The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Care And Repair Of The House

Materials.

Screen paint or enamel in color desired and a small amount of boiled linseed oil or turpentine for thinning.

A screen door or window screen lasts longer and looks better if kept well painted at all times. If ordinary paint is used, it should be thinned out considerably to avoid clogging up the mesh. There are many special screen paints on the market which may be used, if desired. A coat of thin white paint on the screening makes the interior of the house less visible from the outside.

A cheap grade of screening will probably require painting every year, while galvanized wire may show signs of rust only after long usage, and then may require only a light coat of paint. Copper or bronze screening lasts for many years and needs little attention.

Storing for the Winter.

Tools.

Screw driver for removing doors and claw hammer and saw for building hanging frame.

Materials.

Numbered thumb tacks, a few short lengths of boards, and sufficient nails for the hanging frame.

Screens will last longer if they are taken down in the fall and stored in a dry place for the winter. A good plan, if convenient, is to suspend them from the ceiling in a corner of the basement, on a framework made of wood, as illustrated in Figure 10. The hangers should be about 2 feet apart and hung at the same elevation so that the screens will lie perfectly flat. This flatness will be more certain if two or three boards are laid down first to form a shelf.

The doors may be placed on the hangers first and then the window screens laid on top with perhaps some laths between to keep them separated. A covering of paper or canvas will protect them from dust. To prevent rusting during the winter months, some authorities recommend giving the wire a thin coat of screen enamel and when it is dry, wrapping the screens well with paper. This care preserves the mesh, and when the screens are enameled in the fall they are ready to be put up in the spring without further treatment.