A Standard Approach to Shelves

QUESTION: I have to put shelves on a wall in our den. I have done such work in the past, but always with shelf supports, the kind that are attached to the wall and then attached to the underside of the shelves. This time I want to try those metal vertical uprights that are attached to a wall. I believe they are called standards. Is there any special way they should be attached and is there anything I should know about their use?

ANSWER: Presumably, you mean the standards that have slot holes in them all the way down the vertical portion. Brackets fit into the slots and the shelves are placed on the brackets. There is nothing special about their attachment, but the vital part of the installation is to see that the standards are absolutely straight up and down and that they are attached so that the shelves are even horizontally.

This involves common sense more than anything else. That is, common sense and a level. The level should first be used to assure the vertical straightness of the standard. When the first standard is straight and has been screwed into place, place a bracket where you want it, then a second bracket in the matching slot of the other standard.

While you hold the second standard against the wall, place a shelf across the two brackets. Use the level to make sure it is horizontally precise, then attach the second standard. The big plus the standards give you is that you then can space the shelves as far apart or as close as you want them.

Check Building Code Before Replacing Pipe

Q: I intend to replace some of the plumbing in our very old house. A neighbor of mine has done a lot of plumbing work and has offered to handle most of the job for me. Is it all right to replace the steel piping with the plastic kind?

A: See what your local building code says about it. Make sure, too, that it will permit your neighbor to do the work, assuming that he is not a licensed plumber.

Crocus Cloth Can Give a Reddish Tint

Q: I want to finish a piece of unpainted furniture and would like it to have a reddish tint. I read this can be done with crocus cloth. If so, where can it be purchased? My local hardware store does not have it.

A: Crocus cloth can be bought in stores that carry finishing materials. Some paint stores carry it. So do some home centers. It is used quite often by jewelers. Yes, it gives certain woods a reddish tint. Wood finishers who use it do so after a coat of sealer has been applied. However, it should be used only on dark woods. Test it first before you apply it to a work piece. Once applied, the tint is difficult to remove.

Piano Hinge Covers Full Length of Door

Q: I am doing a project which calls for the use of a piano hinge. I asked my local hardware dealer and he said he did not know what it is. I can’t find it in the dictionary. Can you help me?

A: Quite surprised to hear your hardware dealer did not know what a piano hinge is. Most do. A piano hinge is a name widely used to describe a continuous hinge. A continuous hinge is one that covers the full length of the door or whatever it is being used for, an arrangement that makes it extra strong.

Vinegar Solution Does Remove Furniture Wax

Q: Someone told me about a vinegar solution that could be used to remove layers of old wax from furniture. I believe the vinegar was mixed with turpentine, but I am not sure. Any ideas?

A: An old wax-removing solution was made up of equal parts of vinegar, turpentine and mineral oil. However, this was long before most of the modern wax removers were on the market.

Remove Wood Shingles Then Apply New Ones

Q: We bought an old country house. The wooden shingles on the roof are in pretty bad condition. I want to have asphalt shingles put on. Can they be applied right over the wooden shingles?

A: Since you say the wooden shingles are in such poor condition, it is likely they should be removed before applying the asphalt shingles. A roofer can tell you quickly after an examination.

Furring Strips Will Anchor Wood Panels

Q: One of the rooms in our house has stucco walls. I intend to use some kind of paneling over them. Is there any special way to handle this?

A: To get a true surface for the paneling, you will have to attach furring strips to the stucco. Strips measuring 1-by-2 can be used . If the strips are not as smooth as you want them, use shims for the leveling.

Carriage Bolt Dates to Horse and Carriage

Q: I used some nuts and bolts for the first time the other day. When I bought the material I needed, the hardware man referred to one type of bolt as a “carriage” bolt, but he did not know the origin of the term. Any idea?

A: A carriage bolt got that name simply because it was the kind of bolt often used on horse-drawn vehicles. They probably still are.

The technique of using varnish, lacquer, shellac, stain, bleach, remover, etc., are detailed in Andy Lang’s booklet, “Wood Finishing in the Home,” which can be obtained by sending $1 and a long, stamped, self-addressed envelope to Know-How, P.O. Box 477, Huntington, N.Y. 11743. Questions of general interest will be answered in the column.