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Show I FIRST-AID I AILING HOUSE IIMIIIW ! I I I III "I by Roger B. Whitman Roger B. Whitman WNU Features. Too may not be able to replace worn or broken household equipment. This is war. Government priorities come iirst. So take care of what you have ... as well as you possibly can. This column by the homeowner's friend tells you how. Painting Fire Escapes Question: I have large fire escape platforms which we use as porches on my three-family brick house. I have to paint them, but the paint chips easily. Last year I gave them a coat of best bridge paint and then a coat of best outdoor green paint. In no time rust began to show. What can I use that will last? Answer: Paint is aot to chip if the metal has many coats of paint on it. If this is the case, remove the paint down to the bare 'metal. This can be done by burning with a blowtorch. When the metal is clean and free of rust, apply a coat of good quality red lead; allowing at least a week for thorough drying. Finish with two coats of top quality qual-ity floor paint, the kind used for porches. If you are not familiar with the use of a blowtorch, get someone with experience to do this part of the job. Oil Burner Finish Question: An oil burner used in a living-room has a dark brown, rough finish, and always looks dusty. What kind of paint can I use on it that will be glossy and not so much of a dust catcher? , Answer: There are not many kinds of paint that withstand the heat of an oil burner. Aluminum paint will do it, but because of the priorities, it may be difficult to obtain. ob-tain. Another is the black finish that is used on boilers. Whatever you use, the first step must be the thorough thor-ough cleaning of the surface with something that will take off the remains re-mains of the finish: a solution ol three pounds of washing soda in a gallon of water, for an example, followed fol-lowed by thorough rinsing. Wherever there are doors children will swing on them, hence the sag. Photo demonstrates the method of plying the screwdriver in taking the sag out of a door. Noise Between Rooms Question: I have a mean problem: prob-lem: Two bedrooms with a connecting connect-ing door. In one bedroom two people peo-ple sleep, and one person in the other. oth-er. It seems that no matter how low the two people think they are talking it disturbs the person in the other room. What can be done with that door to deaden sound? Answer: I presume the door is not used. If so, much of the sound can be cut down by nailing a sheet of insulating wallboard on both sides of the door frame. Sticky Varnish Question: A year ago I put two coats of varnish on my linoleum, but it has not dried, and has turned a dark color. How can I get it off? Answer: Any varnish remover that you use would eat into the linoleum lino-leum and destroy it. The safest way to take out the varnish, although it is tiresome would be with fine steel wool, moistened with turpentine. The reason why the varnish did not dry is probably because wax in the linoleum was not first removed. Dry Well Backs Up Question: In our cellar floor we have an opening which drains into a dry well. After heavy rains this sometimes backs up into the cellar. What would you suggest to overcome over-come this trouble? Answer: If the drain is not vitally vital-ly necessary, fill the hole with concrete. con-crete. Or you could install a backup back-up sewer valve in the drain line. Your plumber can supply this. Worm Holes Question: Are so-called worm holes in woodwork actually made by a worm, or are they the work of an insect? Answer: The most usual culprit is the powderpost beetle; eggs laid on the surface turn into worms that work into the wood. Later these worms develop into beetles, which eat their way out and make the holes in doing so. |
