November, i g i 6 
33 
or other treatment, and can be cleansed 
with less labor than wood or linoleum. 
A common merit of cork and rubber floor¬ 
ing is that each can be laid with the sani¬ 
tary cove base, which forms a perfect union 
between the flooring and the mop board 
with curved outer surfaces, readily reached 
by either broom or mop. 
Decorating the Walls 
When the housewife approaches the 
problem of decorating the kitchen wall she 
confronts a set of conditions differing 
from those presented by the floor only in 
degree and not in kind. First, as before, 
there is the prime consideration of cleanli¬ 
ness. Many will say that for cleanliness 
and decoration alike there is nothing better 
on the kitchen walls than good, old-fash¬ 
ioned paint for the walls themselves as well 
as for the wood trim and the wood wains¬ 
coting, if there is any. Surely nobody 
wants paper on the kitchen walls or any 
other covering that would be bound to 
loosen or catch and hold the dust, the grease 
and vapors which will arise in the best reg¬ 
ulated of kitchens. But there is at least 
one wall covering suitable for kitchens that 
repels these enemies, and that is oilcloth, 
which, its makers assert, will always stay 
where it is put, will stay clean with a mini¬ 
mum of the maid’s attention, and will add 
greatly to the attractiveness of the room. 
Scores of patterns for body and borders 
are to be had, including plain solid colors, 
or glazed tile, dull-finish printed, and burlap 
effects, all in non-fading colors. 
The arguments for paint on the kitchen 
walls are well enough known to require no 
recital here. There are many brands of 
paint and each has its special claims, but 
all agree that paint is inexpensive, easily 
applied, readily cleaned, and limitless in its 
decorative treatments. Cold water paint is 
recommended by some, but always with the 
reservation that in a place like a kitchen it 
must be surely reinforced with a final coat 
of varnish or something else that will bear 
washing with soap and water. Oil paints 
are complete in themselves, and in the 
matter of the whole paint family it is doubt- 
(Continued on page 58) 
Efficiency applied to the kitchen requires that everything should have a place and be kept 
in that place, and that the various corners for work should be in close proximity to save 
steps. Here the rules have been well applied 
underfloor. The liquid cement used in set¬ 
ting the work flushes the joints and makes 
the whole covering absolutely waterproof. 
For cork tiling, much the same claims 
are made as for rubber. It is laid under 
the same conditions, by a similar method, 
and with identical results in securing a sur¬ 
face impervious to dirt or moisture. As 
for decorative effects, its possibilities are 
limited to what can be done with shades 
ranging from light oak to dark walnut, but 
the mottled texture of the surface in these 
rich tones is most pleasing to the eye, as 
the quiet, velvety feeling is restful to the 
feet. For those not familiar with the ma¬ 
terial it should be said that the cork flooring 
is of finely granulated cork closely com¬ 
pressed by hydraulic pressure and then 
heated to a high temperature which liquefies 
the natural gum of the cork and provides a 
binder which unites the fine pulp into a 
dense but somewhat elastic mass that is ef¬ 
fectively non-absorbent and proof against 
warping and cracking. 
Tile is one of the oldest of flooring ma¬ 
terials. Of its cleanly, non-absorbent qual¬ 
ities and decorative possibilities there is no 
doubt; in the matter of cost it is, of course, 
more expensive than wood or removable 
coverings, but less so than cork or rubber. 
In fact, it is cheaper than is commonly sup¬ 
posed; fifty cents a square foot is a fair 
estimate. It has to be laid on a good 
cement foundation about 3" thick, costing 
about seven cents a square foot. Like rub¬ 
ber and cork, it requires no painting, oiling 
Mrs. Gerritt Smith, decorator 
For a summer home, ivall board Stenciled decorations will take 
glazed will make a sanitary wall away from the modern sanitary 
and linoleum can be used on the kitchen its antiseptic, operating- 
floor room appearance 
