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Show I FIRST-AID AILING HOUSE by Roger B. Whitman Roger B. Whitman WNU Features. Too may not be able to replace worn or broken household equipment. TUJs m war. Government priorities come first. So take care of what you have . . . well as you possibly can. This column by the homeowner's friend tells you how. HANGING MIRROU Question: How can I make a neat job of putting nails or hooks in a plastered wall, so that I can hang a couple of mirrors? Answer: Nails should not be driven driv-en into plastered walls. To hang your mirrors, holes should be drilled into the plaster, wall plugs or anchors an-chors inserted and screws used. A hardware store can supply you with these articles. If the mirrors are not too large and heavy you can use a sharply pointed nail, especially made for this purpose, which has a hook attached. These can be had in large or small sizes from a hardware hard-ware dealer. If the mirrors are very heavy, it might be better to hang them from the picture molding mold-ing (if there is one), using picture wire or cord. (The wire may be hard to get.) Here is the way one of our readers read-ers runs a screw into a plaster wall: "Mark the position and drill a hole about the size of the screw. Wood putty is then packed into the hole, and after hardening overnight the screw is run into it. This method has held a great deal of weight around my house without any failures. fail-ures. When you move the screws can be taken out, leaving the wall In a neat condition." PAINTING A DOOR Question: I have been attempting attempt-ing a painting job on some of our doors and am making heavy weather weath-er of it The paint does not flow evenly, but streaks and blobs. What ought I to do? Answer: It is almost impossible to paint a door evenly when it is in position; it should be taken oft its hinges and laid flat on boxes or sawhorses at a convenient height for working. When the door is laid flat the paint will flow evenly. Storing Furniture Question: I want to store my, kitchen, living and bedroom furniture. furni-ture. Would it be all right to store: it in an unheated upstairs room? Do you think the coldness would; ruin the finish or warp the furni-; ture? And what effect would thet cold have on the mirror of a vanity? . Answer: Low temperatures will: not harm the furniture, but you should take every precaution against dampness. Before storing the furni-: ture clean and polish it, and then cover with a heavy kraft paper to keep dust off the surfaces. The refrigerator re-frigerator should be cleaned and put away with the door partly open.. Cover the bare metal parts of the! stove with a light oil to prevent' rusting. If the mirror is of good1 quality it will stand up under all conditions. con-ditions. Insulated Hot-Air Ducts Question: The warm-air ducts from our furnace are covered with the usual sheet asbestos. Dust clings to this surface and is very hard to remove. Can this covering be painted, paint-ed, to give a hard surface that can be cleaned easily? Answer: Asbestos insulating materials ma-terials are very porous and, because be-cause of this, are difficult to paint. The following method will be fairly successful: After brushing off the dust, apply a thin coat of shellac (if you can get it), thinned half-and-half with denatured alcohol. When dry, finish with a coat of brushing lacquer. If lacquer cannot be obtained, apply a coat of flat paint followed by a coat of quick-drying quick-drying enameL Spots on Linoleum Question: How can I remove spots from my linoleum floor? Neither soap nor kitchen cleaners have any effect upon them. They seem to form under chair and table legs. The linoleum has been waxed. Answer: Try rubbing gently with turpentine and very fine steel wooL Then, when spots have been removed, re-moved, touch up with a little paste wax, allow to dry hard and then polish. Touch-Up on Chairs Question: My black enameled chairs are chipped off in a few spots to the bare wood, and also are slightly smeared with white paint How can I touch up these places without damaging the undercoating? Answer: Rub the chipped spots with fine steel wool; wipe with benzine, ben-zine, being careful of fire, and then touch up with matching enamel, building up the chipped area to the surrounding level. Then wipe with turpentine. If the finish is dulled rub with a little paste wax. |
