Floor Culture

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 669, 22 May 1929, Page 15

Floor Culture

Improve Suiface by Proper Treatment USEFUL HINTS Every floor, whether laid in timber ranging from costly oak or parquetry, to cheap white pin«. can be improved in appearance if pro perly taken care of ana correct y treated. It is seldom, nowadays, that the whole floor space of a room is covered from wall to wall with carpet or lmoeum, the usual method being to stain md varnish, or stain and polish, the vhole floor, and put down rugs, or, alternatively, to leave a wood surround with a square of carpet in the centre. In the case of a room which has been newly floored, or has a surround of parquetry or hardwood, such as oak or teak, the problem of treating and keeping such in good condition is simple, these floors being treated as follow: All dust should first be removed with a hard brush and the timber then given two coats of raw linseed oil. After the latter is dry, the floor is next polished with a mixture of beeswax and turpentine made up to tlie consistency of a thick cream, this composition being well rubbed into the wood until a good gloss is obtained. A floor finished in this manner only requires an occasional polish with the beeswax and turpentine, and going over daily with a mop to keep it m good condition. In treating a floor or surroimd where the flooring is new and the joints are not showing signs of opening, the boards are first washed and scrubbec and allowed to dry thoroughly, then just previous to the stain being ap plied, the floor is gone over with £ dry duster and all the dust removed Two coats of spirit stain —not a mix ture of stain and varnish —to the de sired colour, are then put on with £ soft brush or pad, the second coa being applied after the first coat i thoroughly dry. The floor can be fin ished with beeswax and turpentine as before described, or given twi coats of clear, hard, copal varnish. Where it is desired to treat an ol' : floor it is necessary first to fill up al j open joints and cracks, fix down an ! loose board and to punch in any prc j truding nail-heads. If the opening ! between the boards are very widi

laths, glued on both sides, should be driven into the joints and planed down level with the existing floor boards. If, however, the joints are only slightly open, the openings may be filled in with putty. The staining and polishing jtrocess may then be proceeded with, as previously mentioned. When a floor has been painted and it is desirable to remove the old paint, previous to re-painting or staining, this is best done by using a paint remover which can be purchased at any: painters’ or ironmongers’ establish- 1 ment. It is always better, in every in- | stance, before commencing to treat a floor, to give the boarding a good rub down with sandpaper, and another im-i

port-ant point to remember is, that if a water stain is preferred to a spirit stain, the boards should be given a coat of size first, as this helps to fill the grain of the wood and prevents the stain from being soaked in too much. —in • Illustrated Carpenter and Builder.”