The Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-05-01, Page 26Page 12—Crossroads—May 1, 1985
Refinish paneling
for new look
By Gene Gary
Q. When we moved into our
old farmhouse, I used
"Panel Nu" to recondition
the pine wood paneling. The
"trouble spots" needed as
many as five overnight
coats. Now, six years and
four children later, all of the
paneling needs recondition-
ing.
We burn wood and coal for
heat. What would be the best
way to treat the paneling to
regain its deep shine and
maintain it? —S.T.,W.Va.
A. You can refinish the ex-
isting paneling. If you wish
to restore the natural wood
finish, you first must remove
the old finish with paint -and -
varnish remover and clean
off with turpentine (or
mineral spirits) any wax de-
posited by the paint re-
mover. Then sand the sur-
face lightly if necessary.
Old stains can be lightened
by applying a bleaching
solution of one ounce of
oxalic acid to one quart of
alcohol. The solution should
be swabbed over the wood
with a soft cloth. More than
one application may be
necessary. Caution: Oxalic
acid is poisonous and should
be used with care.
If the wood is not too
stained and the old finish still
adheres firmly to the
paneling, you may be able to
refinish the surface without
completely stripping the old
finish.
You can go over the sur-
face with liquid sandpaper,
which will clean as well as
dull the present surface. This
will prepare the surface for
application off a new finish,
Be sure to use a good grade
varnish or shellac finish.
Check with your local paint
dealer.
To maintain the new
finish, at regular intervals
use a cleaner -polish such as
Liquid Gold, available in
most supermarkets.
Q. The floor covering in
my kitchen is 9 -by -9 -inch
vinyl tiles. After several
years of use, the seams are
separating and beginning to
buckle in a few places. Is
there any sure and simple
way to repair the damage
and prevent further buckling
or cracking along the
seams?
The ' initial cause of the
problem seems to be damp
mopping without waxing for
a few months. Can the floor
be' restored satisfactorily
and inexpensively? Thank
you for your advice.—Mrs.
C.M.
A. There really is no way
to repair the damaged tile.
Lack of wax should not have
caused the problem. If the
tile is laid on a wood floor
without proper under-
layment, the slight give
when walking on the floor
will cause the tiles to
separate, especially over the
years. If flool-ing is laid on a
concrete slab, the trouble
could be caused by lack of
moistureproof adhesive
when the flooring was in-
stalled. Your best solution is
to remove the damaged tiles
and have a new floor laid
properly. Consult with a
reliable flooring dealer for
advice.
WHY TAKE A CHANCE
In these times of stress it is a nice feeling to
know all of your property is or can be well pro-
tected by the oldest Farm Mutual in Ontario — a
Canadian owned company, uniquely ceinsured
with another Canadian owned subsidiry. Call
or contact our local agent or broker today to
discuss your insurance needs either on a direct
company - client basis or agent/broker - client
basis.
AGENT/BROKER:
Gerald M. Bain - 595-8989
Clare S. Logel, Maryhill "648-2623
Gordon L. Welsh, Manager 621-4660
DIRECTOR IN YOUR AREA:
Bert Dickieson - 822-7445
Dumfries Mutual Insurance Company
-12 Cambridge Street,
Cambridge, Ontario
Phone 621-4660 ,
Q. 1 enjoy your column in
the Palm Springs Desert
Sun. 1 would appreciate any
information and -or advice
you can offer on how to
soundproof an existing bath-
room.—M.G.V.
A. This would be difficult,
particula,ly if sound comes
from all four walls. Often,
the installation of a new wall,
leaving an airspace between
the existing wall and the new
wall, is recommended to
solve sound problems. This
would not be feasible on a
wall area where bathroom
fixtures are installed.
You could use acoustical
tile or acoustical plaster.
However, this treatment
might prove unsatisfactory
in a bathroom where water-
proofing and easily cleaned
surfaces are necessary.
Q. My friend has a Bac-
carat crystal decanter that
has its stopper stuck tight.
She has asked Baccarat for
help. So far, no one has an
answer to remove the
stopper. Can you help? —
Robert J.M.
A. You could try using dry
ice. Put the dry ice in a plas-
tic bag and wrap it around
the neck of the decanter.
Leave for several minutes,
then try gently to turn the
stopper. Sometimes this is
caused' by a sticky sub-
stance.,
If the dry ice treatment
doesn't work, heat may do
the job. Use a hair dryer and
gently warm the neck of the
decanter. Then test to see if
the stopper can be removed.
One of these methods should
work.
Q. I have yellowed oak
kitchen cabinets and would
like to clean them.
I believe I read once in
your column to wash them
with bleach. Do I have this
right or do you have another
method? Will you please run
it again? — Susie S., St.
Paul, Minn..
A. First try washing with a
solution of trisodium phos-
phate. Mix 1,cup of trisodium
phosphate with 1 quart of
household bleach in 3 quarts
of warm water. Rinse well,
then dry with a soft cloth.
Yellowing of bleached
wood takes place as the wood
ages. It is a change in the
wood itself or in its finish. It
is not caused, as some people
suppose, by a particular
polish or wax. Yellowing is
accelerated, however, by ex-
posure to sunlight.
If the yellowing is severe
in your case, consider re-
finishing. .
SPRING SALE 1 1 r,.
BED & BATH
LINEN
_ uptil- May_11
• COMFORTERS
• BEDSPREADS
• SHEET SETS
• TOWELS
• BATH MATS
• SHOWER
CURTAINS
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DECORATOR
CUSHIONS
Choose from a variety of
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Ideal for yourself or
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rata"
/NTER/IJRS
151 Main St. W.
Listowel •
291-3150
Dealing with
interruptions
By REV. LEE TRUMAN
We all experience often
the irritation off interrup-
tions. There is no way to
escape them. To 'deny they
occur is to be dishonest.
They are a given part of
Tiff e.
Sometimes we resent in-
terruptions because we are
trying desperately to ac-
complish something. The
phone rings, someone
comes to the door or it can
be sickness that suddenly
causes us to re-evaluate
everything we are doing. It
can be the unthought-of
hand of death, and our
smooth orderly plans for
life are interrupted.
Interruptions of our life -
plan can come in the form
of divorce or the losing of a
job where yesterday we
had seniority and security.
Whatever form they take,
in every life there will
come interruptions,
planned and unplanned,
large and small.
. It is how we handle our
interruptions that counts.
Generally, I find that we
handle our interruptions in
three ways.
The first way is to take
the intrusions upon.our life,
our time and our efforts
with resentment, and to re-
spond' with hostility and
bitterness. Yet, change is a
part of life, and I am not
sure that life was meant to
run smoothly and conven-
iently.
The very nature of exis-
tence is an invitation to in-
-terruption that must be
honestly faced. Yet when
some peoplefeel that they
should have security and
protection from all change,
they seem very much like
Job sitting outside the city
on a dung heap, baffled and
resentful. Anyone alive
should expect interruptions
and accept the fact that
life is full of uncertainty
and change. To meet it by
being . resentful is self-
defeating.
The second kind of per-
son deals with interrup-
tions by becoming a stoic
and living life very much
like a turtle. You can beat
on the shell of a turtle and
he draws himself inside,
safe and untouchable.
People who do this build
up walls, become insensi-
tive, and if they don't break
under the. strain and pres-
sure, they shatter. But until
then, they don't give an
inch.
These first two group-
ings I do not feel are valid
ways to handle such things,
and yet daily I meet people
who ,have chosen these -
ways to handle life's inter-
ruptions.
The third type of person
handles his interruptions in
whatI have come to call
the creative way. Such n
person makes interrup-
tions pay, and uses them to
add new inches to his per-
sonality stature. You have
heard it said that every-
thing depends \-:j pon the
spirit with which we face
things. This is a valid fact
-of life:
On each of us blows the
winds of opposition, Few
can choose the climate or
the storm that swirls about
us, but we all can choose
the spirit with which we
face our personal storms.
It comes down to this.
We can endure life's inter-
ruptions or we can employ
and use them. We can be
irritated by the unpredicta-
ble or we can be stimulat-
ed by our adversity which
will only be the winds in
•
POISONS
You wouldn't deliberately
poison your children, but the
soaps and detergents, drain
cleaners, waxes and po-
lishes, oven cleaners and in-
secticides 'in the cupboard
under your kitchen sink are
all highly poisonous. Store
them well out of your chil-
dren's reach or keep them in
a locked cupboard, and dis-
card any items no longer
needed or used, advises the
Industrial Accident Preven-
tion Association.
our sails.
Jesus was perhaps the
most interrupted man in
his time. Read how many
times in the New Testat-
ment he was . interrupted,
and remember as you read
that -he did not just endure
the interruptions. He em-
ployed them, and used
every one off them.
As we face the intrusions'"'
that come upon us daily,
try seeing these interrup-
tions as an opportunity, see
them as handles for
creativity. Interruptions
can be the door to becom-
ing resentful and ending up
in the mire of self-pity, or
they can be the door to
stoical, hard, unfeeling at-
titudes about life. They
also can be the door to
using your faith, courage
and`creativity.
DAIRY
Sunrise 4 I. 2% & Skim
Milk
JOIN THE
BULK FOOD -REVOLUTION
2.99
illban
Medium Cheddar
Millbank
Colby Cheese
Millbank
Marble Cheese
Millbank
Mozzarella Cheese
Millbank
Fresh Curds
Ib. 3.05
Ib. 2.79°
Ib. 2.85
Ib. 2.79
Ib. 2.95
BULK
Salted or Unsalted Blanched,
Peanuts
Salted & Shelled
Sunflower Seeds
From Robin Hood
PRODUCTS
(EVERYDAY LO
Instant
Dry Yeast -
astry Flour
Tea Biscuit Mix
Deluxe
Pancake Mix
Chocolate
Cake Base
Quick
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Ib. •99
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500 gr. 2.49
2.5 kg. 1.89
Ib.59
- 2.89) Ib. •65
520 gr. 1.09
3 lbs. 1•19
ROZEN
MacGregor (new box size)
Sizzler Burgers
Individually Frozen •
Haddock Fillets
Crab Legs
Omstead
Fancy Corn
Chapman's 2 litre
Ice Cream
(pre -p pckaged)
W PRICES)
(Dried Fruits & Nuts)
California Mix
Natural Smooth or Crunchy
Peanut Butter
No. 1 Canadian
Honey
Sultana Raisins
Pitted Prunes
Pitted Dates
Flavoured
Chocolate Chips
Bran
Oh Henry Bars
5 lbs. 8.95
Ib. 2.69
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5Ibs. 3.39,
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995 Wallace Ave. N., Listowel 291-4777
Mon. -Sat. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Thurs. & Fri. till 9 p.m.
Small details
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wedding day special!
And the -complete line of "Forever Yours"
wedding stationery by International Artcraft
is one of those details. Look through our
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As well, you may choose accessories such
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Look through the catalogue today.
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See the catalogue
today at:
The Milverton Sun
The Listowel Banner
The Mount Forest Confederate or.
The Wingham Advance -Times Offices.
2