This section is from the book "Your Home And Its Decoration", by The Sherwin-Williams Company. See also: Nell Hill's Feather Your Nest: It's All in the Details.
Durable Household Varnish is another Brighten-Up finish which is extremely useful for redecorating purposes. It is a general-purpose varnish, which is tough and elastic, and adapted to almost any use. It can be used on floors, where it will stand hard foot wear without scratching or marring easily. It can be successfully used on bathroom woodwork, where it will not turn white from dampness, or on furniture, where it will stand hard wear as well as many varnishes costing twice as much. It works easily, dries dust free in eight hours, can be walked on in twenty-four to thirty-six hours, and is perfectly hard in two days.
A flat-black finish, such as Brighten-Up Flat Black, is very frequently necessary in the remodeling and redecorating of the home. This finish produces a dull-black, wrought-iron finish on ornamental iron work, lamps, fixtures, andirons, picture frames, and similar surfaces. Occasionally, it is used on the backs of dressers and other articles of furniture that are exposed to view. One coat is usually sufficient. For many surfaces subjected to heat, Stovepipe and Iron Enamel is the most suitable finish. For stove-pipes, grates, stoves, hot-air registers, it is very satisfactory. Old and discolored pipes can often be so well finished as to make it unnecessary to buy new ones. Stoves and registers, too, can be improved 100 per cent. in appearance. Stove-pipe and Iron Enamel is applied with a brush, and only one coat is necessary. If put on when the surface is warm, it is practically smokeless. Care must be exercised not to let Stove-pipe and Iron Enamel come in contact with superheated surfaces, open flame, or live sparks, as the ingredients from which it is made are inflammable under these conditions.
For some kinds of decorating, a durable oil-gloss finish is desired. Kitchen chairs, tables, and other furniture come under this classification. Family Paint is the Brighten-Up finish which is most suitable for this purpose. It is ready for use, and one coat is quite sufficient for old work, while two or three coats should be used on the new wood of any altered parts. Cupboards, shelving, and articles in the laundry, cellar, and basement frequently need a coating of this material. Family Paint will stand outside exposure, and can, therefore, be used satisfactorily on flower boxes and other such articles. The strong colors, scarlet, vermilion, maroon, red, bottle green, black, and dark blue are most frequently selected for these latter purposes, while such colors as buff, ash gray, apple green, flesh, lavender, lemon, light blue, and other such light colors are used for the interior work.
Just as an illustration of the importance of selecting a special finish for each surface, take the porch furniture and the conditions by which it is surrounded. Here we have a coating subjected to the most severe exposure, one which must not become soft or sticky, and one whose color should not fade. It is quite evident that the manufacturer has many similar problems to solve, and that one should depend alone upon information offered by the most reputable manufacturers. A varnish gloss paint is the most satisfactory material for porch furniture, swings, etc. Brighten-Up Finish, Porch and Lawn Furniture Enamel, is a varnish gloss paint made expressly for such purposes. It will stand most severe exposure, and will not soften or stick to clothing. The strong colors are most popular - grass green, carmine, and vermilion. In some cases willow and bog greens harmonize to better advantage with the house colors. One coat is usually sufficient.
 
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