Popular Science Monthly 



635 



mixture should be thoroughly stirred 

 until it is uniform throughout. It may 

 then be applied by brushing out to a 

 thin coat on the new wood. The turpen- 

 tine will serve to carry the paint into 

 the pores of the wood and thus provide 

 a good substantial bond. The paint, 

 moreover, will dry rapidly to a • hard 

 surface which will provide a permanent 

 foundation for subsequent coats. Upon 

 the priming coat depends the success of 

 the whole painting job. Even if the 

 coat looks thin, the hiding power of the 

 paint should be sacrificed in order to ob- 

 tain this thorough penetration and hard 

 drying. 



When the priming coat has become 

 thoroughly hard and dry, which, as a 

 rule, will take at least three days, al- 

 though a week is better, all the nail holes 

 and other imperfections in a wooden 

 surface may be closed up with putty. 

 There may then be applied the second 

 coat of prepared paint as it comes from 

 the container, without the addition of 

 any material except a small quantity of 

 turpentine if the paint is heavy. One 

 pint of turpentine to a gallon of paint 

 is generally sufhcient for this purpose. 

 The turpentine will cause the second coat 

 to dry with a semi-matt surface. After 

 a suitable drying period, the third coat 

 may then be applied. No turpentine or 

 thinner should be added to the third 

 coat of prepared paint, since it is desired 

 to obtain a film rich in oil, that will dry 

 to a high-gloss surface. When old sur- 

 faces are to be repainted, all loose, scaled 

 paint should be removed and rough, 

 checked surfaces lightly sanded with fine 

 sandpaper. The work may proceed for 

 new surfaces as for the second and third 



coats. 



How to Paint Rooms 



A few years ago the use of paint was 

 largely confined to exteriors of buildings. 

 Interior walls were often left bare. Dis- 

 coloration and dampness followed. The 

 modern method is to decorate all in- 

 terior wall .and ceiling surfaces with 

 paints which are of a washable char- 

 acter. These paints may present either 

 a flat and light-diffusing surface, or a 

 high-gloss, enamel-like surface. The 

 flat or high -gloss paints are obtainable in 

 prepared form. Before applying such 



paints to plaster or cement- wall surfaces, 

 a wash treatment with a 25% water 

 solution of zinc sulphate is advisable, in 

 order to neutralize the lime present in, 

 the wall. Later, when the walls are 

 thoroughly dry, the paints should be ap- 

 plied in two or three-coat work. High- 

 gloss paints should always be applied 

 over an undercoat of flat paint. Light 

 cream color and the very light shades of 

 pink, green, blue or very light gray give 

 the greatest amount of light reflection in 

 a room. 



What Paints and Painting Cost 



Paste paints cost about $3.00 to $4.00 

 per gallon, while prepared paints sell 

 for $2.00 to $2.50 per gallon. A" paint 

 in prepared form, ready for application, 

 will cover from 300 to 1400 sq. ft. per 

 gallon, depending upon the character of 

 surface to which it is applied. On 

 smooth iron surfaces, the greatest spread- 

 ing rate is obtained, and on rough con- 

 crete surfaces, the lowest spreading rate. 

 On wooden surfaces the average spread- 

 ing rate is about 900 sq. ft. per gallon, 

 one coat. In estimating the amount of 

 paint required for a surface, the total 

 number of square feet should be calcu- 

 lated by multiplying the width by the 

 height, of each side. The total area 

 should then be divided by 300, which 

 will give approximately the number of 

 gallons required to produce three-coat 

 work. For instance, if the total area for 

 the four sides of a house is 6300 sq. ft., 

 21 gallons of paint will be required for 

 the work. If the cost of the paint is 

 $2.35 per gallon, the material cost will 

 be $49.35. The cost of labor for properly 

 applying the paint should be figured at 

 double the cost of the paint. To the 

 total must be added cost of brushes, 

 ladders, incidental materials, etc. It is 

 readily seen, therefore, that the cost of 

 the paint is a small part of the cost of 

 painting, and for this reason only the 

 best paint should be used in order to 

 secure a job that will last for the longest 

 time without repainting. 



Why Good Paints Save Money 

 The property owner should remember 

 that it is a very good business proposi- 

 tion to keep buildings of all types, 

 especially dwellings and farm buildings, 



