Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 188, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 August 1913 — POLISHED FLOOR NEEDS CARE [ARTICLE]

POLISHED FLOOR NEEDS CARE

Methods by Which It May Be Made to Last Long and Always Appear at Its Best. The first in polishing a soft wood floor is to see that it is perfectly smooth and clean. It it has been already painted or varnished the stains should be’removed with, strong ammonia and thorough scraping, when all cracks and dents should be closed with putty and a .“filler” applied, all over. This can be purchased at most oil and varnish shops, and should either be mixed with a little oolor or a sufficient quantity of floor stain should be added, yhe filler should be put on with a flat brush or piece of cloth and worked in one direction with the grain of the wood, while on completion of the process the room should be closed for 24 hours. At the end of that time the boards should be rubbed until they shine, with a longhandled, heavy weighted broom, over which a piece of carpet has been tacked, and this process may be repeated ad libitum. Finally the floor may be polishdd with boiled linseed oil and turpentine, this mixture being rubbed well in with a cloth and then left for an hour or two to dry, after which it must be again polished with the weighted brush. Instead of a final touch of this description, the floor may Be finished with a coat of varnish or shellac or with some prepared hardwood treatment, both of which should be put on evenly and thinly with a weighted brush or with an old piece of carpet In order to keep the floor at its best after the polishing process has been completed, it should never v be washed with water, but after all the dust has been removed crude petroleum should be rubbed in and left to dry.