48 THE SMALL COUNTRY PLACE 



kinds of paint will stand well for from five to eight years, 

 while others will last but a short time. 



To produce the best results, buildings should be 

 thoroughly dry, that the paint may penetrate into all 

 the cracks and crevices and thus shut out the moisture, 



FIG. 11 A Modern Shingled House. 



which causes wood work to decay most rapidly. It may 

 take more paint under this condition, but it will be 

 economy in the end. 



Time for Painting. 



In view of what has just been said it would seem that 

 during a very dry summer would be the best time to 

 paint our houses, but the general practice is to paint in 

 the spring or early fall, and very little attention is given 

 to the condition of the buildings, state of the weather, 

 etc. Perhaps the reason for this practice is the fact 

 that the weather conditions at these times are as good as 

 at any other season and labor less busy. The winter 

 months have many advantages for painting. During 

 cold weather the same amount of oil and coloring matter 

 will be a little thicker than in the summer, will dry or 



