0
THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: SEPTEMBER 1, 1912.
3-C
Floors in Modern Homes
By Arthur C. Clausen.
Qt. "I" ?jq
arch irucr .'
rl lj 1 I
' ! ITT ' ' iu,p" nggsl
1 j , . J
I UViiev Dlz-iiie J
I B " 1
I I m 1 1 1 1 e
j ,; i
!,: -EE
J j Pooch
jl. P '" , B B
jr " " t-iQsi- 1-Ljo,
IW- I 1
-H"'p 'Dooz-s-
kOl let.
LU I ' 1 1 V
Haul I
! iaVi-sT I
r I
, Pi
HE first part of a home which
PY" I begins to show th test of
I I time and wear is the floors.
than any other part of the in
side of a home. The materials
of which the floor Is composed and how
It is laid therefore receive careful at
tention. Most people know what thsy wast in
the way of interior wood finish, such as
; ,doors and casings, but when it cmes to
'floors, but few have a preference and
, with some of these few it is more a
' prejudice against some certan kind of
, flooring than it Is a choice of some pr
. ticular floor growing out of a knowledge
i ' of all flooring In general. Many people
' blame the poor appearance of their floor
ing when often it is not the fault of the
flooring but the varnish used upon It.
Some home builders pr.ovlde for a very
expensive inlaid parquet flooring around
the large rugs, while others act upon the
I theory that the rugs covering so much
' of the floor It Is immaterial what kind
j f' of fldoring Is used and put in the cheap-
est hardwood floor that is presentable
f regardless of how expensive the other
L woodwork in the rooms may be.
" The followlrlS kinds of wood are the
most commonly used in most parts or
the country: Quarter sawed white oak,
straight grained white oak, quarter
sawed red oak, straight grained red oak,
maple In several qualities. Of all these
different kinds the most handsome floor
1 Is a quarter sawed white oak, with
1 straight grained white oak as a, good
substitute. Red oak is a very open grained
wood, splinters easily and requires a great
deal of care in handling the material
while laying to prevent it becoming chip
ped off at the corners and edges and for
this reason it is hard to get a satisfactory
red oak floor, although with proper care
it can be done. All oak flooring require
a little more attention than other kinds
in the way of renewing. the finish. Maple
tjs a very satisfactory floor, especially
where U has to withstand a great deal of
wear, such as in stores and factories.
: J The better grades of maple flooring make
njC a splendid floor throughout a home of
moderate cost, . but maple being very
f olose grained does not take varnish well
! and is more satisfactory when waxed
than when varnished and for this reason
it is used a great deal in ball Booms
Birch takes a finish about the best of
t any flooring known. The. varnish soaks
Jt into it and holds well. Unselected birch
has a rather variegated patched appear-
ance, although when clear is a good
quality. Selected red birch is the most
satisfactory In appearance. Georgia pine
MR. CLAUSEN'S BOOK
"The Art, Solanoe and Sentiment
of Homebuilding."
Tilrty chapters, 300 Illustrations.
It covers a wide rang of subjects,
Including the planning of bunga
lows, suburban and olty homes,
ooitlng from 99,000 to 920,000, let
ting contract, enooetng materials,
proper design of ontranoa, win
dows, fireplaces, etc. .. Vow third
edition. Price, postpaid, 91.00.
Address, Arthur 0. Clausen,
Architect, 1136-37-38 lumber Ex
change, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
and fir are used a great deal in certain
parts of the country and are quite sat
isfactory for moderate and low cost
houses. Cypress is also used to a mod
erate extent and makes a handsome floor.
When it comes to rooms entirely sep
arated from these, such as the kitchen,
pantry, servants' dining room, etc., these
can be of different kinds of flooring aa
desired to reduce the cost, or make more
more practical for service purposes.
When the woodwork Is the same
throughout the rooms the following rule
gives good results: With either white
oak or red oak woodwork use white oak
floor, either straight-grained or quarter
sawed. With mahogany or red birch"
woodwork use a red birch .floor. , - In
rooms finished in maple, white enamel,
unselected light birch or any very lignt
finish, a white maple floor.
In the second story rooms when it is
desired to economise on the cost of un
selected birch, Georgia pine or fir floor
Is acceptable. Georgia pine and yellow
pine is not good wearing floors and while
they will do for second atory rooms
should never be used for first story
rooms.
' For the varnish nothing but the hlgheat
quality of elastic floor varnish should
be used. A good specification is to first
give a coat of bleached linseed oil and
then two good coats of high grade floor
varnish, leaving at least f.orty-elght
hours between each coat. The top sur
face can be rubbed down to a dull finis
or left in the gloss. The dull finish looks
the best but does not wear as long. Under
a microscope the dull finish looks like a
plowed field and the ridges in it become
crushed down or. worn off. Fory waxed
floors it Is best, to first give a coat of
jbleached linseed oil and then coat of
good floor varnish before applying the
wax finish. The wax finish Is one of
the most satisfactory finla'hes for the
floor In all parts of the home except the
kitchen and bath room. It requires ro
flnlshing every three or six months ac
cording to wear, but th'is Is a simple
operation, which anyone after one experi
ence can easily perform. Never allow
shellac to be put on a floor. It is too
brittle for this purpose.
. Editors 'Note-Next week will be pub
lished the first Illustrated article in Mr.
Clausen's new series on "Homes That
Are Different," giving examples of homes
that are designed for picturesque effect.
-ilk4 j'.J i CLlIii1 lit :jf I I
a
I :
i
EITHER describe or prepare a rough sketch showing the number,
location and approximate siie of the rooms fop your home.
Then answer the following questions and mail to Home Build
ers Department, The Bee, Omaha, Nb.
Size and ' location of Lot?
What .direction will house face?
Coldest and warmest temperature?
Size of House?
Approximate Cost of House complete?
Style of House preferred?
Height of Stories? '
Exterior Wall of Stone, Brick, Cement, Siding or Shingles?
Kind of Foundation?
Style of Roof?
Roof of Tile, Slate or Shingles?
Style of Front Door? .' f..
Porch large or small and where located?
Bay Windows in what rooms? T.
Front Vestibule or not? j
Sliding Doors between what rooms? .
Columned Openings between what rooms? .
Beamed Ceilings in what roons? I
Pantry between dining room and kitchen, or Cupboards in kitchen?. .
Sideboard built in or provided by owner? ;
Plate Rail in dining room? J. ;
Fireplaces in what room?
Brick or. Tile Fireplaces? .;.
Paneled Wainscoting, what rooms? '.
Mirrors in Doors, where?
Toilet Room on first floor or(basement?
Laundry in basement?
How many Bed Rooms? ,
Attic Stair or Scuttle to Attic?
How many Rooms in Attic?
Storm Sash, Doors and Screens? ,
Porch Screened or not?
Plate Glass, where?
Upper Sash divided or plain? i
Art or Leaded Glass, where?
Kind of Woodwork in all rooms?
Kind of Wood Floors?
Tile Floors, where?
Plastering, rough or smooth? .
Kind of Heating Plant? ,
Most Accessible Place for Coal Chute?
Gaa Range or Coal Stove?
City Water, Cistern or Well Water Supply? ,
Sewer in Street, or Cesspool? '. ,
Electric or Gas Light?
Number in Family? How Many Servants?
Name ..Occupation
Street Number City state
AMERICA'S BEST HOME CITY
Omaha Standi Pre-Eminent in Beau
tiful and Healthful Residences.
Modern, Handsome Dining Room
BOOMY APARTKQTS; NO SLUMS
Famona Loadoa Times Give Promi
nence to Omaha's Place Among
Home rttlee of World and
Stamp It Leader.
ProapwUv home-bujld-ert
and home furnishers
will find The Bee tm im
mense aid, The Home
Builders' department has
trranged with Arthur C.
Clausen, the famous archl
' tect of Minneapolis, to give
free information to all
on the subject of building.
Sir. Clausen will answer all
building questions and will
be pleased to hare letters
of inquiry written In detail.
The coupon on the builders'
page may be used. Letters
should be addressed to
Home Builders' department,
The Bee, Omaha.
Visitors to Omaha are always Im
pressed with the beauty of the city's
home with the large yards and lawnp
and with the general spaciousness and
roomy condition of the city. They notice
the absence of slums and tenements; they
are attracted by the beautiful homes, the
handsome apartments and the neat,
modern cottages. 'They could gain no
other impression of Omaha, for this city,
with no exception has the largest num
ber of neat, clean and attractive dwell
ings of any city of the same size in the
country. Philadelphia, known aa Ameri
ca's home city, la a beautiful place, and
the thousands of homes that adorn the
residence sections gain the admiration
of every one. But the Quaker City Is
many times larger than Omaha and, for Its
size, does not have as many beautiful
residences and delightful living place
as Omaha, the best residence city of
125,000 people In the United States.
Fame Has Spread Far.
The fame of Omaha aa a home city
has spread beyond the boundaries of
America, and the famous London Times,
in its Issue of August 12, speaks of
Omaha as "a city of beautiful homes"
and adds:
"There are no blots In the shape of
slums. The homes of the working men,
clerks, artisans and small tradesmen are
neat and modern. The city has no so
called tenements. It has a small pro
portion of flats, and the large area of
the town makes possible spacious lawns
for the greater majority of houses. This
Is one of the reasons why Omaha is third
lowest among the. cities of the United
States In mortality. The city, has a
commission form of government, being
one of the four cities of the United States
with a population of more than' 100,000
with this form of government."
If others see Omaha as a home city,
It Is up to you to help keep this city lit
this class by building substantial and at
tractive residences.
Apartment Now Popular,
Twenty-five years ago an apartment
house waa not considered the most desir
able place. The private house was the
chosen dwelling of then; who could af
ford It. The changed attitude of Society
toward the apartment house has caused
the architectural profession to give more
attention to this class of work than It
formerly received. So the apartment
houses are being built bigger and bigger,
until numbers have been completed In
New York costing well over Jl.000,000.
Apartment houses will become more
numerous as th city grows bigger not
only actually, but relatively. It means
increased ease of living on the same In
come. Apartment houses, however, do
not pay everywhere, but whtre t'ney do
they are apt to be a profitable orm of In
vestment. In response to a quickly developing and
rapidly growing demand for apartment
liouses In many of the choice residential
sections of Brooklyn, builders are devot.
Ing time, energy and money to the erec
tion of buildings of this class. Last year
was a record breaker for construction in
this line, but the preeent season Is far
ahead In its turn.
Bnagalovrs Get Attention.
So great has been the rlee in popularity
rfwri , i 1 i 1 in i . 1 " - f . nMwu
Tiff- wtftiMaapr w. p-r. m
lJ,Hf' W I'll ,' ? i E$3
SPLENDID EXAMPLE OF TASTKFUL FURNISHINO. .
This reproduction Is from a photograph of a modern American home showing the beautiful creations that have been
produced in a dining room. This furnishing and decoration is an example of the kind done by the Miller, Stewart
& Beaton company, department of Interior decoration.
of the bungalow that architects and build
ers throughout the country have been
compelled to give it special attention. AH
of the buildings called bungalows which
have appeared In the various seashore
and Inland country and permanent home
sections are not strictly of the bungalow
type, but are so called merely because
they poMess a few features of the style
of structure which has taken a stron?
hold on the builders of small houses.
Some of the most Intereitlng archi
tectural competitions held recently called
for plans for bungalows, and the designs
submitted, while showing a wide variety
of arrangements, give In many oases
some of the most attractive Ideas any
bungalow builder might desire. One of
the largest of these competitions waa held
recently by the National Fireprooflng
company. Several hundred of the leading
bungalow architects of the country sub'
mltted designs. The buildings, comp'.ete
In every respect, had to come within
cost of S4,&"0, and the principal materials
for walls had to be fireproof blocks.
A Fittsburgh architect was awarded
first prize for the design shown here.
Many of the other plane had special
ONE OF AMERICA'S MODEM
APARTMENT HOUSES.
mmmmammmmmmmmmmmmmmm
BEAUTY IS ATTAINED BT USB OF
HANDSOME BRICK.
This beautiful building was constructed
of hydraulic press brick, the kind sold
by the Hydraulic Press Brick company,
330 Bee building, Omaha. This apart
ment is located on Riverside Drive, at
the north corner of Ninety-third street,
New York City. The beauty of the
structure attracts the attentlonef thous
ands who pass along the famous drive.
charms, but this met with the greatest
approval because of the excellent ar
rangement of the rooms and the econo
mies In space. This house, the architect
believes, can be erected for 30 cents a
oublo foot. There are almost 10,000 euble
feet In the building, which brings the
cost Just below the specified 14,030. By
items he has figured the expense of such
a building aa follows:
Excavating ,....$110
Natio hollow tile
Plaster
Lumber and carperTtl'.'
Mill work
Painting
Klectrlo wiring
Hardware
Plumbing
Hot air heating 1
Miscellaneous 72
.(.
Scott ft Hill, SOT McCague building, are
agents for a fine cement stone block resi
dence, the one pictured on the builders'
page. They give a full description of It
In an advertisement below the half-tone.
.
Work on the foundation for the new
fireproof storage of the Omaha Van and
Storage company, Sixteenth and Leaven
worth street, Is progressing rapidly.
The fine brick residence of R- E. Sun
derland Is tor sale, It was pictured on
the builders' . page last week.
Milton . Rogers A Sons company fur
nished all the builders' hardware used In
the construction of the Wo6dmen of the
World building. The fine door plates,
of Imported and domestic wall paper
knobs, locks, etc., were designed and con
structed by Sargent ft Co. for Milton
Rogers ft Sons, exclusive agents for the
is'argent people In this territory, The
material which this Omaha firm sold for
this structure Is 'among the best that
could be had. During the present week
the store Is making a special display of
builders' hardware in Its show window,
The National Fidelity and Casualty
company reports a growth In business
this summer. It is much better than last
ysar. ...
Many offices In the new State . Bank
building, Seventeenth nd Harney streets,
are being rented. W. H. Thomas, 601
First National Bank building, Is the ren
tal agent.
E. J. Davis. HIS Farnam street, has In
creased his facilities for handling a heavy
fall drsyage business.
Home Builders Is having wonderful suc
cess with Us co-operative home building
plan. .
Milton Rogers furnished the builders
hardware for the new granite receiving!
vault and crematory In the West Lawnj
cemetery. This building is constructed of
beautiful granite. It Is just about as solid'
aa a building can be made. ' ' . ,
Beast? ta Decorating".
The last but most Important detail In
the completion of a new home Is the In-,
terlor furnishing and decorating. It mat-'
ters not whether the home Is a modernl
cottage, or a mansion or fifty rooms, if
the furnishing Is not In keeping with the1
house It Is not satisfactory. r
In Millar, Stewart ft Beaton's depart,
ment of interior decorating Is an expert
artist of years' experience In house fur-!
ntshlng, one who has made decorating a,
Ufa study. Home lovers appreciate the
advantage of having some one to advtsei
Intelligently as to colors suitable for rugs,'
wall decorations, draperies and styles ofi
furniture that are most suitable for cer
tain rooms.
Miller, Stewart ft Beaton take special
pains to keep In close touch with the
newest and most original Ideas that are
developed from time to time by the best)
artists of this country and Europe, and
are associated with artists In New TorkJ
London and Paris who send designs andj
sketches of the finest decorative work
that is being executed In these cities at)
the present time. This store's new line!
shows a very Interesting selection of)
clever designs and Ideas In all the newest!
and best examples of the art of the wall
paper designer. In frescoing, mural
painting, Tiffany blended effects or root-j
tied effects on canvas these decorators
are excellent, ss they are directed by an
artist of many ideas and great origlnalltyJ
A card or telephone call will bring an t4
pert to visit you.
Ths county commissioners are consld-s
erlng a plan by which the material W
the old Douglas county court house mayj
be used to erect a new county hospital.'
The Swedish Building association pro-)
poses to erect a $35,000 club house on thej
south side of Chicago street, between
Sixteenth and Seventeenth Streets. 1
The Cudahy Packing plant at South
Omaha will be enlarged, 1400,000 beingj
spent In the work, which has beenj
started. ' . " I
SwsnnBMnmBBSSssssjnanBaMBsnassssBmaaa
The Persistent and Judicious Use oi
Newspaper Advertising is the Road to
Business Success. , I
422 South 14th Street
..'OWU
Or Phono D-3529
class decorations.
On!!
Us
TO
1
A
Ira!
Property can b mado to hav a
permanent valu by keeping up
appearances. We do all kinds
of decorating, interior and . That we have decorated Omaha's
exterior. j. j.
We handle a full line
of domestic and for- IT
eign wall paper.
Sketches fur
nished for first
rrMi n
T HOU
1 j.1 y jj 0
It's a building that Omaha will be proud of for years
to come and we can do appropriate work in this line
for any other concern that would like to renovate.
Let the Oldest Omaha Firm Do the Work
P. S.We have recently decorated the Orpheum theater, and among the artistic representations there is our latest exclusive
painting which is called "A Musical Enchantment."