pao ti j ae in te iiss Sasa aise f. RIESE et pane che sieaibests Tabet THE MAGAZINE FOR EVERY AMATEUR CARPENTER, BUILDER, | OB WORKER IN ANY BRANCH OF THE CONSTRUCTIVE =| AND DECORATIVE ARTS. Pa eae Price One Penny Weekly, or Sixpence Monthly. AMATEUR WORK, ILLUSTRATED. A Magazine of Practical Instruction in all kinds of Constructive and Decorative Art ard Manual Labour. ' AMATEUR WORK, ILLUSTRATED, is a Practical Magazine devoted to the exposition, 7x plain and clear language, elucidated and explained by 2! aa Dlustrations, Diagrams, and Working Drawings; of all pursuits and different kinds of work, by which a man can beautify his Home ; add to the pleasure, personal comfort, well-being, and health of its inmates, and save his own pocket in a variety of ways. It is highly desirable to point out that AMATEUR WORK, ILLUSTRATED is essentially a Magazine conducive to Economy, Thrift, and Self-Help at. Home, in that, by means of the Instructions and Directions given in its pages, both by text and illustrations, anyone who is inclined to think a little, and can use his hands, may execute for himself much work that he would otherwise have to pay for, or go without if he be so poor as to lack the means of purchasing labour. More than this, it isa Magazine that is absolutely wnigue, being the only Magazine published in any part of the world that shows Amateur Workmen What to Do and How to Do it in the easiest possible way—a Magazine written by mateurs for Amateurs, embodying information arrived at, ahd results worked out from preliminary failures, perhaps, to ultimate success. Specimen Copy, post free, 14d. Prospectus sent on application. RAW "cs THE NEW AMERICAN HUMOURIST. WORKS BY MARIETTA E. HOLLEY. | A new humourist who writes under the signature of “ Josiah Allen’s Wife ” has arisen in America. Her works have sold enormously, and the run upon them is i phenomenal. Her fun is sparkling “and sunny; her humour, which is strangely Wie Llended with pathos, crisp, delightful, and dry, and utterly untainted by any tinge of ae coarseness or irreverence. Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, price 28. each, t. SWEET CICELY. With too Illustrations. 2, MY OPINIONS AND BETSY BOBBETS. With 50 Illustrations. . 3. SAMANTHA AMONG THE: BRETHREN. With too Illustrations. 4. JOSIAH ALLEN'S WIFE. With 88 Illustrations. 5. MY WAYWARD PARDNER. With 130 Ilus- trations. ** Books full of quaint humour, shrewd common sense, and wholesome teaching Full of amusing episodes and digressions.’—SHEFFIELD INDEPENDENT, WARD, LOCK,.BOWDEN & Co., London, New York, & Melbourne. ? | Written by skilled hands belonging to both classes of workmen, and produced under | the superintendence of one whose name is now well known in every part of the world, ih de Pak Raweop NEW SHILLING SERIES OF PRACTICAL HANDBOOKS. |THE AMATEURS? PRACTICAL AID SERIES IN SCIENCE, ART, AND HANDICRAFT. EDITED BY FRANCIS CHILTON-YOUNG Author of ** Every Man His Own MEcuHanic.” ers Crown 8vo, strongly bound in Cloth, 1s per Volume. Copiously Illustrated. THE PRESENT SERIES OF PRACTICAL VOLUMES, will, it is hoped, be welcomed by both Amateur and Professional Workmen. : It is not for a moment sought to pretend that these volumes are text-books commencing with the Alpha and proceeding to the Omega of any trade on which they treat, and conveying a progressive series of instructions in its mysteries from beginning to end. They are byways rather than highways of teaching, and, dealing | only with parts and portions of various sciences, arts, and handicrafts, are to be taken | as ancillary to ordinary text-bocks, putting the reader in possession of many a | wrinkle which he would certainly fail to find in the latter. Much, indeed most, of the _ matter has appeared before in the pages of AMATEUR WORK, but ‘it has been thoug ht desirable to place the best of the information stored in ite pages at the disposal of the public in the present handy and readily available form. The Volumes will be issued at intervals of two months. As time goes on, other Volumes will follow on subjects each and all of which possess special interest for the | Amateur workman. THE FIRST VOLUME OF WARD & LOCK’S AMATEURS’ PRACTICAL AID SERIES 18 Carpentry for River & Garden * IN TWO PARTS, ‘NAMELY : ” Part” /,—Boat Building Made Easy. Part /1.—Rustic Carpentry. Illustrated with NUMEROUS DIAGRAMS AND ENGRAVINGS. THE SECOND VOLUME OF WARD & LOCK’S AMATEURS’ PRACTICAL AID SERIES 18 Mechanical Work in Garden and Greenhouse. IN THREE PARTS, NAMELY: Part 1.—Geometry for Gardeners. Part [1,—Sun-Dials and Dratines Part //l—Greenhouse Building and Heating. Illustrated with NUMEROUS DIAGRAMS AND ENGRAVINGS. oak THIRD VOLUME OF WARD & LOCK’S AMATEURS’ PRACTICAL AID SERIES 18 “Ornamental Carpentry. IN THREE PARTS, NAMELY: Part 1.—Wood Carving for Amateurs. Part [l.—Decorative Carpentry. Part Ill. —Ornamental Lattice-Work. _ Ilustrated with ORIGINAL DESIGNS AND WORKING DRAWINGS. | Warp, LOCK & BOWDEN, Limited, Warwick House, Salisbury 8q,, London, E.C. 7s NEW YORK AND MELBOURNE, And at all Booksellers’ and Railway Bookstalls, oe IMPORTANT NOTICE TO AMATEUR MECHANICS, Twenty Pages of Valuable Information FOR ONE patiently WE EKLY. AMATEUR WORK, Mlustrated. The Well-known Magazine of Constructive Art and Manual Labour. The Only Magazine written for Amateurs by Amateurs. Always Practical and always Instructive. The Favourite with Home Workers. First and Best of its kind. A GUIDE FOR THE AMATEUR ARTISAN, AND THE TRUE FRIEND TO HOME WORKERS. Showing him in a way that he cannot fail to understand— . What is to be Done. 5. With what it should be Done. 2. How it is to be Done. 6. Who supplies the needful | 3. When it ought to be Done. Materials. 4. Where it should be Done. 7. Who furnishes the necessary Tools, Practical instruction is given on a variety of subjects, RANGING FR@M ADVANCED ARTS TO SIMPLE MANUFACTURES AND PROCESSES— of course, suitable to, and within the compass of the powers and ability of the Amateur, for whose requirements this Magazine was specially instituted. YOU SHOULD BECOME A SUBSCRIBER TO “AMATEUR WORK,” BECAUSE It will help you to improve your surroundings. It will suggest occupation for your leisure hours. It is sure to far more than repay you. COE SPT RES RE ED EY PRICE ONE PENNY PER WEEK. WARD, LOCK & BOWDEN, Limited, Warwick House, Salisbury Sq., London, E.¢. And of all Booksellers and Newsagents, and at the Railway Bookstalls. ———— WARD, LOCK & BOWDEN’S AMATEURS’ PRACTICAL AID SERIES. DECORATIVE WORK FOR HOUSE anp HOME. IN THREE PARTS. Part I. Part IT. House Painting and Papering. | Stencilled Decoration for Walls. By GEORGE EDWINSON. By L. L. STOKES, Part ITI. Floot Staining and Decoration. By MARK MALLET, Mlustrated with Numerous Explanatory Sketches and Diagrams. EDITED BY FRANCIS CHILTON-YOUNG, Author of “Every Man His Own Mecuanic,” ‘‘ THE House AND ITS FURNITURE,” aud Editor of ‘‘ AMATEUR Work,” First Series of Seven Volumes. LONDON: “WARD, LOCK & BOWDEN, LImMITED, WARWICK HOUSE, SALISBURY SQUARE, E.C. _ ~~ NEW YORK! EAST TWELFTH STREET. MELBOURNE: ST. JAMES’S STREET. ; 1393. All rights reserved. 2 PREFACE, x NE’S home is just what one makes it.” This may be a truism, trite and threadbare, and, to use a familiar mode of expression, worn to the bone; but, nevertheless, it will bear repeating again,-and doubtless will be repeated by many others besides myself to the end of time. The state of a man’s home, and a woman’s home too, is as sure an index to what they are as a man’s friends and a woman’s friends too are a key to their character and general habits. There is no rule, it is said, without an exception, and force of circumstances may sometimes tend to alter the case; but rules, again, are proved by exceptions, and when decent people are found in a badly ordered home, it is in all probability through illness and lack of bodily strength to put things to rights that an untoward condition of the home has been brought about. Given bodily strength to work ; time, even though it be in spare half hours that are few and far between ; a few shillings to provide the needful materials, and a strong will to do what is necessary, it is hard to say to what pitch of cleanliness, neatness, and order the home may be brought by resolute and hard-working men and women. Further, it is to help all such as these to master the details of what should and ought and must be done to make a house not only clean and decent in every particular, but even | - beautiful and attractive in its appearance from basement to attic, that Mr. GEORGE EDWINSON has written and given to the people at large the instructions and directions on “‘ HOUSE PAINTING AND PAPERING” that are to be found in-this, the fourth volume of Ward, Lock & Bowden’s “AMATEURS’ PRACTICAL AID SERIES.” It is a fundamental maxim of English law that “Ignorance of the V PREFACE. Law excuseth no man,” although no man by any possibility what- ever can have law on the brain to such an extent as to be aware of and conversant with even the titles of a thousandth part of the Acts of Parliament by which English life is bound and fettered, much less to know and understand the meaning and tendency of them. And yet our legislature is ever in the throes of parturition, and session after session sees fresh additions to the incompre- hensible and unfathomable mass. The same, however, cannot be said of the way to keep a house up to date, and how to do it, for everything that it is needful to know is computed within the covers of this little book, so that it may be said far more truly of its contents that of the countless items that go to make up English law and jurisprudence, that “Ignorance of House Painting and Papering excuseth no man.” And here the term man, as in Acts of Parliament, includes the woman. And when all has been done that may be done to ceilings, walls and wood-work, even to ‘‘ STENCILLED DECORATION FOR WALLS,” which Mr. L. L. STOKES has described for the guidance of those who may prefer colouring in distemper and ornamenting the sur- face of the walls with stencil work instead of covering them with wall paper, the occupant of any dwelling may, if he will, turn to and decorate his floors under the instruction of Mr. Mark Mallet, whose facile pen and pencil set in action by his marvellous ingen- uity has enabled him to prove himself one of the most valuable friends that amateur workmen possess. And that I am in-no way guilty of exaggeration in asserting this, I need only point to his chapters on “ Floor Staining and Decoration,” which form Part I11. of this volume. — ; v1 CONTENTS. PART 1 HOUSE PAINTING AND PAPERING. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY—TOOLS AND APPLIANCES . . . see Fae CHAPTER II. CLEARCOLING—WHITEWASHING —PRIMING WoopworkK —PuwrtT- TING IN NEw SASH-LINE—STOPPING CHAPTER III. ITINTs FOR COUNTRY READERS—FINISH OIL COLOURS FOR SERVANTS’ BEDROOMS, ETC. . CHAPTER IV. -PAPER-HANGING: How TO DO IT f ; : : . : al CHAPTER V. TREATMENT OF STAIRCASES AND HALLS . a ‘ : : ; CHAPTER VI TREATMENT OF STAIRCASE, HALL, BEST BEDROOM AND PARLOUR CHAPTER VII. PAGE 21 30 39 51 TREATMENT OF Best Work IN PARLOURS, DINING-ROOM, ETC. (continued )—GRAINING OF DIFFERENT KINDS vil 57 CONTENTS. CHAPTER VIII. FLATTING OR DISTEMPERING WALLS IN COLOUR e ‘ CHAPTER IX. TREATMENT OF KITCHEN, OFFICES, AND OUTSIDE WORK CHAPTER X. HINTS ON FRENCH POLISHING AND SPIRIT VARNISHING . PART -f; es 205 e 71 = SS STENCILLED DECORATION FOR WALLS, ETC. CHAPTER I. PATTERNS, BRUSHES, AND APPLICATION OF STENCIL WORK PAR TAIT FLOOR STAINING AND DECORATION. CHAPTER I. SoME HIINTS ON FLOOR STAINING : i CHAPTER II. A SIMPLE SYSTEM OF FLOOR DECORATION Bi CHAPTER III. ANOTHER METHOD OF DECORATING BOARDED FLOORS Vili . Ss 99 105 AN PART I. HOUSE PAINTING >it oth} {-< PAPERING. we CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY—TOOLS AND APPLIANCES. Intentions and aim of writer—Requirements of small house-owners—Aid from friends—Hints from oil and coloureman—Readers in out-of-the-way places — Theoretical house—Commencement at top of house, and why—First jobs to be done—Care of furniture if left in room—Necessary tools ; distempering brush —Stopping knife and its uses—Rubbing down old paint—Trestles and plank for platform—Easily-made trestles—Protective costume for workman— Washing ceiling: how done—Mode of using brush—Stopping cracks or flaws in ceiling—How to stop cracks—Clearing old paper from walls—Why necessary—Description of process—Removal of nails, etc. ~|N this little handbook on House-painting and Paper- | ing, the writer does not presume to teach those about to enter the profession, nor to improve those already engaged as professional painters. He writes as an amateur painter for his brethren in ear : : 2 - entions out-of-the-way places, his sole aim being to aid them and aim of with hints and instructions in the art, sufficiently clear ee and comprehensive to enable them to lay on a bit of colour in their own homes. To ensure the best practical advice in carrying out this work, he has engaged the services of a practical painter, who will furnish those little wrinkles which go to fill up the measure of success in finishing a job. With the increase of small house-owners, due to the facilities for acquiring house property afforded by building Require- societies to thrifty workmen, there has arisen a gant bouse- demand for a less costly means of keeping houses in OW?€?S: repair than that of engaging the services of professional painters, I HOUSE-PAINTING AND PAPERING. paper-hangers, and decorators to do every little necessary repair. Many such house-owners would gladly employ their leisure hours in improving the appearance of their little properties if they knew how to set about it, the tools and materials they, should employ, and how to use them. In some few cases they are fortunate Aid from enough to be situated, like the writer, within reach of friends. 4 friendly fellow-workman able and willing to render © assistance with advice and the loan of a few tools, but in many others they are far removed from all such means of assistance. Should the reader be able to purchase his materials from an oil - and colour store, the obliging shopman will generally tell him how to mix and lay his colours, and also give him some Hints from . . oiland useful practical hints; but, after all, those assuredly poeeseeee ‘will not he equal to those given in such a bookas this, since they will entail a certain amount of dependence, confession of ignorance, and a liability to be forgotten ; whilst these will render a man, toa certain extent, independent, and be always at hand for reference. There is also another class of readers situated __ in out-of-the-way places, at a distance from oil-shops Readers in : F out-of-the- and friendly assistance, who would be glad to know way places: the names of materials, how to prepare them at home, and how to apply them when thus prepared. It will afford us much pleasure to render them some assistance by telling them how - to buy, what to buy, and how to make use of the material. For the sake of convenience we have assumed the existence of an eight or ten-roomed house, needing renovation and repair Theoretical throughout. This will give us the opportunity of eee: explaining the style of work suited to each part of the house, and to each suite of rooms, whilst it will cover all possible requirements in a smaller house. When to this is added the repair of out-premises, we shall probably meet the wants of all. We will commence at the top of the house if you please, and Commence- deal first with the servant’s bed-rooms, because, by merttca€ so doing, we shall be able to clear off any dirt or mess and why. we may make on the stairs, and leave all clean and bright behind us. The first jobs before us are those of washing the cottaaa stripping, cleaning, and stopping the walls, and cleaning the paint- work, together with repairing defects to doors or windows. We 2 : DISTEMPERING OR WHITEWASH BRUSH. must therefore see to it at first that all furniture is removed out of the room, or fully protected from splashes of white- First jobs wash, water, or paint, for, let a man be ever so careful, * be 2one- some stray splashes will somehow find their way on to any piece of furniture left in the room. We strongly advise the entire removal of furniture where at all possible, but where ane it is not possible to do this the carpet must be taken furniture if up, this and the furniture grouped together in the pers centre of the room, and covered with some washable material, such as brown holland or old sheeting, this will leave the workman free to move around by the walls, and will prevent soiling by moving the furniture while the work is in progress. It will also be ad- visable to move electric bells, and bell pushes, or any other ornamental wood or metal- work, for amateurs will more readily soil these than restore them to their proper condi- tion. To do this, disconnect the wires at the terminal screws of the bell, and take the bell down, also detach the wires from the push fittings, FIG. 1I,—WHITE- WASHING OR DIS- WASHING OR DIS and take them off. Also re- TEMPERING TEMPERING member to remove blinds, BRUSH. BRUSH. blind cords and pulleys, and any other things which are likely to be soiled. - All being now made clear, we will turn our attention to the necessary tools. We shall require at first a déstemper- Necessary ing or whitewash brush (Figs. 1 or 2), cost from 7s. 6d. Pe a, for one made of good hair, down to 5s. 6d. for mixed ‘8 brush. grass and hair, or as low as 3s. 6d. for common grass. This latter class of brush is not at all suitable for ceiling work, being only fit to be used on rough bricks in out-buildings or cellars, and can only _be depended upon for once. The best and higher priced brushes 3 ~~“ ee chsh” ais ghee ede AND PAPERING i will be found most economical in the end, because they will last longer and put on less material witha much superior finish. Grass brushes, and even the mixed brushes, leave unsightly streaks on the ceiling and splutter the distemper about. An old brush will serve our purpose for washing the ceiling and wetting the walls, but we must impress the amateur with the idea that even the wash- ing must be well and thoroughly done to ensure after success, for, dirty streaks, and especially those left from smoked patches will spoil the subsequent coat of whitewash. We shall next require a stopping-knife (Fig. 3), cost from 8d. to rod. It will be seen that this knife is short - and spear shaped, it should also be stiff enough : to form a miniature trowel, and will Stopping ; 5 knife, and thus differ from the palette knife, itsuses. which should be broad, thin and flexible. The use of the stopping-knife is to stop or repair cracks and holes in the plaster or ceiling with a mixture of plaster and whiting, or to stop crevices or holes in wood-work with putty or with a paste made of putty and white lead. When we have to encounter blisters or ugly excrescences on old badly painted work, it Fig. 3. Fig. 4. will be necessary to have a thin chisel-pointed FIG. 3.—STOP- : : ; ‘ PING-KNIFE. ee knife, which will act asa planein yg, 4,—cHISEL- down old _levellingoff all protuberances. The ENDED KNIFEFOR paint. paint will then have to be scoured “Datwrwonk. and rubbed down with pumice stone in water, so a lump or two of this material, costing about 6d., must be included in our list of tools. some of my readers may desire to have instructions | in flatting or distempering walls in colour, instead of decorating them with paper, I herewith give an example and illustration of each method as adapted to the treatment of two such rooms asa pais, ee parlour and library. Fig. 40 shows the treatment for distempering a parlour wall in distemper colour. The cornice is spre picked out with narrow bands of vermilion, separated by broader bands of buff and white. The space between cornice and chair- rail-is tinted a creamy yellow with yellow ochre blended with the distemper. The dado is tinted buff with Oxford ochre, the chair- rail being represented by a stencilled border in Indian red, anda stencilled border of the same colour is placed above the skirting, which, in this case, may be of maple or satinwood parjour in graining, or light wainscot oak. The method of mak- ‘stemper ing up distemper colour has been given in a former chapter. No fixed rule can be given for the quantity of colour required to pro- duce a desired tint, this must be secured by trial, and the propor- tions noted on asmall scale. Those proportions must be multi- plied for the bulk, and allowances must be made for the change of tint in drying—all distemper colours appearing a much lighter tint when dry than when they are wet. Particular attention must also be paid to the mixing and straining of the colour, for it should be free from all colour balls and grit. When walls are to be coloured in distemper, they must receive special and careful preparatory 63 HOUSE PAINTING AND PAPERING. WHITE WHITE BUFF WHITE 3 Saat SH 2d ST RM Fo S baer ae Se SS LIGHT v BROWN = ee tere WHITE (Fete or ree meee oo WHITE - CREAMY YELLOW WARM LIGHT GREEN LIGHT BROWN we OSE \— GE] SS) . EO EOE ale ox | <= <— fo a Ses an A | FIG,40 —PARLOUR WALL IN DISTEMPER, ‘FIG. 41.—LIBRARY WALL IN FLATTED WITH STENCILLED BORDERS AND COLOUR, WITH STENCILLED BORDER GRAINED SKIRTING. AND CORNICE,AND GRAINED SKIRTING. 64 DIVISION OF WALL TO FORM DADO. treatment to make them uniformly smooth and free from spots or flaws. According to a French method, they must be well rubbed down with wooden scrubbers formed of pieces of deal, peers. 4 inches by 7 inches, cut across the grain, kept wet treatment by frequently sponging them with clean water from a Ba pail. The scrubbers are worked in circles all over the wall until the plaster has been rendered quite smooth, it is then well washed and rubbed dry with rags before the walls are clearcoled. The English method of preparing the walls for distemper or flatted work is as follows: Well rub down all rough- — gngtish ness with a piece of coarse glass-paper stretched over ™ethod. a cork scrubber—that is, a broad piece of cork with a level surface —then go over the whole again with a finer glass-paper, then clear- cole the walls with distemper, filling as before directed for ceilings. When this is dry, go over it with the scrubber and fine glass-paper, and finish off to a perfectly smooth surface with powdered pumice on the cork alone. The clearcole should have enough size in it to fill up the minor cracks which could not be cleared out and stopped in the previous stopping process, for it must be understood that walls must be prepared in a similar manner to that directed for ceilings. The temperature of the room must be raised in cold weather to about 60° Fahr. before any attempt can be made Tempera- to lay on the colour, and all windows and doors must *¥¢ of foom. be closed to exclude draught until the walls have been coloured. A good brush is requisite to produce good work, extra care must be taken in laying the colour on smoothly, and no time should be lost in finishing the coat of colour on the walls of one room after the work has commenced. A disregard of these rules will possibly result in a patchy effect disfigured with unsightly streaks showing the track of the brush. Some practice will be needed to make the colour float smoothly over the surface, and this work will test the skill of amateurs. A pencilled line should be drawn with a straight-edge to mark the upper line of the chair-rail, | Separation and this must form the top of the dado. The upper ea -part of the wall must be coloured first, down to this #”4 dado. line, then the dado must be coloured, and when this is dry, the stencilled pattern can be put on over, and the cornice be picked out in colour. 65 HOUSE PAINTING AND PAPERING. fo 3 ie | i ZEN PSPS a ESAS a \ ZT. Sas SS Va ; CASS tN ASAE \ 28 i) ) ‘ - MAKING UP AND LAYING ON COLOUR. Fig. 41 shows a mode of treatment suitable to the walls of a library or study, and is intended for flatted work in turpentine and oil colour. The preparation of the walls to make them moaiment smooth must be the same as for distemper colour, but for library they must be allowed to thoroughly dry before the first ~ Boe coat of oil colour is laid upon them. The first coat should be of whitelead mixed with linseed oil, with a little litharge or patent dryers added, then well strained, and very smoothly applied with a pound brush. This coat will be absorbed by the pores of the plaster, and will partially fill them as it dries and hardens. When this has become dry and hard, rub down the surface smooth with glass-paper, and give it a second coat of whitelead made up with three parts turpentine to one part of oil with a little dryers. This must also be rubbed down when dry, and a third coat given to it of whitelead mixed with linseed oil and a little dryers, and tinted to nearly the full tint of the finishing coat. This is secured in the pre- sent example by tinting the mixed colour with Brunswick green, and adding just enough vermilion to warm up the tint. In making up FIG. 43.—STIPPLING BRUSH. the proof tint, accurately measure the proportions required, and make up the bulk by multiplying the proof proportions. It waking up will be well to make up more than the estimated °0/our. quantity of colour needed to cover the walls of a room, for it will be found difficult to match the first bulk in making up a slight addition should the quantity be deficient. We must also understand that oil colour dries contrary to that of distemper, as it becomes darker in drying. Pay particular attention to straining the colour after it has been mixed and tinted, and it is best laid on with stippling brushes (Fig. 43), Laying on two men being employed in the work—one man doing colour. the upper portion, whilst the other does the lower portion of a wall, and working so as to make their parts blend into each other. The brushes of both must be worked smartly, and frequently drawn across the work so as to prevent perpendicular streaks, whilst the finishing or “ laying-off” strokes should partake of a light dabbing 07 HOUSE PAINTING AND PAPERING. = character, so light as to only allow the tips of the hairs to touch the work. Before this coat has become quite dry and hard, the fourth, or finish, coat of colour should be laid on. This is com- Fourth, or posed of whitelead, mixed with all turpentine, and finish, coat. tinted to the finish colour with just a little oil added, or a small quantity of varnish of a colour and kind to suit the tint, this will assist to float the colour on smoothly and give it a finished appearance. Extra care must, of course, be taken in laying on this coat, and it will be advisable to secure the work at all times from being soiled by dust, by keeping the doors and windows closed until the colours have set. I am aware that in giving directions Flatting for flatted work I have tempted the amateur house- difficult for painter to a difficult task, so will just add that he amateurs. - : aS pees be must not feel discouraged if he fails in giving a pro- fessional finish to his first attempt. In the example given, Fig. 41, the streaks in the cornice can be done in Indian red by hand or by stencil. The chair-rail will also be stencilled in the same tint, of course made up with oil colour, and the skirting can be grained in pollard oak, light walnut, or wainscot oak, to suit the taste. Fig. 42 gives an example of a novel method of treatment for staircases, wherein the dado is made up of strips of paper printed treatment i panels with an ornamental figure in Indian red on for a jasper marble ground. Each strip is printed the Staizeases. width of a stair-“ tread,” and the pattern is cut to rise with each “rise” of the stairs, the top being finished with a printed border, runs along at the same height as the hand-rail of the stair- case. When this is combined with a paper of blocked sienna marble and a stringing of black and gold marble, a most effective and pleasing result is produced. In closing this article on best work in a house, I add a list of List of tints tts which may be produced in oil or distemper for oilsor colours by the following pigments, nearly all of which distemper. c 5 X Bae ° ° may be used with whitelead or with whiting in oil or in distemper. Straw Colour.—Whitelead and massicot in oil,. Whiting and Dutch pink, or chrome yellow in distemper. Lavender, Lilac, and French Greys.—Produced by mixtures of white, blue, or red, according as one or the other predominates in the mixture-with the following: lake and indigo; lake and Prus- 68 LIST OF COLOURS AND TINTS; sian blue ; Indian red and Prussian blue ; vermilion and Prussian blue ; indigo and rose pink. Pearl Grey.—White, black, and Prussian blue. Grey Tints of a Blue Hue.—White and verditer, blue black, . lamp-black, or indigo. | Grey Tints of a Brown Hue.—White, with madder brown and Prussian blue ; or with madder brown, Prussian blue, and ochre ; or with inden red and indigo; or with light red and Prussian blue ; or with burnt sienna, lake and indigo. oon Tints.—White, with mixtures of the following pigments : lake, Prussian blue, yellow ochre ; lake, indigo, yellow ochre ; raw sienna, madder lake, Prussian blue; light red, indigo ; Vandyke brown, lake, indigo ; burnt sienna, indigo ; burnt sienna, lake. Green Tints.—White, with the following mixtures : Italian pink and Antwerp blue; Italian pink and Prussian blue; yellow ochre and indigo ; burnt sienna and indigo ; brown pink and indigo; raw umber and indigo. Pea Green.—White, with French green, Olympian green, or Brunswick green ; or with Prussian blue and chrome yellow. Sage Green.—White, with Prussian blue, and raw umber ; or with Antwerp blue and stone ochre. Olive Green.—White, with raw umber and Prussian blue. Orange Tints.—White, with French yellow, orange lead, Dutch pink ; or with chrome yellow and vermilion. Pink Tints. wee with rose pink, crimson lake, or scarlet lake. Salmon Tint.—White, with Venetian red or vermilion. Peach Tints.——White, with the following mixtures: vermilion, Indian red, and purple brown ; or, vermilion, Indian red, purple brown, and burnt stone ochre. Violet Tint.—White, with vermilion, Prussian blue, and lamp- black. Chocolate.—White, with aos brown, Venetian red, and vegetable black. Sky Blue Tint.—White, with Prussian blue. Flesh Tint.—White, with light red and yellow ochre; or with lake, vermilion, and Naples yellow. Fawn Tint.—White, with burnt sienna; or burnt umber and Venetian red ; or with stone ochre and vermilion. 69 HOUSE PAINTING AND PAPERING. Buf? Tint.—White, with yellow ochre and Venetian red. Cream Colour.—The same, with a great predominance of white. Drab and Stone Colour.—White, with burnt umber, raw umber, yellow ochre; or yellow ochre and lamp-black; or raw umber and lamp-black. Lead Colour.—White, tinged with black; or black and indigo. It must be understood that those pigments are only to be used in small quantities to tinge the body colour of the paint, and that proportions cannot be given with certainty ; the shade must, there- fore, be decided by trial, and by varying the quantities of one or the other of the pigments. Thus flesh tints can be made deep or light, according to the quantity of red pigment put in the body colour, and other tints are altered by increasing or decreasing the prevailing tone. The above list is culled from Davidson’s House Painting, etc., mentioned in a previous chapter. Another list, varying slightly from the above, and other valu- able information in mixing colours,-will be found in Evezy Alan His Own Mechanic, p. 714. i : i ie Uy Hi y ll IMPROVED SMOOi1HING DOWN BRUSH. wo 79 CHAPTER 1X, TREATMENT OF KITCHEN, OFFICES, AND OUTSIDE WORK. Ceilings, walls, etc., of kitchens and basements—How to clean varnished paper—Treatment of sculleries—Re-painting front door—Paint remover, or _ burning tool—Spirit lamp paint remover—Removal of paint by gas flame— Home-made burning tool—Pan and scraper—Front bars and handles— _ Fixing handles—Attachment of wooden handles—How to use burning tool —Good style for front door—Windows and window frames—Colours for outside work—Proportion of dryers—Preparing woodwork of windows— Removal of broken pane of glass—Measuring pane—Cutting glass—Cutting action of diamond—Mode of dividing glass explained—Irregularity in size of window frames—How to reduce size of glass—Colouring putty—Cleaning paint smears, etc., from glass—Painting sashes black—How to paint trellis- work, etc.—Iron or zinc water pipes—Iron work on gates, etc. A,HE treatment of ceilings and walls of kitchens and 1 other basement offices will vary very little from that already given for servants’ bed-rooms. Ceilings must be washed, stopped clearcoled, and whitewashed. Walls stripped, rubbed down, sized, and _ Geitings, papered. Woodwork rubbed down with pumice- (iirc: of stone, stopped, and painted as before directed, >asements. Papers in imitation of oak graining, or the grains of other woods, will look well on a kitchen wall; when the paper is dry it should be coated with two coats of best jellied or parchment size ; and when this is dry the whole should receive one or two coats of pale oak varnish. When thus sized and varnished, it will present a clean polished appearance, which will be retained for several years with ordinary care, since it does not attract nor hold yoo 4, ean the dust, and the surface can be easily cleaned at any varnished time with a clean sponge dipped in weak tea water, wie made by filling up the family tea-pot with water on the old tea leaves. If the woodwork is also grained and varnished, it will . 74 a HOUSE PAINTING AND PAPERING, ee, — add to the general clean appearance, and this also may be cleaned with the weak tea water. Sculleries may be treated in a like manner, but a marbled paper will be suitable here, if a papered wallis chosen. But the best treatment for Treatmentor sculleries is as follows: Well sculleries: wash walls and ceiling, stop all cracks, clearcole both walls and ceiling, and give them a coat of distemper, putting enough blue in the wall distemper to make it grey, or even a pale blue, or put on a stone colour distemper. If a rail runs around by the walls, a good effect will be produced by colouring this purple, brown, or chocolate, and also colour the space beneath to the same tint. Sculleries, pan- tries, larders, closets, and similar offices must be kept sweet and clean, and to this end should be well cleaned and distempered at least once a year. We must now commence on outside work, and for this purpose shall require some extra tools. We will suppose, at the outset, that the front door is in a bad condition, with the coat- ing scarred, blistered, and cracked ;_ all this coating will have to FIG. 44.—PATENT CHAR- COAL PAINT REMOVER. be burnt off, ll and for this FIG. 45.—SPIRIT LAMP PAINT REMOVER. purpose we : Re-painting Shall require a burning tool, or paint remover. This front door. is simply a small stove heated with charcoal, or an oil lamp, or a tool heated with gas, and held in the hand to the paint 72 i ‘knife, or a sharp scraper. There are various forms of according to size, from 6s. 6d. for a No. 3, up to IIs. REMOVAL OF OLD PAINT. until it is rendered soft enough to be scraped off with the chisel, Paint re- this tool made and sold, among the best being those _ mover, or hereafter mentioned. Hulme’s Patent Paint Remover °™™™8 '°% is a small fire-grate, made light and handy, with two handles at the back, a sliding lid at the top, and a scraper attached to the top bar in front. Wood charcoal is burned in the grate; the fire softens the paint, and at the same time heats the scraper ; the hot scraper is then applied to the softened paint, which can then be scraped off with ease. The price of this tool, with accessories, is about 12s. A sketch of the tool is given in Fig. 44. ° The Spirit Lamp Paint Remover, Fig. 45, is a very useful tool, which can be put to work within a few minutes after lighting it. Its action is similar to that of the spirit soldering Spirit lame lamps, a jet of flame being impelled by heated air paint from a reservoir, and thus assuming the form of a og ys blow-pipe flame. ‘This flame spreads over a large surface, soften- ing the paint more rapidly than a charcoal fire, without the dirt and trouble; and, being very light, a man can soften the paint with the lamp in one hand, whilst he scrapes the work clean with the other. The hinged doors, when open, act as wind guards, and protect the flame from draughts, so that the lamp can be used for outside as well as inside work. Clean methylated spirit is the only liquid that should be burned in those lamps. Their price varies — Removal of for a No.5 lamp. Messrs. Fletcher, Russell & Co., paint by Ltd., of Warrington, supplies a tool for removing paint neon by the action of a gas flame, an india-rubber pipe being led from the gas supply to the tool. The price of this tool is 4s. 6d. The poor amateur, however, can make up a paint removet himself at a merely nominal cost by following the following direc- tions: Get a piece of thin sheet iron 16 inches by Home-made 12 inches, mark it out as shown in Fig. 46, punch or P™™™™8 Sook: drill some # inch holes in the parts shown by the open dots, then cut the iron to the lines shown in the sketch with a pair of shears or with a cold chisel, resting the iron on a block of hard wood or on a block of iron meanwhile ; then turn in the sides by hammer- ing them on a block of iron or wood; then turn down the perfo- rated ends in a similar manner, and bend the projecting parts of a3 HOUSE PAINTING AND PAPERING. —— the sides over them co hold them in their proper positions, and Panana bend about an inch of the bottom end to form a pan, Scraper. —_ and a similar length of the top piece to form a scraper. The thick lines on the diagram represent the parts to be cut, whilst the dotted lines show where the iron must be bent. It will be seen that the two side-pieces are to be left projecting above and below the end .pieces 13 inch each way. After the end pieces have been bent down, these projections must be bent over the end pieces and riveted to-them, as hereafter directed. The shape will now begin Front bars to assume the form of Fig. 44, and it remains now to and handles. fix bars to the front and handles behind. The former of these can be easily made out of 63 inch lengths of 2 inch iron rod passed through the holes already prepared to receive them, some of the top lengths being left longer and only loosely fitted in, to admit of being drawn out with a pair of pincers or pliers when more fuel is required. To fix on the handles, we shall re- quire four 7 inch lengths of very Fixing stout hoop iron, two handles. for the bottoms and two to hold the top parts of the handles. In one end of each, 3 inch from the ends, we must punch or drill a § inch hole; in the other ends we must punch or drill other holes to fit and match the outside rows of holes in the top and bottom end pieces (see Fig. 47). Corresponding holes must also be pierced through the narrow strips that lap over the end pieces from the sides. The four pieces of hoop iron must now be riveted to the top and bottom Attachment Pieces by rivets passing through the whole three thick- * ssa: nesses of iron, and thus held firmly together with the "four pieces of hoop iron sticking out behind. To these the wooden handles are attached by pieces of 2 inch iron rod pass- ing through the handles, and the ends of the rod riveted into the holes prepared to receive them in the ends of the hoop iron (see 74 oa e . ° 9° ° fe) te) fe) ° Qo * *® 900 000 FIG. 46.—PLAN OF SHEET IRON FOR PAINT REMOVER, HOW TO USE BURNING TOOL. a Fig. 48). Charcoal may be burnt in this furnace, or glowing embers from a wood fire may be put in for fuel. The method of using it is simply as follows:—Hold the furnace to the wood until the paint is scorched and softened, then bring the owtouse scraper to bear upon the softened paint and scratch it PUrming tool. off, using the chisel knife occasionally on stubborn spots. Do this until all the paint has been taken off, then finish off with pumice-stone, sponge, and clean water, until a smooth surface has been obtained ; then stop all cracks and imperfections with best whitelead stopping, smooth down with glass-paper, and thus prepare the surface for the ground colour. In this way prepare all out-door work for graining, and also all old work where the paint is scarred and blistered, or clotted with several coats of old FIG. 47. ee xp paint. FOR The front door will look well grained with wainscot HANDLE. oak styles and rails, and pollard oak panels, but the ground colour must be made up in oil, as directed, Good atnte for wainscot oak, and the door should receive at least _for front : ees : door. two coats of varnish over the overgraining. Window frames on the ground floor will look well in oak graining, as will also verandah or porch pillars, side doors, and back doors, and also gate and gate-posts of front garden. yioaiwe Oak palings, when new, will retain their -and window . : frames. brightness for some years if treated to a coat or two of oak varnish, and will then match the graining on gate and gate-post. Window frames on the first and second floors will look neat and clean painted in whitelead colour, and a pleasing contrast will be produced by painting the sashes black. In eae making up colour for outside work, more oil must be COMPLETE. put in and less turpentine, than would be admissible for inside work, the proportions being as follows fo1 old work: First coat—whitelead mixed with two parts - goigues for oil and one part turpentine, with just enough blue to _ outside ; ‘ 4 work. tinge the colour. Second, or finish coat—whitelead | mixed with all oil, and a small quantity of varnish with a trace of lue, for a white paint; or with the requisite quantity of Oxford ochre to produce the desired stone colour. The quantity of 75 HOUSE PAINTING AND PAPERING. dryers required in outside painting will largely depend upon the Proportion State of the weather at the time. In winter time, when of dryers. the weather is cold and wet, the proportion of dryers must be increased to make the paint dry rapidly ; but in the hot, dry days of summer, and especially in situations exposed to the mid-day sunshine, the proportion of dryers must be lessened. The ete acine directions for preparing the woodwork of windows for woodwork inside painting, and also the mode of procedure, of windows. . together with the tools for the purpose, will also serve for outside work, and we shall find the open top paint-pail hung by a hook a much more convenient receptacle for the paint than the old-fashioned paint can. In preparing the sashes for painting, it will be advisable to look closely into the setting of the panes, and remove all loose putty before the sashes are painted ; then the defective parts can be painted before new putty is put in, and this will help to bind the putty in its place. Directions have been given for the Removalor ‘removal of broken glass and broken pane replacing it with new panes, of glass. A but we may add a few hints to those already given. Strike the hack knife smartly into the edge of the old -FIG. 49.—MEASUREMENT putty nearest the rabbet, but be careful *°* ate ad _to avoid splintering the wood. Carefully Measuring Clean out all the old putty, take the measure of the ohecal pane with two sticks placed transversely across the middle of the space, and fitting loosely in the rabbet (see Fig. 49), arid paint all this clear space before the pane is put in. Glass is Cutting Cut with a tool known asa glazier’s diamond, The EL Aee cutting part is composed of a triangular point of dia- mond set in the end of a steel blade, and this blade is fixed toa hard wood handle, as shown in Fig. 50. Glaziers’ diamonds cost from 5s. to Ios. 6d., but a less costlier tool can be bought from dealers in American novelties for the modest sum of Is. This too is made of iron with a hard steel point, sufficiently hard to scratch glass. The diamond does no more than this, but it is superior to a steel tool, because it is not so readily worn away by the glass. Strictly speaking, glass is not cut with the glazier’s diamond, 4 76 a ee ee ee ee ly Te PRINCIPLE OF CUTTING GLASS. deep scratch being the sole extent of the so-called cut, but this weakens the surface of the glass sufficient to cause it Cutting to break there with a clean fracture in line with the action of . : : diamond. scratch. Fragments of flint glass will scratch window glass, and may be used as substitutes fora diamond. The tool is held between the finger and thumb as a pen is held, with the thumb pressing the flat part of the handle, and it is drawn along the glass at an inclination indicated by the lower edge of the blade. Lay the measures on the sheet of glass to be cut, make nicks with the glazier’s diamond to mark the exact length and breadth, square this true, place the sheet on a piece of baize Mode of or other thick material laid level on a plane surface, “singe” lay a straightedge on the sheet, and hold it firmly to ¢*Plained. the marks, then with a slow firm stroke draw the diamond from edge to edge of the glass, FIG. 50. : GLAZIER’S and thus cut a continuous clear DIAMOND. scratch. Then draw the glass to the edge of the plane, and rest the scratch on the edge, with the superfluous glass overhanging, rest the palm of the right hand upon it ; whilst the left hand is laid on the sheet, grasp it firm, and with a firm and dexterous motion snap the glass in two at the scratch. In this way the - amateur may cut his own glass ; but I have found it best to send the measure to the shop and get the panes cut for me there.—/Vofe. Panes of glass must be cut } inch each way less than the measurement, if this has been taken exact. It not unfrequently happens that window frames are irregular in size—thus the top part of the frame may be narrower than the lower part; it will be well, therefore, to apply the trregularity measuring lath to the bottom, and note if any differ- gr window ence exists between that and ae top. If thisdifference ames. amounts to + inch the pane must be cut accordingly, or we shal: find that it is too wide at the top and not wide enough 5.01 Lg. at the bottom. Little differences, and projecting parts, aS Sas sharp corners, etc.. may be removed by rubbing the ‘ edge of the glass, lengthwise on a flat stone with a little sand and 7 ate heh HOUSE PAINTING AND PAPERING. water, or on a grindstone, or with a moderately rough file. Some ~ persons use coloured putty when putting new panes in old windows, Colouring for the purpose of matching the settings of the old putty. panes. This is altogether unnecessary, for the putty can be tinted after the new panes have been set, and the old putty matched with greater exactitude by simply dusting the wet putty with the requisite dry pigment applied with a small dry brush. If this dry colour is simply dabbed on with the ends of the hair of the brush, an appearance equal to flatted work will be produced, whilst an oil or glossy finish can be produced by polishing the flattec surface ; this will cause the colour to sink into the putty, and will bring the oil up to the surface. Handling the glass with putty and paint-besmeared hands will assuredly soil the surface, Cleaning but this can be cleaned in most cases by the applica- smenn ste, tion of a little lukewarm soapy water applied with a from glass. snonge ; if, however, the smears are obstinate, a little . carbonate of ammonia dissolved in the water, will assist in remov- ing all traces of paint and putty, It must be carefully applied, and not allowed to touch the paint-work on the window-frame, or it will spoil its appearance. When new panes are put in an old window that has to be repainted, it will not be necessary to colour the putty, for this can be coloured with the finish colour. If it has been decided to Painting Colour the sashes black, we must tint the first or lead sashes black. colour with a small quantity of blue, and also some vegetable black, to make it into a slate colour; the second, or finish colour, must then be vegetable black mixed with boiled linseed oil, with a small quantity of dryers, and a little pale varnish to give it a glossy appearance and to make it wear well; this is applied with a small sash tool. In country cottages the front walls are adorned with trellis woodwork, over which is trained some climbing plant; porches are also adorned with similar trellis work, and verandah pillars are _ Eom to oaint decorated with ornamental ironwork. All this kind of relia works work is generally painted green to match the foliage of the plants; the method of repainting those parts and all other woodwork requiring a vreen finish coat is as follows : First tie back all plants from the wood or ironwork when at all practicable to do so ; then scrape off all loose and blistered paint 78 PAINTING IRON PIPES, GATES, ETC. with an old knife or old chisel, dust off all loose particles from iron and trellis work, and give it a coat of slate colour prepared as _ before directed ; when this is dry, put on a finish coat of Bruns- wick green, or bronze green, made up with boiled linseed oil, with a little varnish and a small quantity of dryers added to ensure the paint drying before it is soiled with dust. Broad plane surfaces of wood, such as doors and outside shutters, should be prepared as other woodwork for painting—z.e., by burning off the old paint and rubbing the surface down smooth. Styles and rails of doors and shutters should be finished in a deeper tint than fron or zine that put on the panels. Iron or zinc water pipes and W4te? pipes. gutters may be finished inslate colour, or in stone colour, as taste may direct, but should receive two coats of paint. tron work on Iron work on gates and doors should have a coat of &tes: ete. slate colour, and a finished coat of black, mixed with boiled oil and varnish, with a little dryers. IRON ENTRANCE GATE, 79 CHAPTER X. HINTS ON FRENCH POLISHING AND SPIRIT VARNISHING. Materials for French polishing—First step necessary—Smoothing surface of work—Filling pores of wood—Wheeler’s American Wood-filler—A pplication of polish—Manipulation of rubber—Rubbing down polished surface—Re- polishing work—Rubbing down second coat—Last application of polish— Spiriting off—Quicker way of polishing—Advice to beginners—Experience necessary to success—Rules for French polishing—Repolishing old work— Treatment of dents and scratches—Spirit varnishing—Application of spirit varnish—Why applied lightly and quickly—Preservation of rubbers and brushes.—Another method of preparing wood. <5 the handrails of stairs in houses usually require other treatment than that of painting, the following remarks on French polishing have been added to the preced- ing chapters :— The materials required for French polishing are some French polish, $ pint, costing about 9d.; methylated spirit, Beets 4 pint, 44d. ; glass paper, No.o and 1, half a dozen for French sheets of each, and some finely-ground pumice-stone, polishing. for rubbing down purposes, 6d.; some pore-filling material, a 2 lb. tin, costing 2s. 4d. ; and some wadding, or flannel, and clean old linen cloth for rubbers. The first thing necessary to produce a satisfactory polish is to have a smooth even surface on which to apply it. Not only can First step @ better polish be obtained, but it saves’ much time necessary. and labour in polishing, and also greatly contributes to the closing of the pores of the wood. This is obtained by well and carefully rubbing down the article to be Smoothing > . . 3 a8 surface of polished with fine glass paper till it is made as es smooth as possible. In papering a flat surface a cork rubber should be used, as by its use a more even surface is obtained, , Having made the article as smooth as possible, and having well dusted it, the next thing to do, if the wood is open grained, is 80 cd FRENCH POSISHING AND SPIRIT VARNISHING. to fill it, as until the pores of the wood are full a nice even and unbroken polish cannot be »btained. There are several ways of Filling pores 2nd several compounds used for doing this, but having of wood. tried Wheeler’s American Wood-filler, supplied by Messrs. Fordham and Son, 43 and 45, Curtain Road, London, E.C., and found it indeed “excellent,” I should advise the polisher to Seveciare. Gc! some, the smallest quantity made up being 2lbs., See costing 2s. 4d. Directions are given with it as to how it is to be used, but I have more successfully filled the pores, and with less trouble, by applying it and rubbing it in with a piece of rag. Having satisfactorily filled the pores and made the surface per- fectly clean, the polishing may be commenced. The polish is Application applied with a rubber, made either of wadding or of polish. flannel of a size to suit the work in hand, and as solid as possible. Apply the rubber to the mouth of the bottle contain- ing polish, not making too wet, cover with a piece of linen rag, and Manipulation @PPply a spot or so of linseed oil to the face. Rub this of rubber. very lightly on to the wood in the running direction of the grain, two or three times backwards and forwards, and afterwards across the grain, with a semicircular motion, until the rubber becomes dry. Repeat this until a good body of polish is obtained, and then put by for a period of twelve hours or so, that Rubbing down the polish may sink and harden. This having been polished done, rub it well down with No. t glass paper until surface. ° ° : : the surface is nice and even, and again put aside for an hour or two. The reason for this is that if polishing were commenced immediately after rubbing down it would in a short time after the polishing was finished, be covered with scratch marks, though imperceptible at the time of polishing. Having, then, let the work stand after rubbing down, proceed to repolish, only after applying the rubber in the running direction Repolishing Of the grain as before, use a circular instead of semi Bin work circular motion. Having allowed this coat sufficient time to harden rub it down this time with finely-ground pumice- stone and water, using a piece of flannel, or, better still, leather. It Rubbing down Will be better if the polish is thinned a little this time second coat. before applying, therefore put a little in another bottle and add about one fourth of its quantity of methylated spirit. Apply 81 RULES FOR FRENCH POLISHING. the polish as before, and when finishing rub a little longer and quicker than usual, pressing a little on the rubber, and finally rubbing in the running direction of the grain until all rast applica- moisture and greasy marks have disappeared. The #02°fPolich. work having stood for three or four hours—although this is not absolutely necessary—it is ready for spiriting off. For this pur- pose make a new rubber and apply a little spirit, care being taken that it is only a little, cover with a piece of clean rag, put a spot of linseed oil on the face, and apply this very lightly and rather quickly. Great care must be taken that the rubber is not allowed to stick for an instant or the work will be sure to be spoiled, and have to be done all over again. In case the amateur should not care to expend so much labour and time over the polishing process proper, the following is a quicker Quicker way way by which he may obtain a nice polish. Having 0 Polshine. smoothed and filled the grain of the wood as before directed, give “the work two coats of spirit varnish. After the second coat of varnish use polish as before directed, for the last coat. Having spirited the work off it will have just as good an appearance as if wholly polished. It need scarcely be ‘said that the process in rubbing down and allowing hardening periods between each coat must be the same as if wholly polished. - Before attempting to polish any article I should advise the amateur to try his hand on a piece of plain wood about a foot square, or larger, as by this means if he is not at first Aavice to successful in getting a nice polish he can clean it off >°smners. and try again until he succeeds; thus avoiding the risk of spoiling any article by cleaning the polish off, should he at once try on that. He will also, when polishing the article, be able Experiente to do it much easier and better through having, in necessary to polishing the plain board, found out many little things . ae that are not learnt by capable of explanation, and that can only be practice, which alone can make a successful polisher. The polisher should carefully adhere to the following rules :— RS Always make the work as smooth as possible, and dust well before applying polish. Bp: BY: 2. Be careful that the superfluous paste is well French cleaned off after filling the pores and before it gets dry. ere 3. In rubbing down rub lightly and evenly, and avoid scratching. 82 Spiriting off. % FRENCH POLISHING AND SPIRIT VARNISHING. 4. Do not use too much oil, and cover the rubber with a clean part of the rag at each wetting. 5. Do not make the rubber too wet or it will cause roughness and streaky marks. 6. Avoid pressing heavily on the rubber when it is first wet. 7. Go evenly all over the surface, and do not rub one part more than another. A few words will not be out of place as to repolishing old work. First, then, all parts that can should be separated for convenience. Repolishing Having done this, if the old polish is rough or rusty, old work. = scour well with finest emery flour and spirit of turpen- tine. Then rub the face of the work over with a little linseed oil, as this causes the new polish to unite better with the old. If there are any dents or scratches coat them two or three Treatmentor times with thick spirit varnish, and then rub down dentsand with No. o glass paper till level with the surface. scratches, eee ae . * Polishing may now be commenced. Spirit varnish is laid on with sable or camel-hair brushes of a size to suit the work Spirit in hand. The rules for varnishing are exactly the varnishing. same as for polishing as regards smoothness, pore filling, hardening, and sinking periods and rubbings down. In etic a. applying the varnish for first and second coatings, the - of spirit tool may be worked across the grain, but for the third varnish. oes F : : and finishing coats it must be worked with-the grain. The work will, when finished, have a nearer appearance to polish if Why appliea the varnish be moderately thinned with French polish, lightly and say three parts varnish to one of polish. Spirit quickly. i 2 2 : varnish should be applied lightly and quickly, as it sets and gets hard very quickly, and on this account the same Preservation Patt should never ‘be gone over twice while wet, or it of rubbers will cause roughness. Polish rubbers, and varnish and brushes. ; : : oat brushes after being rinsed in spirit, should be kept in an air-tight box, such as a tin biscuit-box, that they may be kept soft. | There are some who will prepare wood for French polishing in this manner, and as it-may be more to the convenience of some amateur workmen to adopt it rather than follow that which has been given above, it is appended here. It seems to bean easy and useful method :—Sand-paper the wood perfectly smooth, then 83 FRENCH POLISHING AND SPIRIT VARNISHING. with the finger rub in the following filling—Melt a little of the best engine tallow, and mix with it plaster of Paris and burnt. Another umber (let the two lattér be thoroughly mixed together poise first), make it pretty stiff; if a fair quantity is made it wood. goes quite hard when cold, but on putting into a hot oven softens again for use. After you have rubbed it in all over, let it thoroughly set, which will take about a couple of hours, in a cool place, then scrape the surplus off, and rub thoroughly smooth with soft paper, it is then ready for a coating of raw linseed oil ; this requires about forty-eight hours to set, and as the amateur has generally a few things going on at the same time, this will be no inconvenience, and it is none the worse for remaining a day or two longer. - 84 PAT U- —~ oe STENCILLED | ao DECORATION _ WALLS. ve >iflsse STENCILLED DECORATION FOR WALLS, ETC. <> — CHAPTER I, PATTERNS, BRUSHES, AND APPLICATION OF STENCIL-WORK, Stencilling easily done—How process may be described—Range of effect limited —Artistic value in limitations— Material for stencil-plates—Cartridge paper— Cutting the design—Hardening paper stencil-plate—Oiled foolscap—Its advantages as a material—Tinfoil and sheet-copper—Etching copper stencil- plates—Ties in stencil work—Their artistic value—Size of stencil-plates— Plates cut to order—Stencil brushes—Colours used in stencilling—Thinning and mixing colours—Varnishing stencil work—Powdered colours—Their preparation—Colouring in distemper—Mode of preparing distemper colour —Paper as a groundwork for stencilling—‘‘ Grounded ”’ paper—Stencilling as a preliminary process—Finishing by hand pencilling—Importance of art to unskilled draughtsmen—Example of treatment of stencilling by hand finish- ing—Mottled effect : how produced—Preparation of plate—Example requir- ing skill in pencilling—Use of straightedge—Rules for stencil work—Treat- ment of ties—Their mechanical use—Stencilling as a decorative process, = sey] LENCILLING is a process, which, by its simplicity, i fi the ease and rapidity with which it is _Stencilling executed, and the moderate. amount of °©#!ly done. artistic skill which it demands, specially recommends itself to the amateur decorator. The purposes to which it can be applied are many. My present remarks, however, and the designs which accompany them, are more particularly intended to have reference to the adornment of walls, ceilings, panels, etc., and similar decorations of the home. Stencilling may be described as the reverse of printing. In the latter, projecting parts of the type or block are |, ororeae charged with colour, which is transferred by pressure may be - ae described. to the surface to be printed. Stencilling, on the other hand, consists in laying a piece of some thin material, per- forated with a pattern, and termed a “‘stencil-plate” against a surface to be decorated, and applying colour with a brush through the openings. } 85 G STENCILLED DECORATION. The very simplicity of stencilling, implies that the range of effects to be produced by it must be comparatively limited. The Rangeof nament thus formed must be bold and flat. It can- fees not produce gradations of hue or shade, and is not ‘adapted for the reproduction of delicate lines. Yet these very limitations tend to give the process an artistic value of Artistic its own. It is now generally admitted that all orna- paar? in ment, to be good, must be conventional in its treat- . ment, and that all purely stencilled ornaments should be conventionalised, is a necessity arising from the very nature of the process. Of the proper artistic treatment of designs for sten- cilling, I shall have more to say presently, after dealing with the subject from the practical point of view. Stencil-Plates.—In making stencil-plates for various kinds of work, many different materials have been employed—paper, metal, Materia1 leather, oilcloth, etc. For general purposes, that most ek ener used is paper, as being cheapest, best fitted to draw the design upon, and most easily cut. The amateur will probably wish to prepare his own plates. He will find a stiff Cartridge Cartridge paper best suited to his purpose. On this dient he can draw readily, and the design being carefully sketched out, he can cut it with a sharp penknife against some Cutting the smooth firm surface, such as a hard piece of wood. design. Care must be taken to cut clearly and accurately, the curves must be true and bold, and all angles well cleared out, for any slight imperfections in the stencil-plates will show in an exaggerated form in the work. To give solidity to the plate, and to keep it from being softened, and consequently destroyed by the moisture from the colour when Hardening in use, it must undergo a special treatment. Some paper persons thoroughly soak their plates in linseed oil; stencil-plate. F 3 ; but a better plan is to go over them with the composi- tion known as “knotting.” This preparation is used by painters for covering the knots in woodwork, previous to painting, and may be bought at the colourman’s. . Another useful material for plates is that known as “oiled fools- Oiled cap.” This may be described as a thick tracing- foolscap. haner. Its ordinary. use is for placing between the sheets in the copying-press, and it may be bought at the larger 86 ——— MATERIAL FOR STENCIL-PLATES. _——_——- EES Ce Stationers’ shops. As applied to tts advantages our pur- as a material. poses, its special advan- tages are, that when laid over a drawn or printed design, its semi-trans- parency will allow of a tracing from the pattern below being made through it; and, also, that being al- ready water and oil proof, it needs no further preparation. A more enduring plate, and one best adapted for bending round curved FIG, I.—CORNER IN surfaces, may be made from pinfoil ana oo” tinfoil. This must be cut with *2¢¢t-copper. a sharp knife—which will want frequent whettings—on a piece of glass, or a glazed tile. Sheet-copper is sometimes used ; but un- less an extremely durable plate is required, the cost Biching ‘and trouble of cutting with a graver render it undesir- | copper : i stencil-plates. able. When, however, the most delicate form of stencil-plate is needed, thin copper must be used, and the pattern produced by etching, the metal being covered with wax, as in ordinary etch- q ing, and the design scratched through . 1 it with a steel point, the metal & being afterwards eaten through €2> by acid. By this means the finest and most delicate work,otherwise unattain- able by means of sten- cilling, may be accom- plished. This, however, xe is rather beyond the my Po _f és range of the amateur. yy JN | A necessary point to be observed in making J © pn Gl stencil-plates is to leave FIG. 2.—CORNER IN STENCIL. 87 ; STENCILLED DECORATION. a sufficient number of “ties ;” that is, of bands crossing the open- Pes in ings at intervals, and thus serving to hold the plate stencil work. tocether. By referring to Figs. 1 and 2, which are good examples of pure stencilling, these ties will be more clearly Their understood. Of the artistic value of ties in making artistic value. designs for stencilling, I shall have to speak hereafter. I am now merely insisting upon their necessity for mechanical reasons ; and if they are wanting in the design, they will have to be introduced in an arbitrary manner, though the work should have to be made good with the pencil afterwards. As regards size: for good and rapid work it is better not to make plates so big that they cannot be held firmly up by the left sizeof hand whilst the colour is dabbed in with the right. stencil-plates. But this rule cannot always be observed. In a border, for instance, enough of the pattern must be given on one plate to form a “repeat;” and if too large to be held, it can be pinned or tacked up. For the benefit of those who may wish to stencil, but do not care for the trouble of making the plates, I may say that a large Plates cut variety of stencil patterns, working size, are pub- toorder. lished, and that there are shops at which plates cut from them to order are to be had at a shilling each. Stencil Brushes, specially made for this work, are to be bought at the colourman’s. They are flat at the end for the purpose of Stencil dabbing, are made of short stiff bristles, and are fixed brushes. in round metal handles. A stencil brush about an inch in diameter will cost a shilling. Colours.—These may be mixed in various ways, perhaps for the amateur, oil colours offer the fewest difficulties. The surface ER be decorated is, we will suppose, a wall. Let this usedin be painted to the required shade, and flattened with ee turps. This, it is advised, should be done by a pro- fessed workman. The amateur can then proceed to decorate it. He will do best to use tube colours, which are most cleanly and Thinning convenient. Then he can thin with turps on his palette and mixing -—a plate will serve the purpose—and thoroughly mix eater up with a palette-knife. The consistency for stencil- ling should be moderately thin. To attempt to lay on so much body- colour as will completely cover the ground is a mistake, and will 88 PREPARATION OF COLOURS. result in clogging the plate, and making bad work. To protect and finish the work a coat of varnish should after- varnishing wards be given to it. If wood-work, as in doors, stencil work. panels, etc., has to be decorated, it should, like the wall, be pre- viously painted of the required colour, and not varnished till the stencilling is completed. If the work is large, and the expense of tube colours is an objection, common powdered colours may be used, Powdered which are anything but costly. These, however, °OU7® involve some trouble in grinding up, and will scarcely be made to work so well or smoothly. These need grinding up Their with linseed oil and a little “driers” to make them P7eParation. dry properly. Some varnish ground with them will answer the same purpose. For use, these colours must also be thinned with turps. If, instead of oils, distemper is decided on, the amateur will still do well to have his background laid in by a workman. For distemper, powdered colour must be used, which will colouring in have to be ground and mixed with water, in whicha “stemper. little size or glue has been dissolved. The size should be boiled in the water. These colours mix and work better when warm, as the size, when cold, forms a thin jelly. The object of the Mode of size is to fix the colours firmly. Some stencil with 4isimper colours mixed merely in beer or milk, which give POMnx: sufficient cohesion if it is not likely that the work will be rubbed much. Distemper colour is quickly dabbed on, but it has the disadvantage of being much more liable to clog the plate than oil. It may so happen that the amateur decorator may choose, instead of having his walls painted or coloured, to Paperasa cover them with paper as a preparation for stencil- S*°™7awork ling. If so, he is advised to avoid the cheap and _ Stencilling. often prettily tinted “lining ” papers, for these generally fade ; but rather to use “grounded” paper, that is to say, a «Groundea” paper which has undergone the first process of stain- ?#P°* ing, and which may be got at a paper-hangings-maker’s. To this paper ground the stencilled decorations may be applied in ordinary water-colours. Hitherto we have considered stencilling only as an art to be used by itself, but it has another obvious and perfectly legitimate 89 “Ee PEO e oo UG Oa UHH) Az ce FIG. 3.—LOWER PART ante G2 v ADA O£ On ®eeeo © @ & 8 2 oH Qrtsrvay mx oe o i> ag OF) mY Ky gO “AN OVop 7 aSsuo Sp oe 2 a i Ao PE eL Fal 0 Of. STENCILLED DECORATION. fd we * 3 oF "hoo LIQ Do ee) fe > & * a a RyWodss ET 280% #300 ~ CU we ESOT ices ove ° ° pl | OF PANEL IN STENCIL-WORK. STENCILLED DECORATION. FIG. 4.—DESIGN FOR STENCILLING AND HAND PENCILLING COMBINED. OI FINISHING BY HAND. use; namely, as a help in laying in decorations which are after- wards to be finished by hand pencilling. Ifthereader .... cilling closely examines designs for stencilling, he will see asa prelimi- that many of them are intended to be finished in this ae manner. When stencilling is thus made only a preliminary pro- cess, the design may be treated freely. Breadth and simplicity are no longer essentials, and in making the plates ties Finishing may be put in at random, or wherever they will give by hand pencilling. greatest strength, for all traces of them can after- wards be removed by the pencil—a difficult matter indeed, in purely stencilled work, as the pencil will not give precisely the same texture as the stencil brush. Thus used, stencilling Importance becomes an invaluable aid to an indifferent draughts- Rabb ce man, who can by this means get in al] the main parts @*4uehtsmen. of his design, leaving only unimportant details to be made good afterwards by hand work; nor is it less valuable as a means of. saving time. The design shown in Fig. 3 is intended to be carried out by this method. It represents the lower part of a panel, , sainpie Oe the top of which may be filled in with a light, orna- es > mental continuation, consisting of lines terminating in _ by hand small lanceolate leaves, the central line springing from *™S™8 the top of the central flower, and those on either side in continua- tion of the lines immediately below the leaves under this flower, other lines branching out from the main stems in symmetrical dis- position. The ground of the part of the panel represented in the illustration may very well be applied in stencil, in such a colour as will best relieve and harmonize with that in which jy iiog the conventional plant in the vase is to be given. effect: how And here, it may be observed, that for backgrounds, ee the mottled effect left by dabbing in with the stencil brush is more pleasing to the eye than that given by any other method of painting. In cutting the plate or plates for the more distinctly decorative portion, the vase, leaves, and flowers, should be preparation clearly made out, but the stems may be disregarded. © Plate. Such lines cannot be stencilled satisfactorily, and they can after- wards easily be sketched from point to point, and laid in with the pencil. g2 RULES FOR STENCiIL-WORK. In the design given in Fig. 4, only the broader masses are ‘intended to be stencilled, thus the greater part of its Example effect will depend on skill in pencilling. Caras Gee Not soin Fig. 5. Here, though the straight bands Pencilling. at the sides have to be marked out with line or straightedge, and laid in by hand, the effect depends on the stencilling wuseor exclusively. The ornamental scroll should not be **#tehtedge. touched by hand. It has been designed in accordance with those tules of fitness and good taste which apply to purely stencilled ornament. Those rules may be given in a few words. All purely stencilled ornament, to be good, as such, ought to be kept broad, simple, and FIG, 5.—SCROLL IN STENCIL-WORK. distinct. It ought not to attempt to imitate, or profess to be what it is not, handwork. The difficulty of “ties” ought Rules for not to be shirked by allowing them to come in places **encil work. where they will serve no purpose in the design, still less ought they to be allowedin places from which their marks willafter- Treatment wards have to be removed. In the hands of a good °F ties. ‘designer, the ties are a source, not of weakness but of strength. He makes them increase and complete the effect he wishes to pro- duce. Look again at Fig. 5. In this scroll the white lines which border stem, and leaf, and tendril, where they cross heir me- each other, are ties. Such is their mechanical use, Ch@™ical use. It will be seen that artistically they are of no less value to empha- size and give distinctness, character and beauty to the design. 93 STENCILLED DECORATION. I cannot conclude these remarks better than by quoting from a deservedly well-known decorative artist and writer on design, Stenciling Mr. Lewis Day :—“ Used as a decorative process, asadecora- stencilling has a character of its own, and an interest tive process. , . Se: ae : in proportion as it is characteristic. The ignorant or timid decorator is ashamed or half afraid of the stencilled look, and seeks to obliterate the traces of the process. The experienced artist values the character that comes of stencilling, and would rather accentuate than blur it. He prides himself upon the apt- — ness of his design to the method of its execution, and is best pleased with it when he feels he has invented something that could not have been so satisfactorily reproduced by any other process.” DESIGN FOR STENCIL-WORK, 94 PART III. aaah Lae _ FLOOR STAININ Hiss AND : , : Telti<— FLOOR-STAINING AND DECORATION. CHAPTER I. SOME HINTS ON FLOOR-STAINING. Stained and polished boards—Their superior cleanliness—Staining liquid: quantity required—Colours of stains—Other appliances—Preparation of the boards—Process of staining—Where to commence—Preparation of sizing— .How to lay on size—Finishing work with varnish—Polish of beeswax and turpentine—How to prepare and apply it—Labour involved —Renovation of stained floors—Rugs and matting. HUNDRED years ago our ancestors revelled in the healthful cleanliness of stained and polished boards, with mats strewed here and there; at P k : : Stained and the present time everyone vies with the polished other to have the thickest velvet pile pon carpet their income will permit. The revival of the Queen Anne style of building houses has been very much admired by some people, and very absurdly condemned by others ; but certainly, it there is one point on which it merits approval, it is their superior » undoubtedly its superior cleanliness ; forall the floors, Cle#atiness. staircases and passages, without exception, have their boards » stained and polished. To prove how easy and simple this staining and polishing is, we give a detailed account of the means which are employed. es As a general rule, one quart of the staining liquid ‘will be found sufficient to cover about sixteen square yards of flooring, but different kinds of woods absorb in different propor- Stainingliquia: tions, soft woods requiring-more for the same space quantity than hard woods, ‘The colours ot the stains are 7“~?™"°™ various, so that one may either choose ebony, walnut, mahogany, rosewood, satinwood, oak, medium oak, or maple, golours of according to the paleness or depth of colour desired. —_ **ains. Besides this, 4lbs. of size and a quart and a half-a-pint of the best “95 HINTS ON FLOOR-STAINING varnish are required to finish the sixteen yards above mentioned. The necessary purchases are completed by a good-sized painters’ Other brush and a smaller one. The work can then be appliances. Commenced. If the wood is uneven it must be planed, and rubbed down to asmooth surface ; whilst the cracks and Preparation of Spaces between the boards, if very wide, may be dis- the boards. nosed of by a process called “slipping,” by which pieces of wood are fitted in. The floor must next be carefully washed, and allowed to dry thoroughly. The actual staining may Process of now be proceeded with. The liquid is poured out into staining. 4 basin, and spread all over the floor with the aid of the large brush, the small one being used to do the corners and along the wainscoting, so that it may not be smeared. It is always best to begin staining at the farthest corner from the doorway, and so work round so that one’s exit may not be Whereto impeded. It is also a goodplan to work with the win- commence. dow open, if there is no danger of much dust flying in, as the staining dries so much quicker. After the floor is quite covered, the stainer may rest for about an hour whilst the drying is going on, during which there is only one thing relative to the work Preparation in hand which need be attended to. This is the size, ofsizing. which should be put in a large basin with half-a-pint of cold water to each pound, and then stood in a warm place to dissolve. Before re-commencing work, also the brushes must be washed, and this is no great trouble, as a little lukewarm water. will take out all trace of the stain and clean them sufficiently. How tolay The sizing is then laid on in exactly the same manner on size. as the staining always being careful to pass the brush lengthwise down the boards. If the size froths or sticks unplea- santly, it must be a little more diluted with warm water, and some- times, if the sediment from it is very thick, it is all the better for being strained through a coarse muslin. The sizing takes rather longer than the staining to dry, two or more hours being neces- sary, even on a warm, dry day. Not until it is quite dry, how- Finishing work ever, can the last finish be put to the work with the with varnish. varnish. For this it is always safest to get the very best, and to lay it on rather liberally, though very evenly, and over every single inch, as the staining will soon rub off when not protected by it. The best way to ascertain whether it is varnished 06 _ RENOVATION OF STAINED FLOORS. all overis to kneel down and look at the floor sideways, with one’s eyes almost on a level with it. Thus much for staining and var- nishing. Some people, however, prefer the old-fashioned polish of beeswax and turpentine instead of varnish. The staining is done in the same way as for the other process, and whilst 5.5505, of it is drying the polish to finish it may be made in the beeswax and ; : ‘ 3 turpentine, following manner: 141lb. of beeswax is mixed with 5 ounces of resin and 1 pint of turpentine in a basin, and then stood in the oven for a few minutes until it is melted to about the consistency of thick cream. When it is cool and the 54. to pre- Staining perfectly dry, it is rubbed rapidly on the floor Aart? at with a cloth, and if it is too thick to allow of this it should be diluted with a little more turpentine ; then it is brushed with some force with a brush, which may be bought for the pur- pose, and finally finished off with a fine piece of baize. It will be seen from these directions that a great deal more time and labour have to be bestowed on this wax-polishing than on the qapour varnishing process. Apart from this it is not so ‘volved. durable, and requires polishing at least once or twice a week to keep it looking bright, whereas the varnish need only be washed over with a cloth wrung out of clean warm water to make it look perfectly clean. People are often found who object to stained floors, because they imagine they soon wear shabby with constant traffic ; but even if they do, this is no great trouble to remedy. Some Renovation of linseed oil rubbed over all the worn places, or even **#me4 Hoors. over the whole, will be found to renovate it wonderfully, whilst even if the floor becomes much damaged it can very easily be stained, sized, and varnished in that particular spot without going over the whole. From a long experience of stained floors I can safely say that there is no floor decoration so econo- Rugs ana mical, cleanly and pleasing to the eye as boards treated ™ttine. as I have described, and partially covered with a few Turkey or Persian rugs, or India, Chinese, Japanese, or Manilla mattings of soft yellow, green, and dull red patterns. To return to the materials that are used in the several opera- tions of staining, sizing, and varnishing for work on a large scale, no preparations will be found to be more efficient and convenient 97 HINTS ON FLOOR-STAINING. than “ Stephens’ Stains for Wood,” and the size and varnish manu- factured by Henry C. Stephens, 191, Aldersgate Street, E.C., and Stephens’ sold by oil and colourmen in every part of the United “dete dar Kingdom. The stains are prepared in imitation of ete. oak in three shades, namely, light, medium, and extra dark ; and of mahogany, rosewood, ebony, walnut, wainscot, and satin-wood. One gallon of stain is sufficient for 100 square yards. They are sold in bottles in a liquid form, or as powder which must be mixed with Zo¢ water. The solution thus made must not be used until it is cold. The stain must be laid on plentifully with a brush along the grain of the wood. When the wood is thoroughly dry it must be ¢wdce sized, using each time a very strong solution of size, prepared by dissolving the size in Zo¢ water in the propor- tion of one pound to a gallon of water. It should be applied moderately warm, that is to say, at a temperature of about 150° Fahrenheit. The colour in all cases is softer and richer if an interval of twenty-four hours, or even more, be allowed to elapse between the completion of the staining and the application of the first coat of size. A similar interval should intervene between the applica- tion of the second coat of size and laying on the varnish, which completes the work. DESIGN FOR STENCIL WORK. CHAPTER II. A SIMPLE SYSTEM OF FLOOR DECORATION. Remarks on ‘‘ Hints on Floor-staining’’—Objections to floors so treated— Effect of parquetry easily obtained—Causes which led to adoption of process —Enlargement of strip— Bad effect of sharp contrast of cclour—Ornamental border—Colouring liquid for oak floors—How prepared—Difficulty in apply- ing colour—Good effect of border—Treatment of elm floors—Colouring liquid for elm—Treatment of deal floors—General directions—Staining, oil- ing, and polishing—Remarks on polishing—Proportions of edging and border—Good medium width—Designs for ornamental bordering—Suitable forms for bordering—How to freshen up stained work—Protection in door- ways, etc.—Kidderminster squares—Extent of staining for carpeted rooms —How to lay out stained bordering. =/N the preceding chapter the reader has been put in possession of some useful suggestions and direc- tions for staining and polishing floors. Remarks on * . ‘* Hints on For those who desire a uniform colour Floor-stain- and glossy surface, no better directions ing.” could be desired. Under certain circumstances—as, for instance, when skins and rugs can be freely scattered about it op, .ctions to —a floor so treated is admirable. But there are other a a circumstances, under which something more could be wished, and when such a floor will be found to lie open to two objections: firstly, that it is too slippery to be walked on with comfort ; and secondly, that the uniform dark colour jeoot o¢ oan is not sufficiently pleasing to the eye. My present pds ay object is to show how, without destroying a firm foot- hold, an effect somewhat akin to that of expensive parquetry may be obtained by means of staining, at the cost of a few hours’ labour and a few pence. The circumstances under which the idea of this mode of decoration forced itself upon me, so to speak, Were gy, 11.05 which these : Some eight years since, I wished to convert to ee Mere my own particular uses a room in which a former tenant had laid down a square of carpet, and had polished the 09 H A SIMPLE SYSTEM OF FLOOR DECORATION surrounding strip of bare floor. The floor was oak, and I had no intention of hiding it by a second carpet ; but the polished strip, wider on two sides than on the others, was most un- sightly. My first plan was simply to enlarge the strip all round to a Enlargement Uniform width of 2 feet 6 inches. The former work ofstrip. had been done by brushing-in hot boiled oil, and after- wards polishing with beeswax and turpentine: I did mine in the same manner. FIG. I.—DESIGN FOR SIMPLE BORDER IN IMITATION OF PARQUETRY. To a certain extent, what I had done was satisfactory. The dark edging made a good ground on which to range my old oak ae furniture ; but the sharp straight line dividing the _ sharp contrast dark from the light parts of the floor was not pleasing. of colour. 5 & Something more was needed to satisfy the eye. Within the dark edging, I now marked out the ornamental border, 14 inches wide, shown in Fig. 1. But to make this dark Ornamental €nough, and durable enough to resist the scrubbing- border. brush and soap which it would have to bear, in common with the unpolished middle of the room, I knew that ) fore) BORDERS IN 1MITATION OF PARQUETRY. something more would be needed than mere oil and polish. I remembered that iron, acting on the tannin contained = gy) ouying in oak, will turn that material to a dark colour, euloapulse oak which wears away only with the grain of the wood. A handful of rusty nails, left for a few days in a pint of vinegar, gave me the required solution of iron. With this, anda How small brush, I went over the pattern, and could thus pore get as deep a shade as I desired. My one difficulty in applying it arose from the fluid having a tendency to “run” in the direction FIG. 2.— ANOTHER DESIGN FOR SIMPLE BORDER IN IMITATION OF PARQUETRY. of the grain, and thus to cause a blurred edge; but this I soon overcame by keeping a piece of blotting-paper beside ee Heit me, with which to take off any superfluous moisture. applying When the stain had had time to dry, I finished by : going over the pattern with varnish. The effect of this border, simply as leading the eye gradually from the dark to Good effect the light parts of the floor, was very good. More gthordsr, than this, it added in a striking manner to the general effect of the room. After the wear of eight years, it still looks as well as ever. . Iol < A SIMPLE SYSTEM OF FLOOR DECORATION. The floor thus treated was, as I have said, made of oak; floors formed of other woods will require somewhat different treatment. Rarely in town, but not unfrequently in the country, Treatment we find elm floors. The grain of elm is often of great ofelm floors. beauty, if properly brought out. I find that a strong decoction of logwood, applied hot, will do this, if the wood is after- Colouring wards rubbed with boiled oil, and finally polished or liquidforelm. varnished. For colouring the pattern on elm, as this needs to be darker than the broad edging, a very Uttle of the iron solution may be mixed with the logwood stain. J/uch must not be added, or a jet black will be the result. In far the greater number of modern houses, however, the floors are of deal; and for this material the amateur cannot do Treatmentor better than buy some one of the prepared wood-stains deal floors. sold by the colourman. He can get whatever depth of shade he requires, but he will do well to remember that it is advisable to keep the ornamental border somewhat darker than the broad stained surface outside it. For general directions as to applying stains, and also as to finishing stained work, “Hints on Floor-staining” may be read General’ With advantage. It will be well to bear in mind that directions. between the processes of staining, oiling, and polishing, sufficient time for drying must be allowed, and that oil takes much Staining, longer to dry than stain. Varnish will not lie evenly, oiling, and or set properly over imperfectly dried oil. My advice age oan is, however, not to varnish on those woods which require oiling, viz, oak and elm, but to polish them with bees- Remarks on Wax and turpentine. This remark does not apply to polishing. the ornamental border on these woods; this must always be varnished, and not oiled. : No absolute rule for the width of the stained edging with its ornamental border can be laid down. It must be more or less eerions the room is larger or smaller, and to some extent of acer it must be influenced by the width of the boards ; for, as shown in the illustrations, it will be well as far as possible to accommodate the decoration to the lines of the floor. Goodmedium A good medium width is 2 ft. 3 in. for the dark edging, width. and 1 ft. 2 in. for the ornamental border provided that the room be large enough to admit of it, but after all, the width 102 SUITABLE FORMS FOR BORDERING. of edging and border must always be regulated by the area of the room. Asa broad rule it is well to have the stained part wide enough to receive such articles of furniture as are usually ranged round the walls, and not so wide as to make those parts of the room slippery on which people require to walk much. In the illustration, two designs for this work are given. Both are very simple, and by no means imposing on paper. But it must be remembered that with the materials before us, , Sane toe intricate patterns would not be practicable, and, more- aa over, that the floor is not the place for elaborate orna- ment. As a part of the room on which the eye frequently rests without effort, the floor ought not to be left undecorated by those who study good taste, but to tread excessive and delil- guitapie cate ornament under foot does not suit our sense of ae the fitness of things. These designs are such as can easily be set out with the compasses and straight-edge, and no great artistic skill will be required to invent others equally applicable. I may observe here that as this kind of floor decoration extends but little to those parts of the room where the traffic is greatest, it is not so liable to grow shabby from Howto wearing away in places as the staining which extends ere over the whole apartment. If, however, the work °F should become a little dulled here and there, it may be freshened- up by rubbing over with a little linseed oil; or, if potection in necessary, it may be re-varnished or re-polished, as ee the case may be. At a doorway, or a much-frequented window, it will of course be well to protect the work with, say, a piece of harmoniously-coloured. Indian matting, or some similar covering. The recent introduction of the carpets known to the trade and to the public as “ Kidderminster Squares,” if it be not Kidderminster the outcome of a generally expressed wish on the part “74708: of the latter to get rid of the old and inconvenient system of nail- ing down carpeting over the entire surface of the floor, has, at all events, done much to promote a desire of this kind. These carpets are made in a variety of sizes, and it will be difficult to find a room in any ordinary house which one size or another of those usually supplied by the manufacturers will not suit. No carpets can be better suited for those who are obliged to look at a sovereign, or 103 A SIMPLE SYSTEM OF FLOOR DECORATION. perhaps even a shilling, twice before they spend it, for a good-sized room can be covered at a cost of from £2 to £3. Of course, those who are able to afford it will do better to have a Brussels carpet made up with a border to match, or to buy a carpet from Turkey, India, or Persia, such as may be seen every day in great variety at Treloar’s, in Ludgate Hill. , The medium width for stained edgings and borders that has been suggested above is manifestly only to be followed when the Extent of centre of the room is left uncovered by any carpet, or cere Aa if only carpeted, say, during the winter months. When eed a carpet is kept down permanently throughout the year, there is no necessity whatever to go to the expense or trouble of making an ornamental border. In this case the staining should be subordinated, as far as its width is concerned, to the size and weight of the carpet, and, as a general rule, the minimum width of staining shown may be put at 9 inches, and the maximum at 15 inches. Whatever may be the width of staining shown, it should extend at least 6 inches under the carpet. The carpet will thus be brought to a distance on all sides of from 9 to 15 inches from the skirting-board, and will be held down and kept in place by the front legs of chairs resting on its edge when placed back against the wall, and by the heavier pieces of furniture, such as sideboards, cheffoniers, pianos, whatnots, etc.; a great advantage when the carpet is light, and therefore the more apt to be turned up at the corners or kicked up here and there by the feet of the inmates of the house. In conclusion, a caution may be given here that in laying out Howto stained bordering it is desirable in no case to follow lay Out the course of bays and recesses. These should be bordering. disregarded, so that the unstained space in the centre of the room be in the form of a rectangle. For example, suppose a room to have a bay window and a recess on each side of the chimney. Having decided the width of the edging, measure off that width from the skirting on the unbroken sides of the room, from the corners of the bay and from the corners of the projecting chimney-breast, and through the points thus obtained mark off the lines that bound the central unstained area. 104 CHAPTER III, ANOTHER METHOD OF DECORATING BOARDED FLOORS. Aspect of ordinary boarded floor—Easy system of decoration for floors —System explained— Width of planks in relation to the work—Setting out the work— Commencement of actual work—First operation—Quickest mode of incising - lines—Treatment when joints are very close—Making holes for pegs—Gluing pegs—Square pegs and holes for them—Short incised lines of border—Treat- ment of margin—Case of plank in middle of floor—Chisel work in designs — Some necessary hints and cautions. ‘pee | HE long parallel lines of an ordinary boarded floor are FENN] far from pleasing to the eye, and hence, unless it be “ase? carpeted throughout, the room never presents a satis- en factory appearance to the housewife. The Aspect of . O60 . “upset,” however, of taking up and pears cleansing these planned carpets, is so great, that they- floor. are often allowed to remain down until they become an abiding place for dust, and sometimes, a home for things of a far more objectionable nature; while if there could be some means found of breaking the bare monotony of the boarded floor, the occupant of the room would soon perceive that a rug by the fireside, or a square of carpet where the table stands, is all that comfort requires. The object of the writer is, therefore, to furnish the amateur with an easy method, by which any floor laid with ordinary deal boards may be so decorated, that he may please him- : Easy system self as to what extent of carpeting he may care to lay of decoration down upon it. The system may be carried out for *" *°T* boarded floors in all parts of the house, and may be applied to the side decoration of halls, passages, and stairs. This system of decoration consists in crossing the “joint-lines ” of the boarded floor with transverse lines, incised so as to divide 105 ae AN EASY METHOD OF DECORATING BOARDED FLOORS. che surface of this into squares, and then by boring holes, accord- System ing to a design fixed upon, and driving into them pegs explained. of black, or dark-coloured wood, to give an orna- mental character to the whole. By a glance at Fig. 1 the reader may form an idea of the style of decoration which may be pro- duced by this method. The steps by which this kind of floor decoration is done, have now to be given sevzatim. The width of the boards is of no con- Width of | sequence, but floors are so generally laid with 7-inch ‘ier wide planks, that it may be taken for granted that the the work. floor to be decorated will be one of this kind. If the planks be wider the only difference will be an enlargement of the squares into which the floor is divided. : In setting out the work according to the design given in Fig. 1, which represents one-fourth of a square floor, the first step will be Setting out to find the joint-line, or the plank which lies in the ~ the work. middle of the floor, or comes nearest to it. Let us suppose a joint-line A A in this instance to be in or nearest to the middle of the room; then the line BB bisecting it at right angles should be drawn, and this will divide the floor, as nearly as can be, into four equal parts. On either side of the line BB draw other lines parallel to it, and each one at the distance of 7 inches (or width of plank) from its neighbour line, until the whole floor is marked out in squares. This being done, the actual work of a simple pattern ‘like the part marked ACED, might be begun at once; but for the more Commence. Claborate border part it will be necessary to mark in mentof the additional lines in the sub-borders F, F and G,G, as aeotual Work. ell as the centres for the black pegs in the inter- mediate portions. When all this is done, the floor a be con- sidered as set out ready for the actual work. — The first. operation will be to cut in the transverse lines, viz., all those lines running parallel to B B, together with this line also, First and the width of these lines must depend upon that operation. of the joint-lines. Where the boards have not been well seasoned the joints will open 3% of an inch or more, but we may consider vs to be the average width of opening in the joints of a fairly seasoned floor of these days. Where the floor is level, and the boards are uniform in grain, 106 of Ds = SS c|| | ce ae | ; | | af 2 ll Sec Be al See | bit aie en i F EE ees FIG. 1.—SiMPLE DECORATION FOR BOARDED FLOORS. EXAMPLE OF METHOD OF SETTING OUT WORK, Hh L N\ 7\\ ZN ZIN ZN 7 Ps NA BN Pa Ne IZ a§ we “IN ZIN ZIN ZIN 7 2 3 | Z NiZ NZ Ni, N\\z \ N 7\s Z\N “IN ZN 7 8 N}Z Nis AS x|- ‘ \ “IN “IN ZIN Pas 7 ND CHI BINED. MODE OF INCISING LINES. ie“ the quickest way of incising the cross lines will be by means of a plough, a straight-edge being fixed on the floor asa guide. The plough used for making the grooves for some kinds of Quickest glazing would probably be the best. My carpenter mode of in- called it a “ filister,” a name derived, perhaps, from its vores cutting a thread (#/um) line. In cutting these transverse lines, the operator will not, however, attempt to start from, or continue the {ine to, the outside of the pattern, but will leave one square at least at either end, to be cut in by hand with a chisel. Indeed, all the lines will be best cut in with this tool if the: boards be _ FIG. 4.—DECORATION WITH PEGS FIG. 5.—DECORATION WITH PEGS AND CHISEL WORK COMBINED. AND CHISEL WORK COMBINED. “shakey” and inclined to splinter, or if the floor be uneven. A good sharp V chisel, or dividing tool, if the operator Treatment has one, will be found of service. Where the joints “hep jomts are very close, it will be sufficient to cut in the cross close. lines deeply with a knife, and follow this up with a hard black crayon—indeed, a crayon should be drawn along all the incised | lines, so as to give them the dark appearance of the old joint- lines, or a stain may be used for this purpose. The transverse and other right lines being cut in, to make the holes for the pegs will be the next operation, and for this work centre-bits of various sizes should be used, except Making where the holes have to be bored on a joint-line, as in 20/°* f0F pegs. the part of the design marked A CE D. Here an auger would be better, as the joint-line would furnish no steady centre for the 107 AN EASY METHOD OF DECORATING BOARDED FLOORS. point of the bit. Whatever tool is used, sharpness is indispen- sable, as the holes must be bored smooth and round. The pegs must of course be of such diameter as to require driving into the holes with a mallet; and it will be found best to drive them nearly home, and then level off the top of them with a sharp elbow-chisel. Extra se- Gluing curity will be given pegs. by gluing before driving them. As for the ma- terial, ebony pegs, or pegs of pine stained black, will afford the best contrast ; but maho- gany, walnut, or any dark-col- oured wood, may be used with good effect. Stained pegs will require retouching with stain after being levelled off. In the patterns given, most of the pegs are round, but square pegs may be used, as in the sub-border, FF. Fig. 1, pro- vided the holes be squared with a chisel to match them ; indeed, though it involves more trouble, a very much better effect may be got by using pegs of this shape, set either square or anglewise, in conjunction with round pegs. The pegs being driven in and levelled off, the short in- cised lines ofthe sub - border G G should be cut in, Square pegs and holes for them. Short in- cised lines of border. and darkened with the crayon, or a stain. \/Z \7 , NV EN \\Z Y y O98 ae Ne BN MEN rs Yo | Re) ee Sut | te we il, eve ote exe e oN 8 e\e 78 ele pis otie sy FIG. 6.—DESIGN FOR PEGS AND CHISEL WORK BASED ON JOINT-LINE ONLY. If stain is used, “run- ning” may be prevented, by taking off superfluous moisture with a piece of blotting-paper. It now only remains to be considered what shall be done with 108 * CHISEL WORK IN DESIGNS. the margin, for as in no floor can one depend upon finding either a joint-line or a plank exactly in the middle, there will treatment almost always be an inequality in the width of the ! ™arein. margin; if this, however, be left tolerably wide, and it be stained of a dark colour, the difference of width will not catch the eye. In Fig. 1 the shaded part represents this stained margin. In case a plank instead of a joint-line occupies lengthwise the middle of the floor, the setting out of the work must 4... eect be begun by drawing ‘wo transverse lines, 7 inches in middle . ‘ of floor. (or width of plank) apart across the middle of the floor, so as to give a centre sgware instead of a centre inter- section. The other illustrations—Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5—-show various patterns, which may be carried out in this work. In three of them a little additional chisel-work is introduced, by which con- chisel work siderable relief may be given. Without doubt, by ™ ‘esisns. the aid of the chisel and knife-file, a pattern, dispensing with long transverse lines altogether, might be carried out with pegs—a design based upon the joint-line only, as in Fig. 6. This, how- ever, I have never seen tried, but those for which directions have been given above have been carried out with remarkably good effect. : An old proverb very truly declares that there is no accounting for tastes, and another points out as truly that what is one man’s meat is another man’s poison. Now, although there can be no doubt that the method of decorating boarded floors which has been described above cannot fail to present an attractive appear- ance when properly carried out, and greatly improve g.. 1. neces. the monotony of a surface broken only by a series of sary hints : : : : and cautions. varallel lines traversing its length at regular intervals, ‘t is probable that many will be found who will disapprove z7 foto of this mode of beautifying floors. For example, it is unlikely that many owners of house property would be found who would sanc- tion decoration of this kind being carried out by the tenant and occupier of a house for the time being, because the procedure necessarily inflicts a certain amount of damage on the floor, and ‘the result produced is, moreover, permanent, and can only be got rid of by removing the boards thus treated and relaying the floor- ing, which will involve some little cost in new floor-boards and 109 AN EASY METHOD OF DECORATING BOARDED FLOORS, labour. I must confess that I should not like to have improve- ments of this, or of any other kind, that interfere with the fabric itself, carried out by the tenant of any house that belonged to me, without my sanction ; and therefore it is only right that I should recommend any and every tenant who is inclined to ornament any part of the flooring of the house in which he is residing, in the manner described, to come to an understanding with his landlord on the subject before he begins. And in parsonage houses, of which the rector or vicar, as the case may be, is tenant and owner for life only, or for such time as he may be inclined to hold the living, when they change hands the incomer has a claim upon the outgoer, or his legal representatives, for “ dilapidations,” and I am by no means sure that improvements or alterations of this kind, which, as I have said before, involve damage to the fabric to a | limited extent, could not be twisted in such a way as to find a place in the items classified under this disagreeable heading. I may be wrong, and I sincerely hope I am, but in everything that we do in © this life reasonable caution is necessary, and Iam clearly in the right in holding out a danger signal in a matter about which I am myself in doubt. SN ee ~ AVM | freee é - JuAUEs, avie LS. ~ .rice 1s. per Volume, neatry. oouna 1n ciotn. 1 Long Life, and How to Reach it. 2 Eyesight, and How to Care for it, ILLUSTRATED. 3 The Throat and the Voice. 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