“The third or finishing coat should usually be employed as it comes from the can. In the case of all coats, thorough, hard brushing is essential, and a round brush is always preferable to a flat brush. The failure of paint is frequently due to insufficient ‘elbow grease’ with the brush. “Every coat of paint should be completely dry throughout before the next coat is applied; but it is a mistake to allow a priming coat to ‘weather’ and become weakened before painting is continued. “Too much drier or Japan, or cheap rosin Japans, are at the bottom of many paint failures. The manufacturer of a scientifically prepared paint will introduce the proper kind and quantity of driers into his formula, and none should be added in use.” A fit condition of surface is obtained by: (1) By delaying the application of the priming coat until the wood is thoroughly seasoned, unless seasoning has been properly attended to in the lumber; secondly, by seeing that the plaster on the inside of the building is completely dry before painting is begun on the outside. A new house should have been heated some weeks before it is painted. In an old house, leaking spouts, etc., should be repaired and the adjacent wood allowed to dry thoroughly before repainting. Thirdly, by avoiding the application of paint in moist weather or when the atmospheric moisture is high. Fourthly, by selecting a dry, mild season, as late spring or early fall, rather than a cold or hot season, as winter or mid-summer, for the work. Fifthly, by seeing that sappy or resinous spots in new lumber are properly treated before painting. Sixthly, by due care on old work that all loose paint and dust are removed by scraping, sand-papering, wire-brushing, dusting or, if necessary, burning, before new paint is applied. As a rule, it should always be remembered that two thin coats thoroughly brushed out are better in most cases than one thick coat, and that repainting should never be delayed until the under coats begin to loosen seriously. Only when conditions are favorable should the householder be his own painter. In any case he should study carefully the directions on the can, and unless they are found to apply to his particular job, should consult either the manufacturer or a practical painter for fuller advice. Ceilings and walls of the kitchen are improved by the application of flat washes, calcimines, etc., of which there are many on the market. These surfaces are easily kept clean and sanitary and for this reason have been used instead of papers in the kitchen. All discolorations and dirt, grease and dust are removable by soap and water. The best paints are not poisonous and are a great factor in home sanitation.