Home Improvement : When Painting House Exterior, Follow Sun
QUESTION: I will be painting the outside of my house this year. I have read up on the subject and am sure I can do a good job even though I have never painted an exterior. Every once in a while, I run across the expression “follow the sun” while doing the painting. I have an inkling of what that means, but I am not sure. Can you clarify it for me?
ANSWER: When you paint the outside of a house, you do not want the rays of the sun to dry it too quickly. The best results are obtained when the paint dries normally without any aid from heat. To “follow the sun” means to paint where the sun has just been and will not return that day. You then will be painting all the time in the shade. Besides helping the paint job, that procedure will keep you a lot more comfortable on a warm day.
Getting a Charge From Vacuum Cleaner
Q: Your readers may be interested in what happened to me recently with one of those hand-held cordless vacuum cleaners. It has stood me in good stead over the years for quick cleanups around the house, but recently did not seem to charge properly.
I had my husband check to see whether the cleaner was seated properly in the charging bracket. He checked and said everything seemed to be OK, but when he began to ask me some questions, I suddenly realized what had happened.
I had connected the charging base to a different electrical outlet than in the past. I had switched it to a light switch, which turned the power off when the lights were turned out. This was a light seldom used, so the batteries in the cleaner were not being charged most of the time.
A: Thanks for the data. Another cause of improperly charged batteries is when the machine is used for only a few minutes and then placed in the charging base. The batteries then build up a resistance to taking a full charge and the result is reduced operating time.
Different Nuts Can Help Conceal Scratches
Q: There are several scratches in our living-room coffee table. They are not severe but they can be noticed when light shines on them a certain way. A neighbor tells me his grandfather used to disguise such scratches with the meat of a nut but he can’t remember what kind of nut was used. Any idea?
A: There is some difference of opinion about the kind of nut that works best, but we have seen some good results with the meat of a Brazil nut. A butternut is also said to work well, with a black walnut having its advocates. Don’t expect magic. All that happens is that the coloring in the nut meat comes off on the wood. It then is rubbed into the finish. Sometimes it provides a perfect match and the scratch cannot be seen. Sometimes it doesn’t and you will have to try again with another type of nut or perhaps with a bit of linseed oil or iodine.
All aspects of painting a house are detailed in Andy Lang’s booklet, “Paint Your House Inside and Out,” which can be obtained by sending $1 and a long, stamped, self-addressed envelope to Know-How, P.O. Box 744 Huntington, N.Y. 11743. Questions of general interest will be answered in the column.
