A SHABBY HOUSE

Evening Star, Issue 21580, 28 November 1933, Page 2

A SHABBY HOUSE

RENOVATION WITH PAINT IMPORTANCE OF APPEARANCE The world has a habit of judging by appearances. It looks with disdain at frayed cuffs and shabby houses, while it bows, in smiling obeisance, to the hallmarks of prosperity. To look successful you may have to turn your cuffs. Perhaps you may even have to borrow money to keep your house W'ell cared for, but if you appear to be prospering you will be well repaid for your effort, for the world will bring its favours •to your door. There is, somewhere in your neighbourhood. a delightful house with a serene personality, due to its colourful tiled roof, its well-painted walls, and gleaming shutters. As you look at it you have the feeling that charming people live in it—orderly people, people you will like knowing, upon whom fortune is smiling. There is another house in the neighbourhood with neglected looking shutters and paint cracking on the woodwork. Without stopping to analyse the reason you have formed an unfavourable impression of its occupants. You are certain without seeing them that they are negative and dull, unprogressive. unsuccessful. It is only hui»an to judge by outward appearances.

UNWISE THRIFT

Thrift has become such a popular virtue at the moment’ that many of us are inclined to lean over backwards in our efforts to be frugal. Now financial prudence is a fine thing when it does not include the unnecessary wearing of shabby clothes and living in shabby houses. It is not thrift to. neglect the appearance of our homes. Indeed, there is no sounder form of investment these days, no better way of making our pounds and shillings work for us. than by beautifying and protecting our homes. Even if we have not enough money in the bank to pay outright for such renovation, it is wisdom to borrow from our banker or a building society to make the improvement of our homes possible. Painting must not be looked on as an expense. It is an investment. Without the necessary periodical painting a house will quickly deteriorate until the decline in its value exceeds the cost of several repaintings. Of the greatest importance, of course, is the selection of skilled workmen and good quality paint. When you give your painter a job you naturally want to secure the lowest figure possible on the work. That is only good business. CHEAP JOBS MAY BE COSTLY. Hut be sure that you do not ask him to use a cheaper grade of paint in order to reduce the costs for you. Although an inferior product may cost less a gallon, that paint will inevitably cost more a square foot. Cheap paint—that is, paint that is cheap because of inferior manufacture and ingredients—covers less surface, fails to protect the wood or other structural material adequately, and does not last. When it is considered that the cost of application is considerably greater than the cost of the paint itself, that the use of cheap paint may require twice the labour for application, and that godo paint lasts from three to five years where two may be the maximum for a poor product, the fallacy of cheap paint must be apparent. Another thing—do not rush your painter. Every coat should be allowed to dry thoroughly before the next is applied. Nor is it wise to be stingy with the paint. One coat is seldom enough. Two coats should always be used, and three will ensure a bettor finish.

Many do not realise that stucco houses can be painted 1o advantage. Or perhaps yours is t an old brick house that looks down-at-heel, or is stained in places by white efflorescing salts. Do you happen to know that some of the old building bricks absorb up to ]8 per cent, of water? Many old glooiny-looking brick houses are now being J -’""formed by the application of light cream or tan-coloured paints with white trim, with a touch of strong, bright colour on the window frames and shutters.

Faint, of. course, is the original foundation of youth as far as our homes arc concerned. The power of paint to protect and to beautify cannot be denied. And. remember, springtime is painting time.