A manual of home-making

For hard and continuous wear, such as on the floors of kitch- ens, passages, and dining-rooms, on (arms or for large families, linoleum makej^ a very satisfactory covering. A good quality of linoleum is about as durable as wood* Its pliability, elastic- ity, and quietness especially recommend it for rooms in which there is much walking: or standing. Since it comes in wide lengths, a linoleum door ha^ practically no seams or joints to catch the dirt and can, therefore, l>e considered a very sanitary material Battleship linoleum, plain brown in color, often .tones in acceptably with woodwork and furniture, A few other good plain colors are procurable. For the kitchen, a modest inlaid or a granite pattern is by many considered more cleanly in appearance, A similar choice of pattern in light colors is alao appropriate for l)athrooms. A good grade of linoleum is not cheap^ but its lasting qualities repay the initial expense. Cheap grades are not in the long run a good investment, A linoleum floor should be laid by the firm from whom it is purchased. The inconvenience attendant on the proper laving of a linoleum floor most 1^ l>orne patiently, bet^ause it must be kept in the form of loose pieces until it has adjusted itself to the fiatJiess of the floor, tfip temperature of the rooni^ and the space which it is to fill Since the marks made by furniture show up badly on a new linoleum, the pressure of heavy pieces should be re- lieved by little blocks under the legs while the lifinleum is new; but as the surface becomes harder through care and axposure, it will be found to stand Ijetter the necessary wear. Cork carpet Cork carpet, a floor covering similar to linoleum in wearing qualities, but with more of a surface texture, can be ob- tained in a nuralx^r of plain tones. Like linoleum it can be iL^HJ pleasingly even in living-rooms as a background for rugs. 78 A MANUAL OF HOME-MAKING Wood^feneer carpel, A wood-veneer carpet of inconspinuoLis patt^Tn laid over an old floor is also a very durable and satisfat^tory baekgroimd for mp?, Japanese matting of fine weave, thoiipjh liM:ht io eolor can be made to take the place of a liare wood floor e^^fjeoially in bedrooms or rooms where white or light painted wood is used. Ingrain filling. Ingrain filling or other plain carpets may also Ix; used as a background for rugs in the absence of a good wood floor. FURNITCRK (Plates VI-IX and Figs. 24-29). Furniture is perhaps the most distinctive of all the movable furnishings of the home. Well-made furniture is very duralile and should, therefore, be Beleuted with the care which perma- nence calls for. Furniture of relial.jle workmanship and made from choice material is rarely cheap, I nit is the best investment in the end. If the family purse is limited, it is better to buy at the start the few essential pieces and to add to these from time to time. No article of furniture should be purchased unless a need for it exists^ and then the one that will best fill that need should be sought for until it is found. At the time uf purchasci each article should be judged on its intrinsic merits and its adaptabihty to the neeil and place t !iat it is to fill. The fimdamental considerations in the selection of furniture are three: the function or use of the article selected; its construc- tion and design; and its relation to the room and other furnish- ings.