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

First Aid For The Ailing Houses

A waterproof cement that will adhere to enamel as well as to the tiling is made of powdered litharge, which can be had at a paint or hardware store, mixed with a little glycerin. This cement is yellow. Should white be desired, tile cement can be used, to be had at a hardware store. This is not waterproof but can be made so after drying by a coat of glaze that should be bought with the cement.

One excellent material for filling this joint is top-quality caulking compound. The crack should be cleaned out. If it is deep, the bottom part should be filled with oakum, and the caulking compound pressed in to fill it full. The stickiness of the surface of the compound can be taken out by dusting with talcum powder.

There are several fine products made for this particular job. They are packaged in tubes, and application is very simple. The white-colored, thick material is squeezed from the tube as the tube is moved along the crack. With little or no trouble at all a very neat repair can be made. These materials never dry out completely; they are made to give with contraction and expansion, thus always maintaining a tight seal.

Linoleum dealers can usually supply linoleum in a form intended to fit over the crack between wall and tub and to be cemented into place. When properly installed this gives excellent results. Some hardware dealers can supply metal strips formed to fit the joint, which are also excellent.

Laying Ti/e Tile can be laid on a small area of a wood floor, as under a kitchen range, when protected against the movement of the wood in expanding and contracting with the changing seasons. The space beneath the tiling can be covered with heavy tar paper or thin plywood laid loose on the floor. The tiles are secured to this with tile cement. The margins should be protected by quarter-round molding nailed to the floor, the top edge being flush with the surface of the tiling.

BRASS AND COPPER

Cleaning Tarnish and corrosion can be removed from brass and copper by washing with ordinary vinegar in which as much salt as will be taken up has been dissolved, followed by rinsing with clear water. The solution can be made into a paste by the addition of flour.

Oxidization, which is the greenish deposit that appears on brass and copper plumbing pipes, can be removed by wiping with ammonia.