HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARMERS' MONTHLY 



THE KITCHEN FLOOR 



Whether in the new kitchen or in the 

 old, one of the homemaker's biggest prob- 

 lems is the kitchen floor. If the kitchen 

 is to present a neat and attractive ap- 

 pearance the floor must be clean and well- 

 kept. How can it be treated to protect 

 the wood, to give it this well-kept appear- 

 ance with the minimum expenditure of 

 eff"ort and time is the question that many- 

 home makers are asking. 



Old Floors 



If one has an old kitchen floor of wide 

 or narrow boards that have become rough 

 and splintered, spotted and discolored 

 with wear, it should be treated in some 

 way to make it less of a problem to the 

 home maker. It should be borne in mind 

 that while the appearance can be greatly 

 improved and the time required for its 

 care reduced to a minimum yet it cannot 

 be made to look like a new hard wood 

 floor. 



First of all decide upon the new floor 

 treatment or covering as this will deter- 

 mine the method of procedure, for se- 

 curing the new finish. If the floor has 

 been oiled, painted or stained and var- 

 nished it should have this old finish re- 

 moved and should be given a thorough 

 cleaning before applying the new finish. 



For removing the old finish one may 

 use one of several removers. A com- 

 mercial paint or varnish remover may be 

 used; if this proves too expensive for the 

 old floor where one need not be so careful 

 regarding the color of the wood and also 

 of roughing the surface then a soap pow- 

 der, washing soda or lye solution may be 

 used. Keep in mind that a thorough 

 rinsing with clean water and vinegar tc 

 destroy any trace of the alkali in the 

 remover is necessary. After the floor is 

 thoroughly dry it should be rubbed smooth 

 with sand paper and then it is ready to 

 be painted or oiled or varnished. 



Painted Floors 



Paint is used to restore or revive old 

 floors and on new soft wood floors. If 

 this treatment is one's preference the fol- 

 lowing method of procedure is suggested : 



1. Thoroughly clean the floor, removing 



the old finish as suggested above. 

 Keep in mind that all of the old finish 

 should be removed to insure a smooth 

 new finish. 



2. After the old finish is removed and 

 the floor is thoroughly dry and the 

 rough surface rubbed smooth, then 

 apply the primary coat of paint. 



S. When this priming coat is dry the 

 cracks, nail holes, etc., may be filled. 

 Keep in mind that crack fillers, on 

 the whole, are not satisfactory but 

 if you wish to use one then there is 

 a choice of the following: 



(a) Commercial crack fillers which 

 may be purchased from any 

 paint dealer. 



(b) Home made crack fillers which 

 are less expensive than the com- 

 mercial and for some floors are 

 equally satisfactory. 



(c) A crack filler may be made of 

 paper cut or torn in small bits, 

 with boiling water poured on it 

 and pounded into a pulp. Glue 

 is added to make the mixture the 

 consistency of rather a stiff' 

 paste. This mixture is pressed 

 into the cracks with a stiff knife 

 or spatula and allowed to dry. 



After the filler is thoroughly dry the 

 surface may be rubbed smooth when it is 

 ready for the next coat of paint. If more 

 than one finishing coat is required, each 

 should be thoroughly dried before another 

 coat is applied. A coat of good spar 

 varnish applied after the last coat of 

 paint has thoroughly dried will preserve 

 the paint. Painted floors properly done 

 and given proper care will last for some 

 time. Use a good quality paint. Many 

 have found battleship deck paint most 

 satisfactory. One gallon paint covers 

 300-.500 square feet of surface. Always 

 follow directions given on the paint con- 

 tainers. 

 Oiled Floors 



Oil off"ers another treatment for the 

 kitchen floor. 



After the floor has been thoroughly 

 cleaned and allowed to dry it may be oiled. 

 If darker floor is desired, a stain may be 

 applied at this time before the oil treat- 

 ment is applied. An acid or alcohol floor 

 stain of the desired color may be had 

 from local dealers but a less expensive 

 stain and one that has proven very sat- 

 isfactory is a home made stain of per- 

 manganate of potash. Let the floor dry 

 a day or two before oiling. 



W. H. RILEY 8C CO. 



•I.LMBIXG anil HEATIXG 



KITCHESr FURXISHIIVGS 



AGENTS FOR 

 Glcenivooil Rnn^CK 



and Ijowe liros. Paints 



Opp. Po.st Office Northampton, Mass. 



Western Electric Power and Light 



RELIABLE 



Backed by half a century's 

 reputation. 



You can have confidence in a 

 Western Electric Light and 

 Power outfit. It is the only 

 Farm Plant backed by 54 years' 

 experience. 



This means that the West- 

 ern Electric Outfit is designed 

 right and built to give you 

 years of uninterrupted service. 



If you want to know more of 

 the reasons why you should buy 

 the Western Electric, drop a 



line to 



SURNIER & McBREEN 

 Electrical Contractors 



NOm HA:MrT<)N. ma>s. 



>eeisisi^^^eesiSBieis^8eseefe{Si8iS{Sf8}eB^ie 



Dealers for Hampshire County 



Attractive proposition to first 

 customers in each community. 



