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/ or erect a shelter; how to find . comfort in a sleeping bag; the names of flowers, their struc ture, their odors, and how they grow. The names of birds, their flight, their songs, their eggs and young, their virtues and their vices. How the earth is made, its hills and valleys, its Jrocks and soil. Streams, a trickle on a rock face high on a cliff, or a Valley of a Thou sand Falls; a cool drink from a spring, a hot face w'ashed in a tiny brook, or a tingling bath in a mountain stream or glacial pool. Fire, for a cup of tea, or a full meal at the end of day, a fire for warming, or a big camp fire with tales and song, and even the dread forest fire. Scenes, big, little, at all angles and all distances, with snow, or the greens of spring climbing uphill, the great flower beds of summer, evergreen forests, glaciers, ice in chimneys, the colors of fall; and clouds, all kinds, never two alike, never a sky the same; and pictures, with their memories. Last, and most important, companion ship, all sorts, cheerful or glum, bright or dull, active or lazy, skillful or clumsy, bold or timid. Of all such is the art and plea sure of walking. Resin-and-Casein Water Paints >r me? se for in inesired, an do year, ithout ttle dk 1 suns addit will s (but ' ones), as efjne up >t take desired sparkle >n your of the It con fog, or ar days e of its s are in mowing md how it, alone o make WITH AUTOMOBILE TRAVEL none of the casein that was the curtailed and public basis of the earlier washable transportation badly ovceorld-water paints. crowded, and various means of Those who are considering recreation made less available using one of the new water- to everyone, many people to mixed paints should carefully day are finding satisfaction in study their own particular prob doing things to make their lem to be certain that paints homes more attractive. There of this type are actually suited has been a marked increase in to the particular job. It must interest in wall decoration, since be conceded that wall surfaces wall surfaces are among the covered with water paints have most conspicuous elements of a morev pleasing appearance to the home. most people than surfaces with Removing and applying wall an oil paint coating. The uni paper is a time-consuming job form matt surface and the ab if it is to be done by the house sence of bright areas or reflect holder, and paperhangers to do ed glare from shiny or semi the work may not be available. shiny zones is more restful to One answer to the problem of the eyes and attractive in other 'refinishing walls is the use of ways. one of the popular cold-water Water paints are relatively paints, and a number of such easy for the amateur painter paints for interior finish have to apply, either with a brush, been very heavily advertised in or with the roller sold by the recent months. manufacturers for this purpose. These paints are not the same There is also an absence of the as the casein paints which be characteristic painty odor, al came increasingly popular after though water paints do have their use in the Century of an odor which to some people Progress buildings at the may be as objectionable as that World's Fair in 1933. In the of oil paints. This odor usually aewer product synthetic res- disappears or becomes quite jas are employed to improve faint, however, in about 24 bth the washability and the hours. ^se of application. Some of For wallpaper that is firmly the new paints contain little or adherent and for surfaces that have been previously painted with water paints except calci mine, or for walls or ceilings of plaster or fiberboard not previ-. ously painted, these new water paints can be recommended. They may also be used success fully in attics and on dry wall surfaces of concrete or brick work. When the paint is to be used over wallpaper, it is important to inspect the whole area closely to make sure that the wallpaper is everywhere firmly attached to the wall. Any places where the wallpaper appears not to be firmly ad herent should be carefully pull ed away from the wall, pasted down and allowed to dry fully before attempting to paint over it. The average reader of adver tising of these new water paints is very likely to assume that they serve all purposes for in terior painting, for the claims tend to give this impression and say the products may be applied directly over wallpaper, painted walls, plywood walls, wallboard, fireplaces, brick in teriors, cement, and basement walls. Actually these paints have a number of important disadvantages, none of which, of course, is mentioned in the H 1944 ^CONSUMERS' RESEARCH BULLETIN, MARCH 1944 21 advertising or stressed in the labelling of the packages. One 1 important application which has attracted many to the resin paints is that they can be ap plied directly over wallpaper and are asserted to cover its design or pattern completely in one coat. It is true the paints can be applied directly over wallpaper, provided that the paper is firmly adherent everywhere, but wallpaper thus treated becomes resistant to water, and if it is later to be removed it may very likely be necessary to use professional steaming equipment for the job. Not all colors of water paints will hide all wallpaper designs with the one coat which the manufacturers of Kem-Tone and Resintone claim will cover properly when their product is used. Although water paints have been applied over previous coat ings of standard wall paints using a linseed oil or similar vehicle, with results apparent ly successful at the time of painting, chipping or flaking of paint have often followed, leav ing a difficult surface to deal with for any subsequent paint ing. Authorities on paints have long recognized that any paint will wear better if it is applied over a paint of similar chemical and physical characteristics, and the best and safest prac tice is to use an oil paint over a previous coating of oil paint. This is an important point, yet one that is given little consider ation by both consumers and the average painter. It applies both to paints for interior use and to paints for out-of-doors use. The new resin-and-casein paints should not be applied over calcimine, which contains glue and is softened by water or by any material mixed in water. They are likewise not recommended for painting smooth woodwork, such as doors, trim, or window sash, which are touched by the hands frequently. Perspiration and smudges from grimy or greasy hands cannot be easily washed off, as they penetrate water paint films too deeply. For finishing of woodwork in such locations, a good quality oil paint or enamel is much better, for it can be successfully and easily washed and rewashed, and will resist encroachment of dirt into the coating. This re sistance to dirt is especially characteristic of glossy oil paints, though semi-gloss and even flat oil paints stand wash ing much better than any wa ter paints. Another class of surfaces on which these paints must not be used is in basements or in rooms which are damp (such as a bathroom or kitchen), for the molds which will attack paints in such localities will not only damage and disfigure the coat ing, but may give off an objec tionable odor. Ease of Application Although the resin-andcasein paints can be applied with a brush, dealers advise the use of a roller made espe cially for this type of paint. The rollers are about seven inches wide and consist of a pad of a coarse felt or carpet material on a sponge rubber base fastened to a wooden roll er. The pad can be washed and the roll used again. While the life of the roll is short, its use has advantages for some types of work, especially if a good brush is not at hand, or obtainable at a reasonable price at this time. The rollers are especially helpful in painting ceilings. The paint when mixed as directed is so thin that if a brush is used over the head by a person not expert in painting with a brush, the paint will run down the painter's arms like water. With the roller, this does not occur, and it is not difficult to get an even, "level" coat. (Immedi ately after the painting is done with use of the roller, there is a stippled effect, but this disappears, or nearly so, as the paint dries.) One consultant, how ever, rates the roller as only a wartime substitute for a good brush and believes that for most persons, even comparative am ateurs, brushes which are easier to use and faster than roller devices will continue to be used for good painting. Though the roller can be used, if desired, for the greater part of the painting, some brush work will be necessary at the top region of the walls and edges of the ceiling, also around doors and windows, where a narrow "safety strip" must be left. The principal objection to the roller is the seam in the fiber cover. After some use, the nap wears off this seam which is slightly raised and leaves a series of marks along the wail. The life of the roller, which is rather crudely and imperfectly made, is probably only sufficient to paint one aver age size room, for when used a second time, the nap will have been compressed, and it will not do so good a job as when new. A roller with a seamless covering of better grade would be a great improve ment over the type now sold. Some of the rollers now ap pearing on the market are cover ed with carpeting and have a spiral seam, which should over come the difficulties referred to. It is important to remember * that although spatters of these water paints may be wiped of with water or soapsuds, this must be done before the pain has "set." Resin-and-caseir - paints are water-resistant wher f dry, and it is difficult to remove them from woodwork, brushes rollers, containers, or other sur ; faces then. Washability The resin-and-casein pain , manufacturers all claim tha \ their products are washable One says "just as washable a l any good flat wall paint," an : other "readily washable," an other just "washable." Botl Kem-Tone and Sero-Tone rec - ommend the use of mild soa] and water. Laboratory tests by Cl showed that all three of th paints tested were inferior i: respect to washability com pared to an oil paint of th r flat or non-glossy type. Th ; paints were marked by a sof f pencil and also with a ligh : daub of machine oil. There after eleven very limited an brief washings were carried ou according to a standard routim On the oil paint the washin removed the pencil marks an oil spot completely. With a three of the resin-and-casei paints, the pencil mark wa still visible after 15 washing,' ` although the paints themselvc had worn away sufficiently wit that number of washings t allow the undercoat to sho' Froz A h azar d of a very une? ^ pected and often quit disastrous sort exists whe lighting a fire in the kitche stove if the hot-water fror (also known when located t( ward the back of the stove as 22 CONSUMERS' RESEARCH BULLETIN. MARCH 1944 f CONSUMERS' RESEARC :ted m\ sed m not ish, the ' ith ~ur [ an , ' 3di- one l. is a ( ' ;aP- !' :int )W- ( ya r >od L ost " im- 1 ; sier iler sed ^ed, i, art ash : the and md . a be to the se, ` am nd >ng er, nd ) >iy ersed vill it as a ter vre- Id. LD- er*a erto. )er \ that although spatters of these water paints may be wiped off with water or soapsuds, this must be done before the paint has "set." Resin-and-casein paints are water-resistant when dry, and it is difficult to remove them from woodwork, brushes, rollers, containers, or other sur faces then. Washability The resin-and-casein paint manufacturers all claim that their products are washable. One says "just as washable as any good flat wall paint," an other "readily washable," an other just "washable." Both Kem-Tone and Sero-Tone rec ommend the use of mild soap and water. Laboratory tests by CR showed that all three of the paints tested were inferior in respect to washability com pared to an oil paint of the flat or non-glossy type. The paints were marked by a soft pencil and also with a light daub of machine oil. There after eleven very limited and brief washings were carried out according to a standard routine. On the oil paint the washing removed the pencil marks and oil spot completely. With all three of the resin-and-casein paints, the pencil mark was still visible after 15 washings, although the paints themselves had worn away sufficiently with that number of washings to allow the undercoat to show through, as did not occur with the oil paint. With Wards Resintone, removal of the oil spot was accomplished only when the paint was removed too. With Kem-Tone the spot was removed without apparent damage to the paint. With Sero-Tone, the spot was still plainly visible after the fifteenth washing, and the paint itself was in poor condition. Relative Economy There is, of course, a differ ence in relative costs if two coats of oil paint are necessary for a particular job. In con sidering costs, it must be re membered that two coats of the resin-and-casein paints, mixed and applied according to direc tions, will, in spite of advertis ing claims, often be needed, as one coat will not cover some patterns or surfaces satisfactori ly. In a trial made, for ex ample, by CR, one coat of KemTone, mixed and used accord ing to directions, failed to cover a red-and-white striped wall paper satisfactorily. It also failed to cover the border satis factorily when a sidewall and border were being painted. The material cost per square foot per coat is approximately twice as much for water paint as for good quality oil paint. How ever, if the job is one that could be done with one coat of water paint, the cost of the water paint would be about the same as the cost for two coats of a good oil paint. Resin-and-Casein Paints B. Intermediate Sero-Tone (Sears-Roebuck's Cat. No. 30--04013, etc.) 69c for 1 qt.; S2.49 for 1 gal. 1 gal. claimed to cover 600 to 800 sq. ft., but in actual use found to give approximately the same coverage as Kem-Tone. (Na ture of surface not specified, but doubtless a smooth, non-absorbent surface is meant.) Performance of Sero-Tone as to washability judged least satisfactory of the three paints studied. 2 Wards Washable Resintone (Mont gomery Ward's Cat. No. 75--2725, etc.) 77c plus postage for 1 qt.; $2.59 plus postage for 1 gal. 1 gal. claimed to cover 700 sq. ft. on smooth surfaces, 200 sq. ft. on rough porous surfaces. In actual use was found to give about 20% larger area cover age than Kem-Tone and Sero-Tone. Judged intermediate in washability between Kem-Tone and Sero-Tone. 2 Kem-Tone (The Sherwin-Williams Co., Cleveland, Ohio) 98c for 1 qt.; $2.98 for 1 gal. Coverage figures were not given on the can or in the literature, but inquiry by letter dis closes claim for Kem-Tone of a cover age ranging from 300 to 400 sq. ft. (equivalent to a material cost of 75 to 99c per 100 sq. ft.), depending upon the porosity of the surface over (which it is applied and the method of application. This was found to be approximately correct in an actual use test. This paint gave the best performance of the three in wash- ability. On present information, Kem-Tone would appear to be the best of the three paints studied. For use on previously unpainted walls or ceilings of plaster, fiberboard, or wallpaper (provided that the paper is firmly adherent everywhere) or for such surfaces previously decorated with water paints, Kem-Tone would probably merit an A rating. 3 Frozen Pipes Involve a Real Hazard A h a z a r d of a very unex~ pected and often quite disastrous sort exists when lighting a fire in the kitchen stove if the hot-water front (also known when located to ward the back of the stove as a hot-water back) is frozen, for a very serious explosion capable of wrecking the stove and the room can occur. Another pre caution that should be taken with plumbing in cold weather is not to draw water from a faucet or piping connected to a hot-water boiler if there is any danger that the hot-water pipes are frozen, for the result may be to collapse the boiler. 44 CONSUMERS' RESEARCH BULLETIN. MARCH 1944 23