. There
is only one layer of paper. 1t
has been coated with a resin
emulsion paint. How can I re-
seal these seams?
Answer: Since the wallpaper
has been painted, it may be diff
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