placed in pantries and on shelves, and if the paint is not hard dry this is liable to soften it.
Kitchen and Pantry Floors. Floors should be scrubbed three or four days before paint is applied. If there are any grease spots, wash them with turpentine or benzine. The first coat of paint should be mixed to dry firm and hard in the wood. Reduce lead in oil with 2-3 turpentine and 1-3 good copal or mixing varnish. When hard, sandpaper lightly, dust off and apply a coat of 2-3 mixing varnish and 1-3 flat color. This will dry with a good gloss, firm and hard and make a coating which is not in danger of being scratched or scuffed up.
Graining Ground. If the surface has been previously painted and is in good condition, thoroughly sandpaper and apply a coat of paint mixed fiat and tinted to the proper ground color with a pint of hard-drying varnish added. Should the paint dry too flat for good working or combing of the graining color, an additional amount of varnish can be added, or a small amount of oil. If numerous coats of oil paint have been applied, or if the surface is badly cracked, the paint will have to be burned or removed with paint remover, then proceed as with new work.
Where graining is done over an old varnished surface, it is best to remove the varnish before applying the paint to avoid cracking; however, if it is impossible to do so, the ground work can be mixed to a semi-paste with a good mixing varnish, then reduced to a painting consistency with turpentine. A small amount of oil can be used should the color not work freely, but not to exceed four ounces of oil to the gallon of paint. Should the paint dry too flat for good working or combing of the graining color, an additional amount of varnish can be used in the second coat to produce an eggshell or semi-gloss, whichever is desired.
Staining. If a surface which has been previously painted or varnished is to be stained, it must be handled and built up with the proper shade of ground color according
