June, 1918 
21 
NEW and OLD FLOORS 
Treatments That Give a Room 
Individuality 
H. J. BURBANK 
W HEN we speak of the floor of a house, 
we almost invariably think of a wooden 
floor, polished or unpolished. We are so ac¬ 
customed to hardwood floors with rugs that 
we do not stop to think of several other treat¬ 
ments which have proved themselves to be both 
practical for everyday use and artistic in the 
home setting. 
Restoring an Old Floor 
In the restoration of an old farmhouse in 
the suburbs of Boston, the problem of the kind 
of a flAor to be used presented itself. The old 
one, laid over a century ago, was rough, knot¬ 
ted and so badly worn that paint could not 
restore it. This entailed a new floor which, 
unless it be of wide boards, would be out of 
keeping with the period in which the house 
was built. 
The problem was Anally solved hy laying 
a new floor of concrete over the old one. The 
work was done by a local Italian gardener at 
very little expense and was finished ready for 
use in less than a w.eek. 
The manner of treatment was very simple. 
A heavy wire lathing was first .nailed securely 
on to the old floor. Over this was spread a 
coating of concrete 3" thick, such as was used 
for sidewalks. This dried readily and was 
th< ' treated t<t3r coat of oil, after which black 
paint was liberally put on and later finished 
w T ith a cqat of varnish. It is kept in good 
Nor then d 
Black and white marble makes an effective 
floor. An approximation of it can be had 
with painted linoleum. George Porter 
Fernald, architect 
condition by occasionally adding a coat of 
floor varnish, the only attention that it really 
requires. 
It was really astonishing to learn what a 
variety of flooring has been devised. Among 
them was a most attractive beech floor which 
was quite consistent with the woodwork of the 
same material and proved an excellent back¬ 
ground for light blue rugs and antique furni¬ 
ture. It had the advantage of being light 
colored, wearing smooth with age, and possess¬ 
ing so many good qualities that I learned it 
was quite a favorite kind, often coming mottled 
and producing, when laid, a beautiful bird’s 
eye effect in the graining. In addition to this it 
was inexpensive, did not twist, warp, or split— 
three things one has to strive after in flooring. 
Tile and Marble 
Going farther afield I learned how satis¬ 
factory the cork tile floor was and how well 
it wore. The advantage in using this kind 
over other tile floors is its being noiseless; then, 
too, it has a soft, velvety, shaded effect that is 
interesting. The best place for it is on the 
floor of living room or bedrooms in a country 
home, where a simple, direct atmosphere is 
desired. 
Between the years 1835 and 1865, when the 
American Renaissance style of house was quite 
(Continued on page 58) 
In a room exposed to the weather, or 
one in close proximity to the garden, 
a cement floor with brick or tiles in¬ 
troduced may be used 
