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House Cleaning: Rough

To Paper a Rough Wall.-To paper old walls of boards, planks, or wainscoting without plaster, or sanded walls that have not been "skimmed" with plaster or lime, or other rough surfaces, it may be necessary to first hang a layer of cotton cloth to furnish a smooth surface on which to hang paper. The difficulty of hanging paper on a rough surface is that the paper, being stiff, does not yield to the depressions in the wall. Hence air spaces are left that cause the paper to blister and peel off. The advantages of using cloth are that it is flexible, that it takes up more paste than paper does, and hence that it adheres more closely to the wall. It affords a smooth and suitable surface on which to hang paper, and gives the final result a good appearance. First go over rough surfaces with sandpaper. Tack this to a large block of wood, into which, to avoid using a stepladder, insert an old broom handle.