THE EDITOR’S TALKS AND CORRESPONDENCE 
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The editor wishes to extend a personal invitation to all readers of House and Garden to send to the 
Correspondence Department, inquiries on any matter pertaining to house finishing and furnishing. Care¬ 
ful consideration is given each inquiry, the letter and answer being published in due time as matters of 
interest to other readers. Where an early reply is desired if a stamp and self-addressed envelope are 
enclosed, the answer will be sent. No charge whatever is made for any advice given. 
CONCERNING THE STANDING WOODWORK AND FLOORS 
OF THE HOUSE 
NE of the chief difficulties encountered in plan¬ 
ning a home to-day is the scarcity of lumber. 
The impossibility — to the man of moderate 
means—of following in the footsteps of his grand¬ 
fathers who used much of solid mahogany and oak, 
even in an inexpensive house, is made plain when he 
receives the estimates from his contractors. Many 
woods hitherto considered only serviceable for the less 
important quarters of the house are now brought well 
to the front and under the wonderful stains and fin¬ 
ishes on the market to-day are made to serve not only 
satisfactorily hut decoratively in place of the more 
expensive hard woods. Such woods as spruce, hem¬ 
lock or poplar are all susceptible of extremely good 
effects under such treatment. In the past two or 
three years Southern pine has almost reached a 
place among the more aristocratic woods, and has 
increased largely in price. This wood is very sat¬ 
isfactory both for floors (when rift sawed) or for 
standing woodwork. Birch also is a very beautiful 
wood under stain. 1 his, however, is a trifle more 
expensive if selected and most architects insist 
upon having selected birch when it is specified. It 
is, however, possible through expert advice to equal¬ 
ize the color and bring the various shades and tones 
shown in the unselected wood into harmony. This 
is not at all an expensive treatment and is one of 
which the Eastern architect is beginning largely to 
avail himself. 
Where paint or an enamel finish is specified the 
matter of the wood selected is easily adjusted as most 
of the cheaper woods will take this treatment well. 
However, the price is sometimes brought up by the 
cost of application, though there are enamels which 
do not require any rubbing between coats. Many 
very beautiful shades of color are produced now by 
certain of the large paint manufacturers ready pre¬ 
pared to apply. Particularly in rooms in which one 
wishes to enhance the apparent size this gives an 
excellent effect if the color chosen is in complete 
harmony with the side wall treatment. 
In deciding upon the treatment of the woodwork 
1 would very sincerely advise the house builder to 
select some well established stain, varnish or finish. 
While many decorators and painters will advise the 
amateur builder that they can obtain for them results 
which in point of appearance and durability will be 
equally beautiful and much less expensive than a 
similar effect obtained through the use of goods 
made by some well-known firm, it is well to take 
warning and avoid any makeshift. The stains now 
made by a number of the leading paint and var¬ 
nish manufacturers are compiled after careful formu¬ 
las which have been well tested and are known to hold 
their color and in no wise injure the wood while bring¬ 
ing out the full beauty of the grain, and these, like 
the natural wood, are enhanced by time, the color 
becoming richer and the finish more beautiful with 
years. 
Since the German exhibit at the St. Louis Expo¬ 
sition in 1904 the American manufacturers have 
taken a new start in the direction of obtaining beauti¬ 
ful results in this line. The impetus gained from the 
wonderful work shown there by the German artisans 
has continued until the work put out by many 
American firms equals, if not surpasses, that of 
the Germans. In fact many of the leading manu¬ 
facturers have imported their labor direct from 
Germany and Austria and this will, in a meas¬ 
ure, account for the great improvement in these 
lines. 
Many stains prepared by the amateur seem 
simple and the immediate results as far as appearance 
go are satisfactory. But, as we have said, it is well 
to be warned against dealing in these as the effect is 
not permanent; and the complete change of tone in a 
few months’ time will put this important factor in the 
decorative scheme—-the standing woodwork of the 
house- entirely out of harmony with its surround¬ 
ings which may have been selected to suit it. 
