WALL SURFACES

Evening Star, Issue 20139, 2 April 1929, Page 2

WALL SURFACES

USE OF FABRIC COVERINGS The decoration of walls with fabric coverings is the subject of an article in the ‘ American Painter and Decorator.' .In preparing new smooth plaster (says the writer) the first operation necessary is an inspection to find places damaged by other workmen. These should be cut out and undercut with a putty knife, damped with water, and then filled with one of the prepared patching plasters or witli plaster of Paris. Submerge the plaster of Paris in water and take out only a small handful at a time, knead it well, and force it into the crack or hole. Then smooth it off and let it dry. Jf neatly done, no sandpapering will he necessary to smooth up the, surface. Shellac the fillings so that they will not absorb the moisture from the paste. Next mix up a glue size by soaking ilh of good Hake glue in a pail (two gallons) of cold water for two or three hours, or over night. Then heat the size and work up the lumps of glim with your hand until dissolved. Add n pint of table vinegar and. apply the size to the wall with a distemper brush. Let the surface dry, and it is ready for hanging the fabric. DEALING WITH ROUGH SURFACES. It isn’t often that a rough finish plaster wall is to bo finished with a fabric or wallpaper, yet there are rooms to be so treated, and it can bo done with the proper method. The first step is to rub over the surface with sandpaper on a block of wood, to smooth off the plaster as much as possible. Then brush it down with a sin If brush or broom to remove the loose sand. ' .It is necessary next to fill up the rough surface ns much as possible, and that may he done best with one ot the new plastic paints brushed on as smoothly as possible, let dry, and sandoaper to remove the brush narks. The 'old-timer used for this purpose a compo or Swedish putty. Such a plastic can bo mixed as follows; —

One pound "ood Hake *;lue. ]n water until swelled and soft, then place the pot in a pail of hot water and make it very hot. Twenty pounds dry whiting. aim with hot water to a stilt putty.

One quart boiled linseed oil. Two quarts cheap gloss oil varnish. Mix the oil and varnish together and make very hot by placing the pot iu water. .Next,'ini's* the hot glue with the whiting in hot water. finally, mix tho hot oil ami varnish solution iu the glue and whiting solution. Do a good job of mixing here, and let the compo stand until cool. If it is too thick to apply with a brush, add a little hot water. .It will not keep over night. . . The compo or plastic paint is to bo applied to the rough wall with a brush in a film thick enough'to till the rough places. .Let set a few minutes and° apply a second coat if necessary. Allow the surface to dry oyer night and then sandpaper lightly il needed to make it smooth. A good way to lay cm a smooth coat of the plastic tiller is to scrape it down while soli; with a metal and rubber window wiper called a squeegee, used for washing shop windows. Then apply a glue size as specified for new smooth plaster walls. When the size is dry the wall is readv to have a fabrh hung upon it. If there are any cracks or holes or bruised places in tho plaster, they should be cleaned out, wet with water, and filled with a patching plaster or with plaster of Paris as described lor smooth-walls. Pc sure to undercut all edges of holes ami wide cracks so the putfv filling will wedge itself into the hole‘like a keystone- When, dry, give the fillings a coat of shellac. 11 this is not done” the fillings will absorb moisture from cue paste ami tbe fabric will not stick. PAPER FOR LINING. Another method preferred by some is that which calls (or the use ol lining paper instead of tho plastic paint or compo. The plastic filler is icalh needed for very rough walls, hut some sand-finished walls are comparatively smooth, and the smoothest of them can often be covered with a labric or wallpaper after smoothing them off, sweeping off the loose sand and sizing twice. For smoothing off suit aces that 3re too hard for sandpaper, some craftsmen take a block of 11 by 4- wood about 6111 long. They then secure to it a piece of metal lath turned over at the edges and nailed. This makes a scraper which cuts off tho high points of the plaster quickly. After scraping sweep down the walls thoroughly to remove loose particles, and apply a glue size mixed from lib of good flake glue to one gallon of water. When the size is drv the walls are ready lor hanging the fabric. After placing the fabric it must be well pounded down into contact wifh the surface, using a stiff smoothing brush or a clean wall stippling brush lor fbe purpose. Undoubtedly the best job results from the following method, given by a man with a lot of experience on such surfaces:—Scrape the walls with a broad stopping knife to remove projecting particles; then brush them down with a stiff broom to lake off loose sand. Size with a strong size made from lib of good flake glue to one gallon of water. Add about a pint of vinegar and of molasses to the ipail of size. And, of course, the glue should be soaked iu cold water a few hours before dissolving in hot water. Add ■ molasses while hot. Apply the size thoroughly, and let it dry. Sandpaper the surface, clean up, and apply n second coat of size. Tho second size should be the same as the first. When the size is'dry cover the walls with a I2oz blank lining paper, pasted on as usual and pounded with a stiff brusu well into contact with the plaster. Lap the lining paper seams about 1 in. Roll down the seam and then pull the paper bock, fold it back at the seams about a quarter of an inch so it will not stick. Let it dry that way, and then ‘ take hold with your finger# ami tear off the quarter-inch strip, making a

feather edge, and the lapped joints will not show through either wallpaper or fabrics applied over the lining paperThat is true when the heavy and medium heavy grades of wallpaper are to be hung. When light, thin -paper is to go on it is necessary to butt the lining paper with horizontal seams, not vertical as usual. Then the seams of the wallpaper nr fabric do not come over the seams of the lining paper. The use of lining paper is especially required when.walls are to be hung with large open pattern wallpaper and fabrics, because any rough places will show prominently in large open backgrounds. On the other hand, papers with, small, close patterns and little plain background may bo bung without lining papers on many surfaces of the rough character. OLD PAINTED WALLS. Painted, enamelled, and gloss oil or varnish-coated surfaces are apt to be difficult for wall fabric to adhere to unless treated to give the new covering better anchorage. The trouble is that the suction of the plaster lias been completely stopped, and the surface is too smooth. There are differences of opinion aboiA the best methods for treating sucli surfaces. The methods which have been most successful are these; If the walls are in bathroom, kitchen, nr similar rooms the service in which is apt to have coated the walls with a film of greasy dust and smoke, it is first very important to wash off all such accumulations with warm water, soap, and a little soda. Next rinse off after washing to remove all traces of soap or soda. Sandpaper the old paint in both directions to cut into it. and offer anchorage for the paste- Then size the walls with a size made from half a pound of good flake glue to, about one and a-half gallons of water. Soak the glue to swell it, and after about three hours or longer add the balance of the water very hot. Work the lumps of glue with the hands until dissolved. Different grades of glue vary in strength. Consequently, test the size by dipping the lingers into it and allowing it to dry. For lightweight wallpapers and fabrics the size should feel just slightly tacky. For heavy papers and thick fabrics a stronger size is needed.