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Show FIRST-AID AILING HOUSE by Roger B. Whitman (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) Rough Conerete Fluor. A CONCRETE floor of a cellar is usually laid with no special smoothing of the surface, and may j be too rough for dancing. One way 1 to smooth it is to have it ground down with a floor machine, such as is used for finishing terrazzo floor. The job can be done by a flooring contractor at no great cost; his only charge will be for time. It is sometimes some-times thought that the same effect can be had by laying a surface of concrete over the old floor. This is possibly only under certain conditions, condi-tions, however. Concrete is not sticky, and a new layer will not bond on top of an old one without making special preparation. To secure se-cure a bond between the two, the surface of the old concrete must be roughened by gouging with a cold chisel or a pointed hammer. New concrete in hardening will then become be-come attached to the old, and the two will become practically one. Before Be-fore laying the new concrete, the old floor must be thoroughly soaked, with water, and as soon as the surfacing sur-facing hardens, it must be wet with water and kept wet for several days. This can be done by covering it with a layer of sand, or with old burlap bags that are frequently sprinkled. In this continued dampness damp-ness the cement will "cure" and attain at-tain full density, whereas if it dries out too quickly the coating will be soft and powdery. Drying Out a Cellar. Being in contact with the earth, the walls and floor of a cellar will remain at about the same unchanging unchang-ing temperature. In humid weather the masonry will be cooler than the air, and condensation will take place on it as warm and damp air is chilled by the contact Condensation Condensa-tion will often be so heavy that pools of water may collect on the floor. This can sometimes be overcome over-come by running a low fire in the heater. Another method is ventilation. ventila-tion. For this, opening the cellar windows may not serve, for being In the upper parts of the walls, drafts through them do not disturb the mass of damp air lying on the floor. To get the air circulation that is needed, an electric fan can be placed at one end of the cellar, blowing along the floor toward open windows at the other end. This should be done on dry days. In humid hu-mid weather, and at night, cellar windows should be kept closed to keep out damp air. Calcium chloride is excellent for the drying of cellar dampness due to condensation, using it according to the method that I described in this column recently. House Insulation. Question: My attic is open, and has no floor; entrance is through a trap-door. If I put rock wool between be-tween the rafters, what would happen should the roof leak? How can it be kept from absorbing moisture from the house air? Should the attic be ventilated? If I cut holes in the ceilings ceil-ings of the rooms below, would heat pass to the attic and make the rooms cooler? Answer: For an open attic insulation insula-tion is best placed between the floor beams. Rock wool should be laid in four inches thick covered with paper to keep out dust There should be louvres or windows in the attic walls for continuous ventilation all summer. sum-mer. Holes in the ceilings would not be practical. Bulged Glass Panels. Question: I have a number of art glass panels in doors and windows that have become bulged. Can they be flattened without removing them from the frames? Answer: Vnu will Drobablv find that the panels will come out without with-out difficulty, which would be the best thing to do. If you cut boards the sizes of the panels and put one on each side, it might be possible possi-ble to flatten the glass by applying pressure. The lead Joints between the pieces of glass should be soft enough to allow for forcing them back into position. Termites. Question: We have found termites in our house, and are at a loss what to do. What can you suggest? Answer: There is far more to be said about termite control than I have room for in this column. Write for information to the U. S. department of agriculture, Washington, Washing-ton, and to the department of agriculture agri-culture of your own state. Clothes Moths. A careful housewife should not overlook the fact that while moths are at their worst in spring time, there is likely to be a second crop during the late summer. For this reason, wool clothes and furs that have been stored should be checked over and more moth crystals and moth flakes should be added to make up for evaporation. |