Doors made up of light deal, and varied in the staining, would look as well as the ordinary graining. Good and well-seasoned materials would have to be used, and the joiners’ work well fitted and constructed. Mouldings of a superior character, and in some cases gilt, might be used in the panels, &c. For doors, plain oak should be used for the stiles and rails, and pollard oak for the panels. If rose-wood or satin-wood be used, the straight-grained wood is the best adapted for stiles and rails; and for mahogany doors, the lights and shades in the panels should be stronger than in the stiles and rails. Dark and durable woods might be used in parts most exposed to wear and tear. Treads of stairs might be framed with oak nosings, if not at first, at least when necessary to repair the nosings. Skirtings could be varied by using dark and hard woods for the lower part or plinth, lighter wood above, and finished with superior mouldings. It must, however, be remembered that, contrary to the rule that holds good with regard to most substances, the colours of the generality of woods become considerably _darker_ by exposure to the light; allowance would therefore have to be made for this. All the woodwork _must_, previously to being fixed, be well seasoned. The practice here recommended would be more expensive than the common method of painting, but in many cases it would be better than graining, and cheaper in the long run. Oak wainscot and Honduras mahogany doors are twice the price of deal doors; Spanish mahogany three times the price. When we consider that by using the natural woods, French polished, we save the cost of four coats of paint and graining (the customary modes), the difference in price is very small. An extra 50_l._ laid out on a 500_l._ house would give some rooms varnished and rubbed fittings, without paint. Would it not be worth the outlay? It may be said that spots of grease and stains would soon disfigure the bare wood; if so, they could easily be removed by the following process: Take a quarter of a pound of fuller’s earth, and a quarter of a pound of pearlash, and boil them in a quart of soft water, and, while hot, lay the composition on the greased parts, allowing it to remain on them for ten or twelve hours; after which it may be washed off with fine sand and water. If a floor be much spotted with grease, it should be completely washed over with this mixture, and allowed to remain for twenty-four hours before it is removed.