3— ~ ""I 
 
 Published by 
 
 H. B. WIGGIN’S SONS CO. 
 BLOOMFIELD, N. J. 
 CHICAGO, ILL. 
 
 
 Copyright H. B. Wiggin’s Sons Co. 
 1928 
 
Interior of Church Finished in Rufkote 
 
Rufkote Text Book 
 
 of 
 
 Artistic Wall Textures 
 
 Decorator’s Guide for 
 Producing Practical and 
 Artistic Plastic Stone Wall 
 Tfextures With the Use of 
 Rufkote 
 
 By 
 
 F. N. VANDERWALKER 
 
 Editor of "American Painter and Dec¬ 
 orator,” author of "Interior Wall 
 Decoration,” "The Mixing of Colors 
 AND Paints,” "FiousE Painting Meth¬ 
 ods,” "Wood Finishing, Plain and Deco¬ 
 rative,” "Automobile Painting,” "New 
 Stencils and Their Use” 
 
 RUFKOTE 
 
 Plastic Stone for Interior Walls 
 Applied Like Paint 
 

 Fig. 2. 
 
 High Relief Stencil Work with Rufkote 
 
Foreword 
 
 ETWEEN the necessarily concise mixing direc¬ 
 tions which go out with manufactured ma¬ 
 terials and the general discussions and writ¬ 
 ings about practical and artistic uses of 
 plastic paints for producing texture patterns there is 
 an educational need which this book is aimed to 
 fulfill. 
 
 In the following pages will be found a full record 
 in word and picture of tools, methods and materials 
 essential to the preparation of surfaces and the forma¬ 
 tion of many of the textures done with Rufkote, 
 the plastic stone, to gain enduring, practical and 
 artistic finishes. 
 
 It is our belief that this mode of decoration offers 
 much of practical utility as well as unlimited latitude 
 as a medium for expression of artistic ideas and taste. 
 It has gained a permanent place among decorative 
 materials. In keeping with this belief it is our wish 
 to disseminate all possible information about methods 
 in common use by the better decorators who employ 
 the plastic medium with wonderously beautiful effect 
 on all manner of interior surfaces. 
 
CHAPTER I 
 
 A Bit of History of Textures 
 
 O RNAMENT Scratched in plaster and mud is the oldest form 
 of surface decoration of record. Even before primitive 
 man developed characteristics which we of this day would 
 consider civilized, he began to scratch language and decoration 
 on walls of his habitation in caves, mud huts and cliff abodes. A 
 little later when the struggle for self-preservation, food and 
 shelter grew a little less strenuous man made better plaster and 
 decorated it by scratching more ornately and with color. 
 
 Perfection in mixing plaster was reached at a very remote 
 period as is well indicated by examination of the earliest samples 
 still standing in hard, durable condition. The scientific compo¬ 
 sition of such examples compares even favorably with modern 
 plasters. The Pyramids of Egypt contain plastering done at least 
 four thousand years ago still hard and serviceable. It is interest¬ 
 ing to note from recent discoveries that the principal tools of 
 the ancients were substantially identical in design, shape and 
 purpose with modern tools. Also that the plaster so much used 
 by the Egyptians was made of calcined gypsum like the plaster 
 of Paris of today. Reeds were used for lath. 
 
 In Greece the plastering art was perfected more than five 
 centuries before Christ. Plaster was of fine white, strong quality 
 and was used on both exterior and interior surfaces of temples. 
 Plaster was even used over marble as a ground for decorative 
 painting. 
 
 Through the ages plaster and ornamental textures have been 
 intimately a part of building construction. During the Italian 
 Renaissance, beginning about 1450 A. D., the artistic character 
 of decorated plastic surface materials was showing great improve¬ 
 ment. In Italy, Spain, France and England there developed 
 many of the textures which are most interesting to us. Methods 
 of early peoples improved with time and some fine textures and 
 ornamental work were done in plaster and plastic compositions 
 of gesso and compo. Really artistic ceilings of ornamented design 
 were done in the time of Henry VIII, Elizabeth and James I of 
 England. They are still admired to this day. 
 
 Coming down to the period which dates from about 175 0 to 
 1780 when the Adam brothers, Robert, James, John and Wil¬ 
 liam, were active, those famous architects and furniture designers 
 from whom we get the Adam period furniture design, we find 
 Robert Adam made use of plastic compositions for moulding 
 delicate forms in subtle and beautiful proportions, “His compo 
 was used so successfully that the patent was infringed. Many of 
 his moulds still exist and are in constant use.” 
 
 [ 6 ] 
 

 Fig. 3. 
 
 Example of Egyptun Plastering showing Queen Arsinoe as the 
 Goddess Hathor in Temple of Der-el-Medineh, Thebes. 
 
 [ 7 ] 
 
To define the differences between plaster, plastic compositions 
 and plastic paint as used of old is all but beyond possibility. In 
 many instances probably the chief difference was in tools em¬ 
 ployed — whether a brush or the hand were used. The history 
 of relief textures and patterns runs through all plastic mediums 
 from common mud to the gypsum plasters, portland cement stucco 
 and plastic paints of today. Many of the world’s fine old master¬ 
 pieces from the Renaissance and later periods, were done in the 
 Italian plastic medium called Gesso Duro, the exact composition 
 of which is lost in history. Today we call a mixture of whiting, 
 glue and water gesso — but it is certain that the original gesso 
 was something else, or at least something in addition, because 
 its great durability far exceeds the modern gesso. Then there 
 were the plastic composition called by the English artists and 
 decorators by the name Compo, the Germans had Spechtelkitt 
 and the Swedish what we still use and call Swedish putty. The 
 compositions of all of these vary from one generation of deco¬ 
 rators to another and this variation has been the great fault of 
 such plastic compositions, because lacking the standardized manu¬ 
 facture of modern plastics they exhibit all manner of faults in 
 durability. Some of them are quite durable and have working 
 properties in texturing which are satisfactory, but no one ever 
 seemed to be satisfied to develop a formula which is both work¬ 
 able and durable and then stick to it. Consequently, plastic 
 wall finish textures done with these odd and variable composi¬ 
 tions often break down by scaling off around the trim, by being 
 too hard, too soft or by shrinking too much. 
 
 It is difficult to locate the place of beginning and date of 
 historic relief textures done with plastic compositions. It is 
 definitely known, however, that Gesso was much used in the Sev¬ 
 enteenth and eighteenth centuries and specimens of gesso relief 
 work done in those times and during the Italian Renaissance are 
 still to be seen in old houses and museums. That period of 
 revival of great interest in life, the world, science, literature and 
 the fine arts spread to Spain, France and England and we can 
 trace to these countries such modern textures as Spanish Palm 
 finish, Italian plaster. Travertine, Roman tile, Old English, and 
 others. 
 
 The very crude, hand-modeled textures apparently were of 
 short duration in England. While the plastic compositions were 
 used there during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries for 
 low relief and wall patterns the predominant wall textures were 
 Old English done with trowels and floats, and Jacobean which 
 was very similar to our modern rough sand finish plaster, prob¬ 
 ably showing the tool marks, however, in a less refined way. 
 American Colonial walls, too, were finished in these same tex¬ 
 tures to a large extent; this in spite of the fact that modern 
 advertising might lead one to believe that nearly all Colonial 
 walls were finished with wallpaper. 
 
 [ 8 ] 
 
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 Old lin^Usi] Finish 
 
[ 9 ] 
 
 Fig. 4. An historic and charming background effect reproduced with 
 
 Rufkote Plastic Stone. 
 
Rufkote for Interior Walls 
 
 This material really amounts to a plastic stone which is applied 
 with a brush. When dry it is far harder, tougher and more 
 durable than plaster. It adheres tenaciously to plaster, wood, 
 brick, cement and wall board surfaces. Rufkote is a powdered 
 mineral, free from any animal matter, which when mixed with 
 cold water becomes an odorless plastic composition of proper 
 consistency ready for instant use. 
 
 It is far easier to work effectively in texturing Rufkote than 
 when using oil mixtures. Rufkote is washed off tools easily 
 with water and consequently the decorator is able to keep his 
 tools in just the right clean condition for rapid and effective 
 work by using plenty of water for washing. This eliminates the 
 expense of spirit solvents needed for oil mixtures. Rufkote, 
 before it is set, is easily washed off woodwork without leaving 
 marks of any kind. 
 
 Rufkote sets without shrinkage with the result that very 
 high relief and bold textures, as well as a wide range of simple 
 and low relief patterns, are practical with it. Once it sets it is 
 hard and resists abrasion and shock to such an extent that it is 
 not easily marred. When the texture has been completed it will 
 hold its form exactly without wilting. 
 
 Rufkote will not fade colors, nor will it set up adverse chem¬ 
 ical reactions in paint pigments applied over it. It can be tex- 
 cured and modeled into any form and is used by decorators to 
 reproduce historic period decoration, conservative modern tex¬ 
 tures and a wide variety of novelty types of decoration. With 
 it one having old walls of any type can have the surface replaced 
 quickly and inexpensively with splendid results. 
 
 Rufkote when dry has no gloss. It may be used in the 
 white, its natural color, or can be tinted with dry colors or 
 tinting colors ground in oil. When coated with Rufkote Wall 
 Glaze the surface finishes with an egg-shell or semi-gloss. 
 
 [ 10 ] 
 

 f 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 Fig. 5. 
 
 The Famous Ring Test. 
 
 A brass ring three inches in diameter and one inch high is 
 placed upon a glass plate and filled with wet Rufkote. The top 
 being struck to a smooth, true surface. 
 
 After the Rufkote thoroughly dries, no cracks or shrinkage 
 will develop, the Rufkote still fills the ring to a tight fit. The 
 surface is still true and even. 
 
 This demonstrates how Rufkote sets without shrinkage and 
 indicates that when a texture is satisfactorily developed with 
 the wet material it may be counted upon to dry out in its 
 original size and shape. 
 
 [IIJ 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 Backgrounds of Colorful, Enduring Charm 
 
 T hough the walls and ceilings of rooms may not be the 
 focal points of interest, they are the backgrounds and as such 
 are vitally important. The use of plastic stone offers great 
 opportunity to add suitable textural patterns and good coloring 
 to these backgrounds. The urge to use more and more color has 
 always been with us but not until recent years have we yielded 
 to satisfy that desire. Fear that one may use inharmonious com¬ 
 binations has delayed this enjoyment of color but we have 
 learned not to fear what we like in color and how to employ it 
 effectively — mainly through greater appreciation and knowl¬ 
 edge of interior decoration among all classes. This color revival 
 is evident in many phases of life, in dress, automobile colors and 
 more daring use of color on furniture and interior surfaces 
 generally. 
 
 The great interest which attaches to plastic relief finish in this 
 day is not built alone upon either artistic or practical considera¬ 
 tion but upon a combination of both. Many circumstances or 
 conditions contribute toward the wide acceptance of plastic low 
 relief textures done with Rufkote. Rough textured walls offer 
 interest unknown to smooth wall finishes, even though the 
 smooth finishes have pattern and color. Artistic variation in 
 textural patterns, in color shadings and in the play of light and 
 shadow due to the relief character of rough textures with high 
 and low points offer charming effects of enduring beauty, en¬ 
 during in the sense that the material is extremely durable and 
 also because this form of decoration is easy to live with intimately 
 day after day. There is no element of monotony in well textured 
 and colored walls an^ they are easy to produce. Then as time 
 goes by they take on a mellow coloring of age which has an 
 appeal all its own, that charm inherent in good things which 
 are not shiny and new but show signs of human association. 
 
 Rufkote is a modern plastic with unlimited uses as a decora¬ 
 tive medium. With it there is no need to be bound alone to 
 reproductions of historic textures, interesting as they are; new 
 modern textures are available in numbers without limit — and 
 still more come with delightful unexpectedness as the worker 
 uses this material. Textures in keeping with the small room may 
 be easily controlled; for the formal room, there are many suit¬ 
 able textures — and when it comes to novelty treatments for 
 places of amusement, business shops and the like there are more 
 interesting textures available than can be imagined. There are 
 few materials with which unity of color, form and composition 
 can be produced as successfully as can be done with Rufkote. 
 
 ri2] 
 
Now a word about the practical utility of Rufkote relief 
 textures. It may be used on smooth or rough plaster, on brick, 
 wood, wall board or metal. It is much stronger and tougher than 
 plaster. Consequently, the many rooms of smooth plaster in bad 
 shape, plaster which has been patched and still has the hole in 
 the middle, may be easily and inexpensively made perfect with 
 Rufkote. With it the cracks are permanently filled. The same 
 is true of sand finished walls, of the occasional brick walls which 
 mar sun parlors and enclosed porches. Wall board is effectively 
 decorated with this plastic medium so the joints, when properly 
 reinforced and filled before Rufkote is used over them, do not 
 appear. 
 
 Fig. 6. Spanish Palm Finish 
 
 [13 ] 
 
Appropriate Textures 
 
 One of the important considerations with texture finishes is 
 the use of suitable textures lor each size and type of room, but 
 the selection of appropriate textures is so easy as to hardly call 
 for comment; it is quite as obvious as the choice of colors. 
 Everybody appreciates that for large, strong, rugged and bold 
 surfaces the employment of all pure colors with moderately 
 strong contrasts of hues, values and intensities is the proper 
 choice, generally speaking. Likewise we all know that the deli¬ 
 cate, fine modeled, fine lined and frail surfaces call for the use 
 of light, airy tints and shades. It is equally evident that the use 
 oi large patterned textures, deep, bold relief in texture is cor¬ 
 rect onlv on the walls of very large rooms, on architecture of 
 huge scale. Small rooms call for the use of such fine and delicate 
 textures as are noted in Figures 17 and 39. 
 
 The purpose for which the room decorated is used, the style 
 of architecture, the personal preferences of customers all have a 
 bearing on the selection of both textures and pattern. There are 
 textures which are strictly formal in character such as Italian 
 Travertine and French Caen Stone and they are appropriate for 
 churches, banks, clubs, libraries and railroad stations as well as 
 for the more pretentious residences. There are the historically 
 correct Italian plaster and Spanish Palm finish which particularly 
 fit modern Spanish and Italian architecture. There are the Old 
 English, Jacobean and similar textures which are especially suit¬ 
 able for American Colonial, English Cottage, English, German 
 and Swedish half-timber and stucco types of houses. For the 
 very large number of strictly American type houses of square, 
 low, horizontal plane lines and rugged scale there are few of the 
 medium coarse textures which do not look well. Then there 
 is a yery large number of novelty textures suitable for special 
 purposes such as theatres, cafes, tea rooms, business shops, whole¬ 
 sale showrooms, Japanese and Chinese rooms anywhere. All types 
 of textures considered, Rufkote puts into the hands of decora¬ 
 tors the means to develop artistic ideas exactly to fit all sur¬ 
 faces in color and form. With this knowledge there is no need 
 to accept any machine made, monotonous repeat pattern or some 
 standardized decoration — individual taste and architectural 
 requirement can be satisfied with Rufkote. The wish for bright 
 and lively colors on walls is realized with Rufkote because the 
 breaking up of the color by texture and the shadows cast by 
 relief decoration permit the use of color values and intensities 
 which are far too vivid when used in plain paint on flat surfaces. 
 By putting the color in Rufkote the cost of painting is saved, 
 such a process for obtaining color elfects which are bright and 
 full of life yet grayed or neturalized sufficiently to be livable in 
 daily associations. 
 
 [ 14 ] 
 
CHAPTER III 
 Surface Preparation 
 
 T ere is no more important work than the preparation of 
 surfaces for decorating where fine finished appearance and 
 durability are to be expected. It is especially important that 
 old surfaces which have been decorated with infirm materials be 
 properly treated. No new decorative material, however good the 
 quality, can long adhere to old surfaces which crumble away or 
 crack and scale off. Surfaces expand and contract with tempera¬ 
 ture changes, also some are adversely affected by dampness. It is 
 obvious, then, that new decorative coatings cannot be durable 
 and satisfactory unless due preparation is made to offer the new 
 material a firm anchorage to its foundation. 
 
 The proper preparation of a wall may be outlined in a very 
 few words: 
 
 First, remove any finish which will not make a permanently 
 solid surface—cleaning the wall well. 
 
 Second, fill up all cracks and holes. 
 
 Third, size the wall. 
 
 The first operation is necessary to secure a firm foundation. 
 Any insecure surface must be removed before applying 
 Rufkote; among these are calcimine, whitewash, gloss oil, scaly 
 paint or wax. It is not necessary to remove oil or flat paint if 
 such surface is firmly bonded. Directions for treating such a 
 surface are given later in this Chapter on page 26. 
 
 Wall paper and fabrics attached by paste must be removed, 
 for there is danger of the moisture in the Rufkote softening the 
 paste and allowing the entire covering to loosen from the wall. 
 Methods for removing such coverings are given on page 24. 
 
 Dirty or greasy walls must be thoroughly washed as described 
 on page 24. 
 
 Filling Holes and Cracks in Walls 
 
 After a wall has been cleaned, all cracks and holes must be 
 
 Fig. 7. Rufkote with Relief Ornament 
 See Page 92 
 
 [ 15 ] 
 
repaired. Clean out all loose plaster from such places until the 
 edges all around are firm. Undercut the edges so that the filling 
 will be in the form of an inverted wedge or keystone and will 
 remain more firmly in place. When the holes are more than two 
 inches wide it is wise to drive a few galvanized shingle nails into 
 the lath, setting the heads below the surface. The nails rein¬ 
 force the large fillings and hold them more securely in place. 
 
 Now wet the edges and bottoms of all holes thoroughly and 
 fill them with a putty made of Rufkote powder and water. 
 Press this putty well into the holes and smooth it off to a straight 
 and even surface with the wall. After the patches are thoroughly 
 dried out sandpaper them if necessary to bring to a true and 
 even surface with the wall before proceeding with the next 
 operation. 
 
 Sizing the Walls 
 
 The purpose of a sizing is to provide a surface of uniform 
 suction or sufficient tooth to hold the Rufkote securely. 
 
 A priming coat of flat paint may be necessary over some sur¬ 
 faces to prevent swelling or warping from the moisture in the 
 Rufkote. 
 
 Many surfaces such as unsized white plaster, sandfinish or 
 brown coat, brick and concrete are so absorbent that if left 
 unsized will act as a blotter, robbing the Rufkote of the water 
 necessary to produce its natural hard finish. This results in a 
 soft chalky coating, at the same time making the material set 
 so quickly that there is not sufficient time permitted for the 
 proper texturing. 
 
 Other surfaces are so dense and smooth that they do not pro¬ 
 vide proper anchorage for holding the Rufkote. Such surfaces 
 are gloss paint, varnish, enamel, shellac and surfaces of metal or 
 other hard substance. These surfaces must be primed with a 
 material which will present a rough surface of proper tooth to 
 hold the Rufkote securely. Good paint mixed from about 
 one-quarter oil and three-quarter turpentine and having a little 
 sand in it is good for this purpose. 
 
 Still other surfaces such as raw wood and wall board of paper 
 pulp type must be protected from the moisture in the Rufkote. 
 
 Directions for Preparing Size 
 
 A good size for use on absorbent surfaces may be prepared 
 by first making up a good glue size. To this is added two quarts 
 of mixed Rufkote to each gallon of glue size. 
 
 Hard or glossy surfaces may be prepared by giving them a 
 coat of paint into which has been mixed 14 lb. of fine sand to 
 the gallon. This coating dries out to a rough finish affording 
 anchorage for the Rufkote. It should be mixed to contain 
 about one-quarter linseed oil and three-quarters turpentine to dry 
 semi-flat. 
 
 [ 16 ] 
 
French Caen Stinic 
 

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 4 
 
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[ 17 ] 
 
 Fig. 8. Showing a wall sized and ready for Rufkoting 
 In this case plastic relief ornaments have been fastened to the wall as part of the decoration. 
 
f Wood and wall board of the paper pulp type may be protected 
 from moisture by this same coat of paint and sand. 
 
 Do not use gloss oil or cellulose lacquer as a size under 
 Rufkote. Gloss oil forms a weak film which cannot be depended 
 upon and both gloss oil and lacquer give a hard, glassy finish — 
 a poor anchorage for Rufkote. 
 
 If shellac or floor varnish is used as a size, mix in Yz lb. fine 
 sea sand to the gallon. 
 
 Preparation of Various Wall Surfaces 
 
 We will now take up in order the detailed preparation of 
 various wall surfaces commonly encountered. 
 
 New Smooth Plaster Walls 
 
 Dust down the surface and scrape off any rough splashes of 
 plaster. Cut out and repair all holes and cracks as described on 
 page 16. Give a coat of size made of glue, water and Rufkote 
 (see page 16) and allow to dry thoroughly. 
 
 When finishing hard glazed plaster, Keene’s Cement and Port¬ 
 land Cement plaster walls which appear in some bathrooms and 
 kitchens, it is best to scratch the hard glaze by rubbing in both 
 directions with No. 3 sandpaper before sizing. This cuts the 
 glazed surface enough to insure proper anchorage for the 
 Rufkote and is especially recommended when heavy relief tex¬ 
 ture of unusual weight is to be used. 
 
 Old Smooth Plaster Walls 
 
 Remove any wall paper or fabric already on the wall (see 
 page 24). 
 
 Wash off any calcimine which may be present (see page 26). 
 
 If the wall is coated with gloss oil or if the paint is cracked 
 and scaling such coating must be removed as described on page 
 26. 
 
 After the wall has been cleaned proceed as described for new 
 smooth plaster walls. 
 
 If the wall is painted and the coating has a firm bond, the 
 paint should be cleaned of any grease or dirt as described on 
 page 24. It may then be prepared in either of the following 
 ways: 
 
 (a) Sandpaper the wall in both directions with No. 3 coarse 
 paper to cut through the paint. Size with glue and Rufkote 
 mixture as described on page 16. 
 
 (b) Where the sanding is objectionable, give the wall a coat 
 of oil paint and sand as described on page 16. 
 
 Sand Finish or Brown Coat 
 
 Surfaces of this type require first a thorough brushing down 
 with a stiff broom to remove the loose sand. Next fill cracks and 
 holes as described on page 16, then size with glue and Rufkote 
 mixture as described on page 16 and allow to dry thoroughly. 
 
 [ 18 ] 
 
old walls of this type if painted and the paint is firmly 
 attached, require only a good washing to remove dust and 
 grease before patching up and applying Rufkote. 
 
 When the wall is calcimined, scrub off as much calcimine as 
 
 
 Fig. 9. Rufkote in Hand Molded Dutch Tile Finish 
 
 1191 
 
possible with hot water and a brush. If the wall is absorbent 
 after such washing, give a coat of glue and Rufkote size mix¬ 
 ture (see page 16) before applying the Rufkote. 
 
 V.rick Surfaces 
 
 Interior brick surfaces are often to be found on one or more 
 walls of enclosed sun porches and sun rooms. As a rule they 
 constitute an element which is out of harmony with the decora¬ 
 tive scheme and it is desirable for the sake of unity to decorate 
 the brick surface with the same texture and coloring as the other 
 walls of the room. 
 
 The first operation necessary on brick surfaces is to sweep 
 them off with a stiff broom to remove dust, loose sand and mortar. 
 Next apply a coat of size made from glue and water and 
 Rufkote (see page 16) brushing it well into the mortar joints 
 and allowing it to dry. Now brush on a coat of Rufkote with¬ 
 out texturing. The object of this coat is to fill up the mortar 
 joints and even up the wall surface. When this coat is thor¬ 
 oughly dry and hard, apply glue size to stop its suction and 
 after the size coat has dried apply the finishing coat of Rufkote 
 texturing as desired. 
 
 Brick surfaces which are spotted with white saltpeter efflores¬ 
 cence or with mildew must be thoroughly scrubbed clean to 
 remove all accumulations. Mildew, being a vegetable fungus 
 growth, must be killed with a coat of turpentine for mild cases 
 and a wash of water in which a strong germicide is dissolved 
 for the more advanced cases. One ounce of corrosive sublimate 
 (bichloride of mercury) in three gallons of water is about the 
 correct strength. This is a deadly poison, so handle it with 
 extreme care. Brush it on freely and let the surface dry before 
 proceeding with the decoration. The test to make certain that 
 mildew is present consists of wetting a cloth with turpentine and 
 rubbing the dark greenish black spots. If mildew is present a 
 greenish stain will come off on the cloth. Examination of mildew 
 under a magnifying glass reveals a plant like formation. 
 
 Concrete Surfaces 
 
 Interior surfaces of cement blocks or concrete cast in forms, 
 are commonly decorated with Rufkote in a permanent and 
 artistic manner. The first operation is to sweep down with a 
 stiff broom to remove all loose sand and dirl. Knock off all 
 ridges, form marks and fins. Now fill all holes, cracks and low 
 places with a putty made of dry Rufkote and water after 
 wetting such places thoroughly. Force the putty well into all 
 such openings and bring to a smooth and level surface with a 
 broad stopping knife. Allow the putty to set hard before pro¬ 
 ceeding with the work. Such putty adheres more firmly to 
 cement surfaces than does a Portland Cement mixture which 
 has a tendency to turn sandy and crumble out. 
 
 I 20] 
 
Cement surfaces which are a few months old are usually 
 ueutralized by contact with the air, but new surfaces of this 
 kind are apt to have hot caustic areas which should be neutral¬ 
 ized by a wash coating of four pounds of zinc sulphate in a 
 gallon of water brushed on and allowed to dry. 
 
 Size cement surfaces with glue and Rufkote mixture (see 
 page 16) and allow to dry hard. They are then ready for 
 Rufkoting. 
 
 Wall Board Surfaces 
 
 The beginning of a first-class decorating job over wall board 
 of various types, including the wood fiber, plaster and fiber, and 
 pressed vegetable fiber forms, is in the hands of carpenter and 
 architect long before the decorator arrives on the scene. Indif¬ 
 ferent work by the carpenter is too often evident and that 
 mechanic passes over many points with the thought that the 
 decorator will correct and cover over the poor work done in the 
 construction of the walls. Walls covered with wall board should 
 be started by the selection of studs which are straight and true, 
 properly spaced to come under the joints of the wall board. A 
 bridge of 2 x 4 in. or 2 x 2 in. wood should be placed under every 
 joint in the board and also under the full length of baseboard, 
 plate rail, chair rail, picture moulding and cornice. There is no 
 other way to construct permanently tight joints, true corners 
 and firm walls in general. 
 
 All construction materials expand and contract with tem¬ 
 perature changes, including wood, plaster, brick and wall board. 
 
 Fig. 10. 
 [ 21 ] 
 
 
Fig. 11. 
 
 Some types of wall board expand and contract much more than 
 do others. Probably the types made largely with plaster core 
 exhibit less movement than others. Common lime plaster walls 
 in their movement with temperature changes distribute the ex¬ 
 pansion and contraction evenly over all walls without a break 
 when the plaster is of proper strength. Wall board surfaces 
 simply distribute the movement over each sheet of board and 
 compensate by opening up the joints. No putty of itself is 
 strong enough to cement the pieces of wall board together to 
 force an even distribution of movement over the entire wall 
 area. Consequently, the joints break unless they are reinforced 
 with a material to withstand the movement and distribute it 
 evenly. 
 
 North of the Ohio River this reinforcing of wall board joints 
 is entirely successful when properly done. The correct method 
 for the decorator to follow is to take a piece of No. 2 or 3 sand¬ 
 paper, wrap it around a block of wood about three inches wide. 
 Place a long straight edge about 114 in. from each joint and run 
 the sandpaper up and down a few times to cut into the surface 
 of the wall board. Now fill the joints with a putty made of 
 Rufkote and water. Force the putty tightly into place with 
 a broad scraping knife. While this putty is wet cover the entire 
 joint with a three-inch strip of Open Mesh Canvas. (See page 
 23). Pound the canvas down well with a stiff brush and smooth 
 over with Rufkote worked out to a feather edge. Note Figures 
 10, 11 and 12. All nails should be set and nail holes filled with 
 Rufkote putty. 
 
 [ 22 ] 
 
South of the Ohio River the movement of wall board appears 
 to be greater and the permanent sealing of wall board joints has 
 never been quite as successful as in the Northern States, due 
 probably to extremes of heat and moisture in the South. One 
 measure which has been tried with apparent success is covering 
 over the joints with galvanized fly screen in the same manner 
 as was described for Open Mesh Canvas, except that the wire 
 screen is tacked firmly in place. 
 
 If the wall board is of the paper pulp type it must be pro¬ 
 tected from the moisture in the Rufkote. Give it a coat of 
 paint with sand in it as described on page 16 before Rufkoting. 
 
 Mefal Surfaces 
 
 Steel fire doors, partitions and similar surfaces found in in¬ 
 teriors are often unsightly and the decorator may wish to run 
 rough wall texture over such surfaces to gain unity of treat¬ 
 ment. The first requirement is that such surfaces should be 
 cleaned from dust, dirt, rust and oil. Apply a coat of paint and 
 sand (see page 16) over the clean metal surface and allow it to 
 dry hard before Rufkoting it. 
 
 Wood Surfaces 
 
 Paint all new wood, trim and putty the joints and cracks 
 before applying Rufkote to prevent the moisture from swelling 
 the wood. Mix sand in the paint to give proper tooth for holding 
 Rufkote. 
 
 Joints in large areas of woodwork may open up from drying 
 
 Fig. 12. 
 r23d 
 
out, cracking any Rufkote applied over it. The safest practice 
 when working over boarded walls is to first cover them with a 
 good wall board before Rufkoting. 
 
 
 Methods for Cleaning Various Wall Surface 
 Washing Very Dirty Walls 
 
 Plaster walls which are unusually dirty, coated with smoke, 
 dirt and grease accumulations, are occasionally encountered. 
 They require careful washing before it is safe to decorate with 
 any material. One good way to do the washing is to mix up a 
 pail of hot water, a little soap, sal soda and glue or wall paper 
 paste. Brush this mixture on with a calcimine brush and follow 
 after a few minutes by rinsing with a sponge and clean warm 
 water. When the walls are extremely greasy it is necessary to 
 use more sal soda or add ammonia to the mixture. There are 
 paint cleaner preparations of a proprietary character on the 
 market which are good. 
 
 Removing Wall Paper and Fabrics. 
 
 The quickest and least costly method of stripping wall paper 
 is that employed when using one of the several machines now 
 on the market. Such a machine consists of a small portable boiler 
 heated by gas or gasoline. Steam is carried to a metal pan 
 mounted on a handle. The play of the steam under the pan held 
 against the wall softens up the paper which is quickly stripped 
 off with a broad scraping knife. 
 
 The older hand method for removing wall paper consists of 
 wetting the paper repeatedly with water using a brush or sponge, 
 then scraping with a broad knife or wide putty knife. The 
 hand scraper is also a handy tool for this work. A tank and 
 pump speeds the work by making it easy to spray the paper with 
 water without dripping it over the floor and trim. 
 
 Varnish tile papers used in bathrooms and kitchens, as well as 
 wall paper of the Chinese, antique and Colonial types, which 
 are varnished to yellow their color and make them washable, are 
 more difficult to remove, because the varnish prevents the water 
 from soaking off the paper and the paste. The varnishing of 
 wall papers is usually done by first sizing with glue and then 
 coating with Damar or flat varnish. This coating, however, is 
 thin and not difficult to cut through. One method is to take 
 half a pail of flour paste mixed little thinner than usual, add 
 about as much fine sand to it and mix well. Tack a piece of 
 Brussels carpet over a 2 x 4 wooden block about ,six inches long. 
 Dip the carpet surface into the sand paste mixture and scrub the 
 varnished paper with it, keeping the surface wet. This will cut 
 through the varnish and paper which can then be scraped and 
 washed off clean. It is essential to remove the paste on the wall as 
 well as the paper. 
 
 Fabrics are usually removed from the wall by wetting with 
 
 [241 
 
Roviau Travertine Texture 
 
Fig. 13 
 
 Interior of Bank—a magnificent wall effect of Roman Travertine was 
 obtained with Rufkote Plastic Stone. 
 
 t25J 
 
water and stripping them from the wall one length at a time. A 
 corner of the fabric is loosened with the knife and from this 
 starting point the entire length is removed. 
 
 Ke moving Calcimine and Gloss Oil 
 
 Smooth plaster coated with calcimine should be washed well to 
 remove this covering, particularly should it be removed from 
 corners and places close to the wood trim. Warm water and a 
 good sponge will remove the calcimine and the glue size under 
 it. If it is found that the wall has been sized with gloss oil 
 under calcimine, as indicated by its high gloss and glassy surface, 
 wash it thoroughly with hot water in which considerable sal soda 
 is dissolved. Scrub with No. 3 steel wool to remove as much of 
 the gloss oil as possible. Finally sand the surface both ways with 
 No. 3 sandpaper to cut through the gloss oil. 
 
 Removing Cracked and Scaling Paint 
 
 Liquid paint and varnish removers are effective for this work, 
 but a bit expensive for large areas. When removers are used, the 
 surface should be well washed with benzine to remove the wax 
 film deposited by the remover. The paint burner torch is em¬ 
 ployed to some extent for this kind of work and is safe when 
 used with care. Sand paper and knife scrapers, however, are 
 depended upon in most cases when stripping off old paint. 
 
 After removal of old paint from plaster the hard glaze is usu¬ 
 ally cut through and scraped considerably. Such porous places 
 need sealing. A coat of glue and Rufkote mixture as described 
 on page 16 should be applied to even up the suction of the wall. 
 
 Damp Walls 
 
 Plaster, brick and cement walls which are continually damp 
 are in that condition as a rule because of some form of faulty 
 construction. Before it is safe to decorate with any material, 
 except some of the special cement damp-proof paints, the source 
 of moisture should be stopped. Such sources are many; some¬ 
 times leaking roofs, rusted out metal flashings over windows and 
 doors, leaking plumbing pipes, damp cellars or walls placed against 
 dirt embankments. In any case this is a job of supplying ventila¬ 
 tion and stopping the source of trouble. It is the work of the 
 mason or general contractor and should not be placed upon the 
 decorator. 
 
 Hanging Open Mesh Canvas 
 
 In order to produce the very best kind of a foundation surface 
 for Rufkote or any plastic paint it is best to cover the entire 
 walls of smooth or sand finish plaster or wall board with 
 Fabrikona Open Mesh Canvas. This is also done on decorating 
 jobs where there is a possibility that in later years the rough 
 texture is to be removed to return to smooth forms of decoration. 
 
 Fabrikona Open Mesh Canvas is preshrunk canvas without 
 
 [26] 
 
Fig. 14. 
 
 Rufkote Applied Over Open Mesh Canvas 
 
 filling made of woven two-ply yarn of exceptional tensile 
 strength. Its cost is low and it can be used on large areas with 
 economy for strengthening surfaces to better resist damage and 
 marring. It hides completely the small cracks in bad plaster and 
 also all fillings, cracks and other imperfections. The mesh of this 
 canvas is sufficiently open to enable Rufkote to penetrate 
 through and anchor on the plaster surface, yet should a change 
 of decorative treatment be desired the canvas can be stripped off, 
 bringing with it all the plastic rough texture decoration without 
 injury to the plaster. 
 
 Open Mesh Canvas is put up in rolls 5 0 yards long and 36 
 inches wide. It is much used over walls to be painted with oil 
 paints in the ordinary manner and affords a very interesting pat¬ 
 tern to smooth walls in addition to giving them greater strength 
 and uniformity. 
 
 The hanging of Fabrikona Open Mesh Canvas is an easy accom¬ 
 plishment. New walls, smooth or sand finish, should be cleaned, 
 patched where needed and glue sized as indicated in the first sec- 
 I tion of this chapter. Old surfaces should be cleaned, patched 
 I where needed and made as smooth as possible. Then they should 
 j be sized as previously indicated. 
 
 j Trim this Open Mesh Canvas to a straight and true edge with 
 I straightedge and sharp knife, or by marking with a pencil and 
 j cutting true with paperhangers’ shears. Apply a heavy paste to 
 the wall and then hang the canvas dry over the wet paste. 
 Smooth it out with the brush and butt the joints well. 
 
 Suitable paste for this canvas is made from the best quality of 
 wheat flour. Place the flour in a pail containing a little cold water 
 and mix well with your hand to break up all lumps. Then pour 
 on boiling water. Cover the paste and let it cook. After an 
 hour or so thin to heavy brushing consistency with cold water. 
 While the paste is hot add about 1 cupful of molasses and mix 
 it well into the paste. This to make a stronger adhesive paste. 
 Some decorators prefer to add about a tablespoonful of Venice 
 turpentine. 
 
 127 ] 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 Mixing Rufkote and the Addition of Color 
 
 Rufkote is marketed in dry powder form which is pure white. 
 
 This is mixed in the proportion of two parts of powder by 
 volume to one part of cold water and is immediately ready for 
 use. 
 
 To make one gallon of the mixture add five quarts (10 
 pounds) powdered Rufkote to two and one-half ( 2 ^ 2 ) quarts 
 cold water and stir well. This may be thinned down with cold 
 water if a mixture thinner than usual is desired. 
 
 Mix sufficient Rufkote at one time for a day’s work. Rufkote 
 should be used when freshly mixed but may be held over night 
 after mixing by thinning the mixture down with an equal 
 amount of cold water and stirring well. It is not sufficient to 
 pour the extra water on top of the Rufkote. It must be mixed. 
 This extra water separates out upon standing and is poured ofi 
 before again using the mixture. 
 
 Mixing Color with Rufkote 
 
 Rufkote, when uncolored, drys out to a clear white. On this 
 white ground many interesting colored finishes are done by coat¬ 
 ing with glaze stains as described in Chapter VII. Where a col¬ 
 ored material is desired the mixed Rufkote may be tinted with 
 dry color or color ground in oil. 
 
 To color the mixed Rufkote take one or two quarts of the 
 mixed Rufkote and into this thoroughly mix the color, work¬ 
 ing out all lumps and straining through wire netting if necessary. 
 This mixture is then stirred into the white Rufkote to obtain 
 the desired color. 
 
 The colored Rufkote is much darker in shade when wet than 
 when dry and care should be taken to allow for this. 
 
 When mixing colored Rufkote always provide enough mate¬ 
 rial for an entire ceiling or wall in one mixing to avoid variation 
 in shade. Care should be used to measure the amount of color 
 used in a batch in order to duplicate the shade in case additional 
 material is required. 
 
 Substantially any of the suitable color tints and shades for 
 interior decoration may be produced with Rufkote. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 Application of Rufkote 
 
 A fter getting the surface ready as directed in previous chap¬ 
 ters on sizing and surface preparation, mix the Rufkote 
 as noted in Chapter IV, colored to suit. The application 
 of the coating to the wall may be done by means of any of the 
 brushes shown in the illustration. Figure 16 . These brushes are 
 
 Fig. 15. Rufkote being applied. 
 [29] 
 
the most commonly used tools for this purpose, especially the 
 Dutch calcimine brush. But certain textures are just as well 
 started by applying the Rufkote with a sponge, while others 
 are better done by the use of a square plasterer’s trowel or a 
 bricklayer’s trowel. In the descriptions of various textures found 
 in Chapter VI, the proper tools are suggested for each finish. 
 
 The most important point about putting Rufkote or any 
 other decorative coating on to a surface is to so brush it as to 
 gain intimate contact. Most surfaces contain minute pores or 
 open cells filled with air and when a coating is placed over 
 them the material should be worked enough by pressure from 
 the brush or other tool to force this air out and the material 
 into the cells. There is also a matter of surface tension possessed 
 by all substances to be overcome by brushing out well the new 
 coatings. Consequently, the first brushfulls of Rufkote should 
 be spread out rather than over the surface and forced into in¬ 
 timate contact with it. Then the following applications can 
 be spread as thick as wanted to produce the texture in mind. 
 
 The thickness of the Rufkote application put on is governed 
 by the roughness or ruggedness of the texture to be produced. 
 Most of the textures used are obtained by spreading Rufkote 
 on to a depth of about one-eighth of an inch or less. The more 
 rugged textures like the large brush swirls, Spanish palm finish 
 and all patterns which aim to pile up Rufkote to a depth of 
 about three-eighths of an inch in places, but thinner over the 
 surface generally, call for an initial application of more than 
 one-eighth inch of Rufkote. The best way to handle such 
 heavy application is to do it in two stages. Apply about one- 
 eighth inch of the material over a fairly large area, allow it to 
 set a few minutes and then apply as much more as is needed. 
 If the full amount is applied immediately the weight of the 
 material while it is so wet sometimes causes it to slough off. In 
 cases where Rufkote is being applied over brick walls to com¬ 
 pletely hide the mortar joints it is best to apply one fairly thick 
 coating, forcing it well into the joints, stipple the whole surface 
 and let it dry over night before completing the texture. Next 
 day size and then when dry apply more Rufkote and proceed 
 to texture it as on a plaster wall. 
 
 After the application of the required amount of Rufkote to 
 a surface it is well to distribute it fairly well with the tool to 
 make a rather uniform thickness of material over the whole sur¬ 
 face before working in the texture. 
 
 During the application there is a tendency to apply too much 
 material in the corners and up against window and door casings. 
 Even when only the normal thickness is applied at first at these 
 points the texturing tools crowd more plastic on than should 
 remain. Walls expand and contract with temperature changes. 
 When plaster and decorative coatings are uniformly thick this 
 movement is evenly distributed and no breaking of the surface 
 
 130 ] 
 

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is apt to occur, but when too much plastic is allowed to accu¬ 
 mulate in corners of side walls and where the walls join, the 
 ceiling cracks may occur at these points where the expansion 
 movement of the two walls is equalized. Have only the same 
 thickness of Rufkote in the corners as elsewhere on the surface 
 and no trouble will be encountered. 
 
 The coating and texturing of very large walls and ceilings 
 with any decorative material is usually done better by working 
 two or three men on the surface at the same time. Let one man 
 start coating in the first stretch, then the second man can start 
 coating in the second stretch when the first man has about half 
 finished. The third man, if present, can start stippling or dis¬ 
 tributing the Rufkote to an even thickness over the surface. 
 In this manner of working two or three men will do more and 
 better work in a day and the texturing will be more uniform as 
 a rule if there is good teamwork, because the material is worked 
 into the texture at just the right time. 
 
 The temperature and ventilation of a room in which decorat¬ 
 ing materials are being applied determine largely the rate of set¬ 
 ting. In the application of Rufkote the temperature should be 
 normal room heat and never below freezing. Ventilation should 
 be only moderate until after the texturing has been completed, 
 then it may be increased and the drying of the coating will be 
 hastened thereby. 
 
 Floors and cabinet work in rooms being decorated with 
 Rufkote should be protected with drop cloths. Standing wood 
 trim should be watched carefully in order to wipe off immedi¬ 
 ately any splashes of Rufkote dropped on such surfaces, not 
 that Rufkote will discolor the trim finish but that after drying 
 it is not so easy to wipe off. While fresh it wipes off clean and 
 easily. Be sure to use clean water and a clean sponge especially on 
 door and wall panels. 
 
 Texture Making Tools 
 
 The tools used for forming the textures in Rufkote are 
 numerous, as may be noted from the illustration on page 31. 
 The most simple texture and the one easiest to produce is done 
 with a regular wall stippling brush. Figure 39. This tool, used 
 like a hammer to pound the wet Rufkote, produces a series of 
 pores or pits. This simple stipple finish makes a quietly interesting 
 surface done either in a single color with tinted Rufkote or in 
 two-tone effect by glazing over with Rufkote. 
 
 Some of the other tools useful in this modeling or texturing 
 of Rufkote are the palm of the hand, combinations of brush 
 work and finger modelling; the flat wall brush, the oval paint 
 or varnish brush, steel wire brush, calcimine brush, whiskbroom, 
 ordinary haircomb with coarse teeth, square plasterer’s trowel, 
 bricklayer’s trowel, common sheepswool sponge, rubber sponge, 
 
 ['32 ]' 
 
long knife spatula, steel grainer’s comb, wad of crumpled news¬ 
 paper and any other tool that can be effectively manipulated. 
 After a texture is completed and while Rufkote is still soft 
 the high points of the pattern are often smoothed down a little 
 by lightly drawing the edge of a celluoid drawing triangle over 
 the surface. Two or more tools are sometimes used one after 
 the other in producing some of the textures. Sandpaper, No. Yi 
 or No. 1 is used on some of the textures after the Rufkote is 
 dry and glaze-stained to cuff off the high points of the texture 
 and reveal the color of the undercoat. Wrap the sandpaper around 
 a block of wood to do this task most effectively. 
 
 The manipulation of the various tools is described in Chapter 
 VI, where the textures are discussed and illustrated. 
 
 How to Use Rufkote with Color 
 
 Considering color effects Rufkote is applied in two ways: 
 (1) in its natural white form. To finish it a glaze is applied and 
 wiped and sometimes sandpapered. Note the glazing methods 
 described in Chapter VII. (2) Rufkote is tinted with colors 
 ground in oil or dry colors to any hue wanted. When dry, the 
 colored Rufkote should be sized and finished with a coat of 
 shellac, paint or lacquer if a waterproof surface is desired. 
 
 Fig. 17. Glazing and wiping 
 [33] 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 Producing the Texture Patterns 
 
 T here are far too many textures available to be able to 
 describe more than a few of the most useful and commonly 
 accepted. One no sooner acquires facility in this form of 
 decoration, however, than he begins to develop textures suitable 
 for particular purposes. A little imagination and ingenuity will 
 produce a surprising variety of finishes, both of the conventional 
 and novel types. In fact, that is one of the outstanding virtues 
 of this mode of decoration—the decorator starting in on this 
 medium of expression immediately finds a wealth of textural 
 effects at his command which he can do with little practise, yet 
 the man with ideas of his own has a freedom of expression in 
 Rufkote which is equal to every demand of an artistic nature 
 and which enables him to provide distinctly individual finishes 
 to suit his schemes of decoration. 
 
 Before getting into the production of textures there is one 
 idea which should be tucked away firmly in mind and that is the 
 fact that before success can be gained in producing any texture 
 the finished effect must be visualized. Without having in mind 
 a fairly definite picture of what is wanted, the tool will wander 
 about aimlessly and artlessly; the result is apt to be a poor tex¬ 
 ture, merely an uninteresting scratching of the surface. Obvi¬ 
 ously, in the development of new textures it is best to work out 
 ideas on pieces of wall board or similar material a yard or two in 
 area. That will determine textures, colors, tools and the order 
 in which the various operations ought to come. 
 
 Fig. 18. 
 [34] 
 
Rugged Textures for Large Rooms 
 
 Large Living Rooms, Theatres, Automobile Sales 
 Rooms, Public Halls, Restaurants, etc. 
 
 The problem in rooms of large scale and with high or low 
 ceilings is to employ textures which are neither too large, rugged 
 and strong in display nor too small and insignificant in relation 
 to room size, architectural trim proportions and large furniture. 
 Not only the size and ruggedness of texture must be in proportion 
 but the fitness of the color employed must likewise be in balance. 
 In large rooms, fairly strong color values and masses are needed, 
 but of course, the decorator must ever keep in mind that in most 
 instances the walls and ceiling are but the background for the 
 display of furniture and consequently texture and color should 
 not be too pronounced and insistent upon attention. The walls 
 are rarely the focal point to be emphasized in rooms. 
 
 Fig. 19. 
 
 [35 ] 
 
Two-Tone Scroll Texture 
 
 Tools Needed Materials Needed 
 
 Large Round Paint Brush, or Rufkote Plastic Stone 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush Colors in Oil or Dry 
 
 Wiping Rags Rufkote Wall Glaze 
 
 There is a freedom and easy grace about this texture even 
 though it is large and rugged. The degree of ruggedness is within 
 the decorator’s control simply by making the scrolls larger or 
 smaller to be exactly in keeping with the massiveness of the 
 architectural trim of wood or stone and the size of the room. 
 A fairly large execution of this texture is shown in Figure 20. 
 In the wall photographed the scrolls average about eight inches 
 in diameter and the greatest depth of Rufkote on the high 
 points is about one-half inch. 
 
 To produce this texture apply Rufkote, brushing it well into 
 firm contact with the v/all. Coat in about one hundred square 
 feet. By the time this first stretch is finished, it will have set 
 enough to allow a second coat to be spread to gain the necessary 
 depth of material. This second coating should cover a stretch 
 only about a yard wide. The material may be applied either 
 with an ordinary flat wall brush or a Dutch calcimine brush. 
 The texture is best worked in with a large round paint or var¬ 
 nish brush. Produce the scroll effect by working continuously 
 in one circular direction to complete each scroll. Lift the brush 
 and start the second scroll in the same direction, but not imme¬ 
 diately opposite the first. Do not form the scrolls in a continu¬ 
 ous line, as that will give a mechanical and monotonous texture. 
 Some of the scrolls can be done in the reverse direction. Once 
 a scroll is started complete it and at the end give the brush a 
 little twist at the same time lifting it off the wall. That pulls 
 the Rufkote up to a nice finish. The high points in the texture 
 are made by letting the brush plough up some of the Rufkote. 
 It is a good plan to avoid working over each area textured more 
 than once. Generally speaking the more you work over a scroll 
 the worse it gets, because it then becomes too much of a con¬ 
 scious effort, whereas the carefree, sort of carelessly careful 
 brushing habit makes the most interesting texture. 
 
 The Rufkote may be put on in its natural white color or 
 may be tinted any light color, depending upon the finished color 
 tones wanted. The color of the Rufkote will show through the 
 finished texture and generally influences the finished color con¬ 
 siderably. The finished color is gained by letting the Rufkote 
 dry hard over night after the texture has been worked in. A 
 coat of glue size is then applied and allowed to dry. Now apply 
 a Rufkote glaze as per directions noted in Chapter VII. 
 
 After the glaze coat has been spread over the whole wall with 
 a flat wall brush or calcimine brush, take a large wad of clean 
 cloth and wipe off the color from the high points of the texture 
 to give an interesting two-tone finish. 
 
 [ 36 ] 
 
Fig. 20. 
 
 Two-Tone Scroll Texture 
 
Tree Bark Texhire 
 
 Tools Needed 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush 
 Wall Stippling Brush 
 Long Knife Spatula, or 
 Celluoid Triangle 
 
 Materials Needed 
 Tinting Colors 
 Rufkote Plastic Stone 
 Glue Size 
 
 / Rufkote Wall Glaze 
 
 A very easy texture and one which has many uses. It is par¬ 
 ticularly fitting for rooms with low ceilings because it apparently 
 increases the height of the ceiling and size of the room. 
 
 This texture shown in Figure 21 may be done in any color. 
 The wall from which the illustration was made has an ivory 
 undertone and a dark brown in the pockets of the finish. The 
 Rufkote was tinted a very little with raw sienna. 
 
 To produce the Tree Bark Texture mix and apply the Rufkote 
 in the usual manner as directed in Chapters IV and V. Apply 
 about one-eighth of an inch of Rufkote or more as wanted and 
 then stipple the surface with the wall stippling brush. Stipple 
 as soon as the Rufkote has been roughly spread over the surface 
 in order to make as rough a stipple pattern as possible. Then 
 let the coating set for a few minutes, just enough to get a little 
 stiff. 
 
 Before the stippled coating gets very hard take a long knife 
 spatula or a celluloid triangle and draw it over the surface in 
 vertical streaks from top to bottom only, never across from 
 left to right. Draw these flattened streaks about four or six 
 inches apart, as pleases you most. After smoothing until it 
 closely resembles the tree bark effect let it dry hard over night. 
 Next day coat with glue size and allow to dry. 
 
 The final operation is to apply a glaze stain coat of burnt 
 umber mixed with Rufkote Wall Glaze and brush over the 
 whole surface. Wipe it off again in a few minutes, leaving the 
 dark color only in the pockets or crevices. When the glaze is 
 dry the job is finished. 
 
 In this texture it is best to start at the top of the wall and 
 carry down a stretch about a yard wide. 
 
 [38] 
 
 i 
 
pliSi 
 
 Fig. 21. 
 
 Tree Bark Texture 
 
 [39] 
 
The Stipple and Smooth Texture 
 
 Tools Needed Materials Needed 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush, or Rufkote Plastic Stone 
 
 Flat Wall Brush Tinting Colors, Dry or Oil 
 
 Wall Stipple Brush Sand, Dry Color, Smalts 
 
 Here is a texture which has a wide range of uses, being rough 
 enough for large, medium and small size rooms. It is colorful, 
 interesting and in conservative taste for average homes and pub¬ 
 lic buildings. Added to those desirable qualities is the fact 
 that this is a very easy texture to produce. 
 
 The first step in the working method consists of brushing 
 Rufkote over the surface as usual in a thin film to gain good 
 contact. Then more material is applied to a thickness of about 
 one-eighth of an inch. While wet it is stippled evenly with a 
 wall stippling brush. Then color is blown on to the wet 
 Rufkote either by placing it on a small piece of cardboard and 
 blowing it on in clouds with the mouth or, better yet for large 
 surfaces, blowing it on with a bellows sander made for such 
 purposes. It is pictured in Figure 22. The coloring 
 matter is dry and may consist of a mixture of very dry, fine sand 
 and dry color or it may be colored sign-painters’ smalts. After 
 blowing the color on in clouds here and there the texture is 
 smoothed down with a celluloid triangle such as is used for 
 mechanical drawing, or a long black spatula knife may be used to 
 smooth the texture. The tool may be worked in a continuous 
 circular manner progressing over the surface or it may be worked 
 alternately, first in one direction and then another. 
 
 When the smoothed areas are comparatively small this texture 
 presents a light, delicate lace effect, but when the smoothed areas 
 are large and coloring strong the texture resulting has a close 
 resemblance to marble surfaces. For waterproofing this surface 
 see page 3 3. 
 
 Fig. 22. 
 r4oi 
 

 Fig. 23. 
 
 The Stipple and 
 
 Smooth Texture 
 
! 
 
 Aged Rock Texture 
 
 Tools Needed 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush 
 Wiretooth Hair Brush 
 Bellows Sander 
 Long Spatula Knife, or 
 
 Materials Needed 
 
 Rufkote Plastic Stone 
 Dry Color (Burnt Umber) 
 Sand, Fine, Dry 
 Raw Sienna 
 
 Celluoid Triangle 
 
 This unusual texture looks very like the weatherbeaten side of 
 a rock cliff worn threadbare by the erosion of rain, wind, sun 
 and snow. It is esssentially a rather formal treatment suitable 
 for large rooms and moderately large rooms. It would naturally 
 be used wherever marble is suitable in all types of buildings. 
 The colors may be any which are naturally found in such rock 
 formations and to fit the color scheme at hand. The wall from 
 which the illustrations were made has a brown and cream tone. 
 The Rufkote was tinted with raw sienna and the second color 
 was burnt umber. The manipulation of the texture gives all 
 shades of these colors in a very interesting formation. 
 
 To produce this texture shown completely in Figure 24 and 
 in the three stages or operations required in Figure 2 5, start by 
 mixing the Rufkote to a light ivory color by the addition of a 
 little raw sienna. Apply the color to the surface as usual with 
 the Dutch calcimine brush or four-inch flat wall brush, spread 
 it out well to gain good contact with the old surface. Start 
 the texturing in a few minutes as soon as the Rufkote has set 
 enough to avoid being sticky. Start by taking an ordinary 
 wiretooth hair brush or metal comb and drawing it across the 
 full width of the wall which, by the way, should be coated-in 
 
 Fic. 24. 
 ■ [42] 
 
Fig. 25. 
 
 with horizontal stretches for this texture instead of the usual 
 vertical application from top to bottom. The top stretch across 
 the wall should be finished first so that the Rufkote of the 
 second and succeeding stretches will not be splashed down over 
 a completed area. Draw the hair brush across the whole wall 
 from corner to corner, stopping every yard or two to clean off 
 the accumulation of material which clogs the wire teeth of the 
 brush. Completing the horizontal stripes blow on the dry color, 
 burnt umber for a brown tone. The best way to handle this for 
 large walls is to mix the dry color with very dry and uniformly 
 fine beach sand and place it in a hand bellows sander, or the sand 
 and color may be placed on a piece of cardboard and blown on to 
 the surface. This color should be applied in clouds of irregular 
 size while the Rufkote is wet. 
 
 The operation to perform next is that of smoothing off the 
 surface by the use of a long knife spatula or a celluloid drafts¬ 
 man’s triangle as noted in Figure 24. Draw the tool across the 
 wall only in a horizontal direction and it is well to smooth some 
 streaks more by pushing harder on the tool. This will eliminate 
 the deep marks of the hairbrush in places but these marks should 
 show generally in the texture. 
 
 Repeat these three operations on the next stretch below until 
 the wall has been completely textured. It is well to carry 
 stretches only about a yard high across the wall. Protect the 
 finished texture as described on. page 3 3. 
 
 [ 43 ] 
 
Multi-Color Scroll Texture 
 
 Tools Needed Materials Needed 
 
 Round Paint Brush, Large Rufkote Plastic Stone 
 
 Several Colors 
 
 The method used in producing this very attractive neutral 
 colored texture is identical in its first steps with that required 
 for doing the Two-tone Scroll described on page 3 6. 
 
 Mix up three or more batches of Rufkote as usual after the 
 manner outlined in Chapter IV. Make each batch a different 
 color by adding colors to it. Start the texture by the applica¬ 
 tion of one color to the whole surface to gain good contact. 
 Then start the first scroll with one color. Use another color for 
 the next and the third color next. In working in the texture 
 these colors wifi become blended together considerably, yet not 
 mixed together to change the hues, unless you brush over the 
 texture too much. That is all there is to it except to allow the 
 finish to dry. Of course, the texture may be made very coarse 
 and rugged by using a thick application of Rufkote and large 
 scrolls. Using a thinner application and smaller scrolls, modernly 
 rugged textures suitable for smaller rooms result. Note Figure 
 26. Protect the finished texture as described on page 33. 
 
 Fig. 26. 
 U41 
 
Fig. 27. 
 
 Lattice and Scroll Texture 
 
 Tools Needed 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush 
 Round Paint Brush, Large 
 Marking Tool 
 Straightedge 
 Chalkline 
 
 Materials Needed 
 
 Rufkote Plastic Stone 
 Tinting Colors 
 Glue Size 
 
 Rufkote Wall Glaze 
 
 In this decorative texture we have one which is appropriate for 
 lower wall or dado treatment in restaurant, theatre, or other 
 rooms where a rather showy unusual finish is wanted. Figure 27. 
 
 This texture is started following nearly the same method as 
 was described for the Two-Tone Scroll Texture. After the 
 Rufkote has been applied and the scrolls worked in with the 
 round brush, the fingers are also used as the texture indicates. 
 Then lines are snapped on by placing a chalkline equal distances 
 apart to make the blocks the size wanted. Flaving done this 
 take a straightedge and with a tool mark off the lines in diagonal 
 fashion. This marking tool may be from one-half to one inch 
 wide, depending upon the wall size and it may be a screwdriver 
 or a piece of soft white pine cut off square and smooth. 
 
 When the texture has been produced and lined off let it dry — 
 give a coat of glue size — then apply a coat of Rufkote Wall 
 Glaze colored to suit. 
 
 [ 45 ] 
 
Spanish Palm Fmish 
 
 Tools Needed 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush, or 
 Flat Wall Brush 
 Materials Needed 
 
 Rufkote Plastic Stone 
 
 Dry Color, Raw Sienna, 
 Raw Umber 
 Glue Size 
 
 Rufkote Wall Glaze 
 Raw Umber in Oil or Dry 
 
 This name for a wall finish is on the tongues of many and yet 
 there seems to be no very definite idea of the exact character of 
 texture to which it may rightfully be applied. In the absence of 
 definite data and after an examination of early Spanish mission 
 finishes in our southwestern and Pacific coast states one may 
 reasonably assume that the real Spanish palm finish is that which 
 was actually done with the palms of the hands. The plaster was 
 applied with rough trowels or paddles and then smoothed up 
 as much as possible with the hands. The texture which results 
 from this method is that shown by Figure 6. 
 
 The production of Spanish palm finish with Rufkote is 
 simple. The first requirement after the surface has been prop¬ 
 erly prepared as per Chapter III is the spreading of Rufkote 
 tinted light cream with raw sienna with a Dutch calcimine brush 
 or a flat wall brush, taking care to force perfect contact of the 
 coating with the surface. Let this coat set a few minutes and 
 then apply another thick coat — thick and thin in places. Allow 
 this coat to set until the Rufkote is no longer sticky but still 
 plastic. Then with the palm of the hand smooth it over fairly 
 well, allowing it to remain thick and thin in places. Work the 
 palm of the hand and fingers in a circular manner to smooth the 
 surfaces. After drying over night or longer until hard give a 
 coat of glue size and apply a glaze stain mixed by thinning a 
 
 Fig. 28. 
 [46] 
 
little raw umber with Rufkote Wall Glaze. The umber may be 
 dry or ground in oil. Apply the glaze coat to the whole surface, 
 permit it to set a few minutes and then wipe it off from the 
 whole surface except in the holes and crevices, where it should 
 be allowed to remain dark. 
 
 Roman Travertine Texture 
 
 Tools Needed 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush 
 Wall Stippling Brush 
 Line Marking Tool 
 Straightedge 
 Sand Blower 
 Triangle, Celluloid 
 
 Materials Needed 
 
 Rufkote Plastic Stone 
 Colors in Oil or Dry 
 Rufkote Wall Glaze 
 
 This texture is much used in large bank rooms (see page 25), 
 theatres, railroad station waiting rooms and other public build¬ 
 ings, but it is equally suitable for moderately large rooms in 
 residences of the more pretentious type. It is essentially a formal 
 treatment of walls and for that reason is used only in rooms of 
 homes which aim to have a more or less formal atmosphere. 
 
 Before attempting to describe the production of Travertine 
 finish it is well to recall that as done in plastic paint, plaster or 
 cement this finish is a representation of a natural stone which is 
 taken from the quarries of Italy. Travertine is a rock formed 
 by calcareous (lime or chalk-lime) deposits from spring water in 
 Italy. The natural rock is cut into blocks and is much used in 
 Europe for building purposes. The face of this rock has soft 
 spots in it running in a generally parallel direction and these soft 
 places are washed out by the weather, leaving pockets or irregu¬ 
 lar holes in the stone surface. The color is cream and light 
 yellow. 
 
 A true representation of Travertine can be produced with 
 Rufkote colored a light cream with raw sienna. The first step 
 in the process is to apply a thin coat of Rufkote plastic paint 
 to part of the surface, brushing it well into contact with the old 
 surface. Then apply more while the first is wet until you have 
 a thickness of about one-eighth of an inch. 
 
 The next operation is to take a regular wall brush, see Figure 
 40 and stipple the wet Rufkote all over uniformly. Let the sur¬ 
 face set a few minutes and then take a celluloid triangle such as 
 is used by a draftsman, one that is at least a foot long, and draw 
 it across the soft Rufkote in a horizontal direction. Draw it 
 for a foot or two, lift it and start in another place higher or 
 lower and repeat in the same direction. This action smooths 
 out most of the surface but leaves series of pockets or holes in 
 the Rufkote in irregular lines or groups. A long spatula knife 
 can be used instead of the triangle. 
 
 The next operation is to line-off the surface after it has 
 become fairly dry but not hard. This, may take only an hour 
 
 [471 
 
in some rooms and several hours when temperature and ventila¬ 
 tion are not so good. The natural Travetine blocks of stone 
 are usually 9x18 inches, approximately, and so plastic paint is 
 usually marked off in blocks of that size or nearly that size, 
 depending upon how it works out after dividing the width of 
 the wall up into an even number of blocks and half blocks, or 
 quarter blocks. Run the horizontal lines first (Figure 30) and 
 nine inches apart. For marking these lines it is best to have a 
 straightedge which may be made of any straightpiece of wood — 
 a doorstop makes a good one. Drive two four-penny finishing 
 nails into this straightedge which is a yard or so long and let the 
 nails come through the wood about ^ inch. Then when you set 
 the straightedge on the soft Rufkote finish it will not damage 
 the surface — the nailholes will not matter. Mark off the loca¬ 
 tion of the horizontal lines with a rule, nine inches apart and 
 then trace them with the straightedge using the square end of 
 a small three-cornered saw file, a small screwdriver or, better yet, 
 the special tool pictured in Figure 16. The shoulders on this 
 tool smooths the edges of the lines as you go. Let the finish dry 
 over night or longer and then sandpaper off the rough edges 
 along the line markings and elsewhere if any. Brush off the 
 dust and you are ready to apply the size and glaze or stain coat 
 to finish. 
 
 Another good way to locate your horizontal lines is to mark 
 off the wall in each corner with a rule, making a mark every 
 9 inches up or 9^4 or 8 %, whichever divides the wall into an 
 even number of blocks. Then take a chalkline, chalk it well, 
 have someone hold one end on the marks in the corner and you 
 hold the other end. Snap the line when taut and the chalkline 
 will trace the location of each horizontal line as you go. Then 
 it will be easy to go over the chalk line with the straightedge and 
 lining tool. 
 
 Having the surface all textured and lined the next step is to 
 apply the glaze stain when the surface is completely dry. This 
 glaze coat is mixed by adding to Rufkote Wall Glaze a small 
 amount of raw umber ground in oil or in dry form. Mix it thin, 
 brush it all over the surface, let it set a few minutes and then 
 with a wad of cloth wipe the surface. This will remove the 
 stain from all of the surface except the pockets or pits which 
 should remain quite dark in color. The job is now finished. 
 
 There is another method which is sometimes used for produc¬ 
 ing Travertine. The method just described is followed up to and 
 including the stippling of the Rufkote with wall stippling 
 brush. Then some dry white silica sand, called Ottawa sand in 
 some sections and by other names, is used to put the color on 
 the surface. Any clean white sand that is dry and uniform 
 from screening as not to be too fine will do. Dry color, raw 
 umber or a mixture of raw umber and burnt umber are the 
 
 [ 48 ] 
 

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 u- 
 
 
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 w / .V 
 
 
 
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 4^ KM ••>* -T ’ •'. ^ jji^' ' ’ iJr- 
 
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 Sj^duish l\il}n Finish 
 
colors mixed to darken the sand. This mixture is blown on to 
 the wet stippled Rufkote in horizontal streaks. Figure 22 
 shows the application of sand color with bellows. Then the sur¬ 
 face is immediately smoothed with the celluloid triangle or long 
 spatula knife as described. After that it is lined off into blocks 
 as described and allowed to dry. After sanding the rough edges 
 of the lines the job is finished. No glaze coat is needed. The 
 first method described makes the best representation of Travertine. 
 
 One point to be carefully watched in using either of these 
 methods is that of stippling at just the right time. If the 
 stippling is done too soon the pockets are apt to be too large and 
 if done too late they will be too small. 
 
 Another material which can be used in place of the sand is 
 smalts of dark brown color. Such material is much used by sign 
 painters and works well but is more expensive. Not much is 
 needed for an average room, however. A coat of liquid wax is 
 sometimes brushed on and polished a little with a cloth to give 
 a dull lustre. 
 
 Fig. 29. 
 
 Roman Travertine 
 [49] 
 
French Caen Stone 
 
 Tools Needed Materials Needed 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush Rufkote Plastic Stone 
 
 Wall Stippling Brush Raw Sienna, Dry 
 
 Straightedge 
 
 Chalkline 
 
 Marker Tool 
 
 Caen is the name of a city in northwestern France and it is 
 an old one, dating back to before the ninth century. There are 
 great quarries near this city from which limestone of a creamy 
 white color has been taken for building purposes for hundreds 
 of years. Much of it has been exported. Many English churches 
 and other buildings as early as the fifteenth century were con¬ 
 structed of French Caen stone. A cement is made from this 
 same stone and with it artificial Caen stone blocks are made. 
 They are about 9 inches high and 18 inches wide. In walls 
 they are set very close together and cemented. The artificial 
 stone is much used today. 
 
 Rufkote makes very good duplications of Caen stone finish 
 and by a very simple handling. It is mixed to a light cream 
 color with raw sienna and then applied in a fairly thin coating, 
 about one-eighth of an inch thick. This coating should be 
 allowed to set a little longer than usual and is then stippled as 
 soon as it has set enough so that it is not sticky. Stippling after 
 Rufkote has become a little stiff makes the fine character of 
 texture which matches the natural Caen stone closely. 
 
 After a few hours the texture is lined off in exactly the 
 same manner as was described for Travertine. Note Figure 3 0. 
 When the Rufkote is dry, smooth down the edges of the lines 
 with sandpaper, dust off and the job is done. 
 
 Fig. 30. 
 
 [50 ] 
 
[51 ] 
 
 Fig. 31. French Caen Stone 
 
Italian Effect 
 
 Tools Needed 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush 
 Wall Stippling Brush 
 
 Materials Needed 
 
 Rufkote Plastic Stone 
 Tinting Colors, Dry 
 Glue Size 
 
 Color for Glazing, Oil or Dr> 
 
 In this moderately rough texture we have one which can be 
 done quickly and about as little experience and skill are required 
 as can be imagined. It is a very attractive texture for many 
 types of rooms, large and moderately large. It finishes up 
 beautifully by applying the Rufkote in its natural white and 
 when dry applying a glaze stain coat and wiping. 
 
 To produce this broad brush stipple apply the Rufkote about 
 one-eighth inch thick, or thicker for a more rugged texture. 
 Distribute the material fairly well over the surface and then 
 immediately stipple by pounding lightly with the wall stippling 
 brush. That will rough-up the Rufkote generally. Next use 
 the stippling brush immediately in broad semi-circular sweeps 
 from six to ten inches at a stroke. Make some strokes over-hand, 
 some under-hand and some in all directions at random. Do not 
 brush the entire surface, but allow some of the very rough 
 stippled texture to protrude between the broad brush sweeps at 
 the ends of the strokes. 
 
 Allow the texture to dry, give a coat of glue size and finish 
 with Rufkote Wall Glaze colored to suit using one or more 
 colors, blending and wiping. 
 
 Fic. 32. 
 [52] 
 
Moderately Rough Textures 
 
 For Average Living Rooms, Dining Rooms and Halls in Homes. For 
 Theatres, Public Halls, Restaurants and Business Buildings. 
 
 The number of textures which fall within this group is very 
 large and only a few interesting examples can be shown within 
 the space at hand. These are such as are not too large in pattern, 
 too deep and massive of texture to be suitable for rooms which 
 are not larger than average and which have architectural trim of 
 moderate proportions and scale. Practically all of these textures 
 are capable of being handled in an unlimited number of color 
 combinations in addition to those named here for purposes of 
 illustrating the working methods employed. 
 
 Fi.g 33. 
 
 Rufkote used with plaster relief ornament 
 
 [ 53 ] 
 
Foliage Texture 
 
 Tools Needed Materials Needed 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush Rufkote Plastic Stone 
 
 Wood Pickle Spoon Tinting Colors 
 
 This pattern resembles clusters of leaves and while fairly regu¬ 
 lar in general effect the movement is irregular and has in it no 
 hint of mechanical repetition. 
 
 The first operation is the application of Rufkote mixed as 
 per directions and tinted any color wanted, preferably the very 
 light hues. The Rufkote should be spread on about one-quarter 
 inch thick and after roughly distributing it over the surface to 
 gain good contact with the wall take a wood pickle spoon and 
 beginning at the top of the wall, move it in a circular fashion 
 over the surface. Do not produce a succession of circles, but 
 rather, after a half or quarter revolution of the tool, lift it and 
 start again nearby, ploughing and piling up the material in 
 ridges of interesting formation. Do not get the circles lined up 
 in any continuous direction. 
 
 After texturing the finish is complete, but may be further 
 protected as described on page 3 3. It has a variable color 
 impression because of the shadows cast by the projections. Of 
 course, a still different effect can be gained over white Rufkote 
 by using a glaze stain over the surface when dry. 
 
 Fig. 34. 
 [54] 
 
Fig. 35. 
 
 French Effect 
 
 Tools Needed 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush, or 
 Flat Wall Brush 
 Long Spatula Knife 
 
 This rather simple and quiet texture has a very old history 
 and has been used by many peoples. It is the texture which natu¬ 
 rally results from the application of plaster, stucco or plastic 
 paint and a rather crude smoothing operation. Centuries back it 
 was as smooth a finish as could be made. It fits many types of 
 architecture and small rooms as well as large. 
 
 To gain this texture apply Rufkote with a brush as usual 
 and after brushing it out well into contact with the surface 
 apply more with a brush or steel trowel. Then after the coating 
 has set a little, smooth it up as best you can with the long knife 
 spatula or steel trowel, working the tool in all directions. 
 
 As to coloring, this finish may simply be colored by tinting the 
 Rufkote before application, considering the job finished after 
 smoothing it off. Or, a two-tone coloring may be applied by 
 the use of a glaze coat, using Rufkote Wall Glaze as per 
 Chapter VII. 
 
 Materials Needed 
 
 Rufkote Plastic Stone 
 Tinting Colors, Dry 
 Glue Size 
 
 Glaze Colors, Dry or Oil 
 Rufkote Wall Glaze 
 
 [ 55 ] 
 
The Cross-Hatch Pattern 
 
 Tools Needed Materials Needed 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush, or Rufkote Plastic Stone 
 
 Flat Wall Brush Tinting Colors 
 
 An unusual and rather subtle pattern which is one of the 
 easiest and quickest of all to apply. Simple color effects are 
 done merely by tinting the Rufkote, while more colorful fin¬ 
 ishes result from applying a ground coat of one of the bronze 
 colors and then glazing over with a transparent glaze stain as 
 per Chapter VII. 
 
 To execute this texture apply the Rufkote about one-eighth 
 of an inch thick, distribute it well and brush it firmly into 
 contact with the surface. Now, if a small pattern is wanted 
 with blocks about four inches square take a four-inch flat wall 
 brush and, starting in the upper left hand corner of the wall, 
 draw the brush down through the wet Rufkote about four 
 inches. Lift the brush and draw it in a horizontal manner, 
 making a block four inches wide right next to the first block 
 made. The third block should be made next to the second on 
 the right, drawing the brush from the top down. Repeat these 
 alternate strokes of the brush all the way across the wall. Then 
 start the second row of blocks with a horizontal stroke and 
 follow up with alternate horizontal and vertical strokes as used 
 in the first row. No rule or chalk lines are needed after a little 
 practise. It is not desirable to have the blocks too accurately 
 square and by using the width of the brush, as a rule the tops, 
 bottoms and sides of the blocks can be kept pretty well in line. 
 The edges of the blocks want to be only fairly well defined, not 
 sharp and clean-cut. Then the texture will have a freedom and 
 artistic effect, as the pattern and coloring appear differently 
 when looking at it from different angles depending upon how 
 the light strikes it. For a protecting coat over the finish see 
 page 33. 
 
 
 [56J 
 
I 
 
 luiluni L: l i cct 
 

 I 
 
 
Fig. 36. 
 
 The CrosS'Hatch Pattern 
 
 [ 57 ] 
 
The Square Trowel Texture 
 
 Tools Needed 
 
 Square Steel Plasterers’ Trowel 
 Calcimine Brush, or 
 Flat Wall Brush 
 
 Rufkote Wall Glaze 
 
 Materials Needed 
 
 Rufkote Plastic Stone 
 
 Tinting Colors 
 
 Glazing Colors, Dry or Oil 
 
 Unusually interesting textures are these, having many color 
 tones. They are suitable for moderate sized rooms, even small 
 rooms and are not at all difficult to produce. 
 
 Referring to Figure 3 7, the first operation is to apply Rufkote 
 thin with a brush to gain good contact with the surface and 
 then while this first coat is wet apply more material with the 
 square steel trowel. Mix the Rufkote in the regular way of 
 thick consistency. Have a brush in the pot and transfer the 
 Rufkote with it to the trowel, or better yet, dump the Rufkote 
 on a square board with a handle on the bottom like a plasterer’s 
 hawk. Then it is much easier to pick up and transfer the 
 Rufkote to the surface just as plaster is handled. Spread it on 
 the surface with the trowel and rub it out just enough with 
 one stroke to cover the surface. Don’t try to smooth it up, but 
 let the ridges made by the trowel at the end of the strokes remain. 
 Trowel in all directions, one load at a time and let the surface 
 alone until dry. This troweled coat may be colored with oil or 
 dry tinting colors to gain the final color wanted, or it may be 
 applied in the white with the idea of applying a glaze stain coat 
 when the Rufkote is dry. See Chapter VII for instruction 
 about this glaze stain coat for two-tone effects. The wall shown 
 by Figure 37 was done by tinting the Rufkote slightly with 
 raw sienna to produce an ivory color. When dry a water glaze 
 stain was applied to gain a soft, light olive green. Colors used 
 for the glaze were dry chrome green, raw sienna, whiting and 
 glue size. It was applied, allowed to set a little and wiped with a 
 cloth. For waterproofing this finish see page 33. 
 
 [ 58 ] 
 
Fig. 37. 
 
 The Square Trowel Texture 
 
 [ 59 ] 
 
old English Finish 
 
 Tools Needed 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush, or 
 Flat Wall Brush 
 Bricklayer’s Trowel 
 
 Rufkote Wall Glaze 
 
 Material Needed 
 
 Rufkote Plastic Paint 
 Tinting Colors 
 
 Glaze Colors, Dry or Oil ti 
 
 A fascinating texture which appears rather bold and rugged, f 
 yet actually is quite smooth and can be wiped down to clean. \ 
 
 The figure may be made large or small by varying the trowel | 
 
 sized used. A suitable texture for living rooms, club rooms, I 
 
 theatres, hotels and other public rooms. | 
 
 The first coat should be the application of Rufkote with a 
 brush, forcing it well into contact with the surface. Then 
 apply more to a depth of about one-quarter inch or a little less. \ 
 
 While wet take a pointed bricklayers’ steel trowel and just smooth | 
 
 up the surface by troweling in all directions. 1 
 
 The texture should then be allowed to dry and a finishing | 
 coat of glaze color should be applied as per Chapter VII. While 
 the glaze color is wet wipe it off to remove the color from the ) 
 high spots. I 
 
 Fig. 38. 
 [60 J 
 
Fig. 39. 
 
 Sponge Pattern 
 
 Tools Needed 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush, or 
 
 Flat Wall Brush 
 
 Large Sheepswool Sponge 
 
 Materials Needed 
 
 Rufkote Plastic Paint 
 
 Tinting Colors 
 
 Glazing Colors, Dry or Oil 
 
 A simple and easy texture to produce and one which fits in 
 many places. The pattern is not too large for moderate sized 
 rooms. This texture finishes up very nicely for dado wall treat¬ 
 ment below chair and plate rails. It is so varied and interesting 
 that when given a ground coat of bronze, aluminum, gold, 
 copper or mixtures of these colors, and glazed over with a 
 stain it has considerable appeal. 
 
 The first operation is to apply the Rufkote with a brush and 
 distribute it well over the surface, making sure to force it well 
 into contact. While wet take an ordinary large sheepswool 
 sponge and after clipping off any real sharp points with scissors 
 proceed to stipple the wet Rufkote all over. It is well to change 
 the position of the sponge in the hand often to vary the texture 
 and av^oid any mechanical repetition of pattern. The sponge 
 should be soaked in water before the job is started. Wash it 
 out often as the job progresses, so it will not become overloaded 
 and change the pattern as you go. 
 
 When the texture is dry it may be sandpapered with No. Yz 
 sandpaper to smooth up the larger areas. Then it may be glazed 
 as it is, or may well be given the coat of bronze mentioned, 
 after which the glaze stain coat is applied as per Chapter VII. 
 
 [ 61 ] 
 
Colonial Type 
 
 Tools Needed 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush, or 
 Flat Wall Brush 
 Wall Stipple Brush 
 
 Materials Needed 
 
 Rufkote Plastic Paint 
 Tinting Colors 
 Rufkote Wall Glaze 
 Glaze Stain Colors 
 
 When rooms are small textures and patterns of small scale, 
 obviously, are needed. Strong patterns, colorings and texture 
 cause small rooms to appear smaller. For the same reason light 
 colors are to be preferred to dark colors in small rooms. 
 
 This plain brush stipple texture also is one of the most suit¬ 
 able for ceilings no matter what the texture used on side walls 
 may be. 
 
 In order to produce this texture mix up your Rufkote as 
 usual and coat the surface about one-eighth inch deep or less, 
 brushing the material out well to gain good contact with the 
 surface. After distributing the Rufkote fairly evenly over the 
 surface let it set a few minutes and then go over it with the 
 stippling wall brush which is used like a hammer to pound the 
 surface. The brush should never be used like other brushes 
 when stippling; it should not be moved to one side or other 
 while in contact with the surface, because that gives the texture 
 a mussy appearance. Lift the brush clear of the surface for every 
 stroke. 
 
 When Rufkote is stippled immediately after application and 
 while it is sticky the texture is rather coarse. That effect is not 
 so attractive as the texture produced after allowing the Rufkote 
 to set a few minutes. 
 
 If the stippling is repeated after the first time over and after 
 Rufkote has set more the result is a finer texture. 
 
 Fig. 40. 
 
 The Stippling W all Brush in Use 
 [62] 
 
Smooth Marble Finishes 
 
 Tools Needed 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush, or 
 Flat Wall Brush 
 Wall Stipple Brush 
 Bellows Sander 
 Long Spatula Knife 
 
 Painted marble finishes have become quite popular for bath 
 room walls, for dado wall areas, for panel centers and on many 
 surfaces in business and public buildings. Very few decorators 
 can produce first class marbling by this hand painted proc¬ 
 ess which aims to make true copies of natural marble. With 
 the method which follows anybody can do marble finishes which, 
 while not pretending to be faithful reproductions, are very good 
 representations of the general marble effects. These finishes have 
 the advantage of being done far more quickly than other marble 
 effects and whether or not they are called marbling they are 
 very interesting representations of natural earth formations in 
 rock. They are useful finishes for large columns, for walls below 
 rails and for many other surfaces. The coloring may be any 
 that suits the fancy or may follow natural rock hues. 
 
 The Rufkote is mixed as usual, and tinted to give the general 
 tone wanted. It is brushed on to the surface about one-eighth 
 of an inch thick and forced well into contact with the surface 
 by brushing. Next it is stippled with the wall stippling brush 
 to distribute the material more evenly and gives a rough texture 
 to receive the next color application. Immediately after stippling 
 and while the Rufkote is wet and sticky, apply clouds of dry 
 color mixed with a little dry, white sand. Now take the long 
 j spatula knife, or a square steel plaster’s trowel and smooth over 
 
 : the wet colored surface, working the tool in all directions. 
 
 ; Proper handling will make the coating as smooth as marble and 
 
 I then it is allowed to dry hard. Any tool marks or rough areas 
 
 I can be rubbed smooth with No. 00 sandpaper or steel wool when 
 
 I the surface is hard dry. 
 
 I Finish with a glue size and two or three coats of floor or 
 cabinet varnish or clear lacquer. Rub with steel wool or pumice 
 and water for marble finish. 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 1 
 
 Materials NeI'Ded 
 
 Rufkote Plastic Paint 
 Tinting Colors 
 Varnish or Lacquer 
 
 163 ] 
 
Verticle Stripe Texhires 
 
 Tools Needed 
 
 Dutch Calcimine Brush, or 
 Flat Wall Brush 
 Wood Pickle Fork 
 Hair Comb or Brush 
 
 Materials Needed 
 
 Rufkote Plastic Stone 
 Tinting Colors 
 Glaze Stain, Dry or 
 Oil Colors 
 
 Rufkote Wall Glaze 
 
 Rooms having low ceilings often are effectively decorated 
 with textures which have a vertical stripe pattern. Also large 
 rooms with high ceilings are sometimes attractively decorated 
 with this type of texture. The stripe textures are very easy to 
 produce and may be done in white Rufkote and glaze stained 
 and wiped for a two-tone effect. The vertical stripe textures 
 apparently increase the height of the ceiling. 
 
 Figure 42 shows a vertical stripe texture of rugged nature 
 which was produced by coating the wall fairly evenly with about 
 one-quarter inch thickness of Rufkote. Then after the coating 
 had set a few minutes an ordinary wood pickle spoon was used 
 to produce the vertical lines by drawing it through the soft 
 Rufkote alternately, first from the top down and then from 
 the bottom up on the next stretch. If you make all the stripes 
 working from the top down you will drag too much material 
 from the surface and it will accumulate at the bottom of the 
 wall. The up strokes return some of it and distribute it more 
 evenly over the surface. 
 
 Figure 41 shows another vertical stripe texture accomplished 
 with a steel wire tooth hair brush. The illustration shows the 
 
 Fig. 41. The Wire Hair Brush in Action 
 
 [64 ] 
 
■ ^ t '..‘'V 1- ■ ' ■ ' ■' t .* » 'fi'.’t V '...i >'■ 1 .■■' v';; •' *;, • 
 
 Colonial Tyjoc 
 
Fig. 42. 
 
 Vertical Stripe Texture 
 
 [ 65 ] 
 
brush in action. It should be drawn from the top of the wall 
 down for the first stretch and from the bottom up for the 
 second, then alternate. Clean the brush out after each stroke 
 so the texture will be uniform over the whole surface. 
 
 Slightly different vertical stripe textures are produced using 
 other tools such as a hair comb or steel wire cleaning brush. 
 
 Holland Wall Texture 
 
 Tools Needed 
 
 Square Steel Trowel 
 Sand Paper 
 Calcimine Brush 
 
 Materials Needed 
 
 Rufkote Plastic Stone 
 Tinting Colors 
 Glaze Stain Colors 
 Rufkote Wall Glaze 
 
 The texture shown in these photographs is commonly called 
 Dutch or Holland, although it was used by other peoples and 
 is not greatly different from similar textures done with the same 
 tools. The chief difference is that after finishing the texture 
 and glazing it this finish is sandpapered with No. 1 paper on 
 a block of wood and that cuts through the glaze color, revealing 
 the white or light ivory ground color of the Rufkote as irregu¬ 
 lar light lines noted in Figure 43. Figure 44 shows this tex¬ 
 ture used on both side walls and ceiling of an average home. 
 
 This texture was done over smooth plaster walls. A square 
 steel trowel was used to apply the plastic, moving it in all direc- 
 
 Fig. 43. 
 [ 66 ] 
 
Fig. 44. 
 
 A Room in Holland Wall Texture 
 
 [67 1 
 
tions and making no attempt to produce a smooth, level surface. 
 When dry a glaze stain was applied, of the water type using 
 raw umber, whiting and glue size as per Chapter VII. 
 
 The wood trim in this room is gumwood stained in walnut 
 brown and the fireplace is made of tapestry, wire-cut brick 
 which are not as thick as standard and are in the browns, dull 
 reds and dull yellows. 
 
 Ceiling Textures and Colorings 
 
 As a rule ceilings are done in simple, fine textures and the 
 texture called Plain Brush Stipple, (Figure 40), serves as appro¬ 
 priate for use with all wall textures. Where this is used the 
 Rufkote is colored exactly the same for the ceiling as for the 
 side walls and sometimes the ceiling is glazed with the same color 
 as the walls. When a very light colored ceiling is wanted no 
 glaze is used, or else the glaze color is wiped very much to 
 remove most of it. 
 
 When the side wall textures are not very rough and rugged 
 they are sometimes modified to smoother effects and used on the 
 ceilings with the same colorings in lighter values. 
 
 Novelty Textures 
 
 There are surfaces on walls of some buildings, such as panel 
 centers within wood mouldings, which call for an unusual treat¬ 
 ment away from the conventional and conservative. When 
 
 Fig. 45. 
 [ 68 ] 
 
Fig. 46. 
 
 theatres, cafes, business shops and other places of amusement 
 and business are to be decorated with an unusual style Rufkote 
 offers finishes which are only limited in variety by the decorator’s 
 imagination. By various combinations of textures, tools, colors 
 and methods of procedure fantastic and bizarre treatments are 
 easily done. Following are a few suggestions. Many more are 
 easily worked out. Figure 45. Rufkote in its white natural 
 color is brushed on to the surface and while very wet is stippled 
 to the roughest points possible with a wall stippling brush. 
 While wet a little dry gold or colored bronze, or several colors, 
 are blown on in clouds here and there. Next a smoothing tool 
 such as a celluloid triangle, long spatula knife or steel trowel 
 is used to smooth out part of the surface, leaving the balance 
 rough and untouched. The texture is allowed to dry hard in this 
 condition. To finish, then, mix up two or three colors, tinting 
 colors ground in oil and mixed with varnish to brushing con¬ 
 sistency. Take a piece of ordinary cotton string such as the 
 grocery uses, dip it into color and whip it on to the surface here 
 and there. Repeat with each color. The finish shown in Figure 
 45 is a strange combination of white, gold, vermilion and blue. 
 
 Figure 46. This job was done with a black background. 
 Rufkote was mixed with dry Swedish black. It was brushed 
 over the surface about one-eighth inch thick and then stippled 
 with a wall stippling brush. After it had set a trifle a long blade 
 spatula knife was used to make the surface as smooth as glass 
 with no tool marks showing. Next colors were worked into the 
 
 [69] 
 
Fig. 47. 
 
 wet surface. A little white lead ground in oil, the thick paste, 
 was daubed on here and there and the spatula knife was used 
 to smooth it over a little and incorporate it into the black in a 
 shaded manner, but not enough to mix the white with the black. 
 A bit of aluminum bronze mixed with floor varnish was also 
 daubed on. Next a little vermilion was applied with a brush in 
 the same manner and smoothed over. The surface was allowed 
 to dry in this condition. The next day some gold bronze was 
 mixed up with a regular bronzing liquid, a piece of cotton string 
 about 18 inches long was dipped into the bronze and lashed 
 against the black surface like a whip. Thus the odd veins or 
 streaks were made. A few streaks of vermilion were also lashed 
 on in the same manner as the gold. 
 
 Figure 47. This finish was accomplished by brushing Rufkote 
 over the surface to a depth of about one-eighth inch after it 
 had been colored very lightly with raw sienna. The coating 
 was-stippled down evenly with a wall stippling brush. After 
 that some live green sign painters’ smalts, which is a cx>lored 
 material like beach sand, was blown on to the wet Rufkoxe. 
 To finish a coarse rubber hair comb was used in a semi-circular 
 manner over the entire surface, being careful to allow the small 
 areas of smalts color to show through in unusual shapes. One 
 end of the comb was pivoted while the other was made to swing 
 around. 
 
 Figure 48. In this we find a finish which reminds one of the 
 drooping Spanish moss on live oak trees of the South. It is an 
 easy effect to gain. Brush your colored Rufkote on in the 
 usual way, stipple it immediately with a wall stippling brush. 
 Now take some dry color mixed with dry sand and blow it on 
 to the wet Rufkote by placing it on a piece of cardboard. Blow 
 it on in horizontal lines. After that take a long spatula knife 
 or celluloid triangle or steel trowel and smooth the wet surface 
 in places with a downward stroke. 
 
 [70] 
 
Fig. 48. 
 
 Spanish Moss Texture 
 
 [ 71 ] 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 Glaze-Staining^ Hightlighting, Bronzing^ 
 Starching^ Bizmg and Smut 
 CoatSy Polychrome 
 
 T he elements of greatest interest in wall decorations are 
 variations in color and texture. Variation in texture alone 
 produces variations in color with the aid of light and 
 shadows cast by the relief texture. By simply coloring Rufkote 
 with dry or oil ground colors you produce what is actually a 
 one color tone finish, but the shadows give the effect of varying 
 shades of that color. 
 
 Two-tone and multicolor effects are produced by putting a 
 second and sometimes third and fourth color on top of the 
 one color Rufkote texture. This second and other colors are 
 transparent as a rule, but may be either transparent or opaque. 
 These over-colors are applied after the Rufkote is dry and are 
 called glaze colors or glaze stain coats. 
 
 When a Rufkote texture is dry it is quite porous. Any glaze 
 color applied strikes in deeply and also accumulates in the recesses 
 or crevices, thus causing darker effects. For some textures deep 
 penetration is desirable and for some it is not, depending upon 
 the color effects wanted. 
 
 One type of glaze-stain is that made by thinning ordinary 
 tinting colors ground in oil with Rufkote Wall Glaze and 
 applying like a thin stain. Another type which is much liked 
 for its artistic, neutral values is made by mixing dry colors and 
 dry whiting with water in which a little glue has been dissolved. 
 About a pound of good white flake glue is covered with a little 
 cold water and after soaking an hour or over night the glue has 
 swelled considerably. It is then covered with hot water and 
 stirred until dissolved. After that the dry color and whiting are 
 added, mixed well and strained to break up the lumps. This 
 water glaze stain is applied thin and freely. Prepared calcimine 
 mixed very thin with water also makes a good glaze stain. 
 
 As a rule one glaze-stain color serves the purpose, but some- 
 fimes two or more colors are put on at the same time. Some¬ 
 times one color is put on, is wiped and allowed to dry and later 
 a second glaze-color is applied to change the color values or cor¬ 
 rect the first color. Usually any type of glaze stain looks best 
 by wiping with a cloth, dry or wet. 
 
 The water glazes work best when the surface is a bit porous, 
 although they should be applied after the surface has been sized 
 to uniform the suction. When used without a size the color 
 strikes in and takes a deeper, darker shade in the very porous 
 areas. It is not possible to wipe the color light enough to uniform 
 
 [72] 
 
HolldJhi Wall Texture 
 
the glaze under such conditions. Also there are sometimes very 
 hard, non-porous places in walls which do not take the color 
 as deeply as the balance of the surface. Sizing before glazing is 
 essential to overcome that condition, too. Water glazes do not 
 work so well over oil painted surfaces as over Rufkote and sand 
 finished plaster which have not had one or two coats of oil paint. 
 The reason for this is that the water does not take hold or 
 penetrate as it should on oil paint. Sometimes when the surface 
 is only slightly oily the water stain can be made to take hold 
 properly by adding a little vinegar to it. But, generally speak¬ 
 ing, an oil glaze stain color should be used on any surface that 
 has had oil paint ground coats put upon it. 
 
 Glaze Stain Formulas 
 
 While it is hardly practical to write down formulas with 
 definite quantities of colors and liquids for glaze staining Rufkote 
 textured surfaces, some suggestions of colors and combinations 
 commonly used may be helpful. Generally speaking the thinner 
 the glaze stain is mixed the lighter will be the mottled tint pro¬ 
 duced. Glaze stained colors are also made much lighter by wiping 
 with a cloth immediately after application. When the color 
 cannot be made light enough by wiping with a dry cloth, wet 
 the cloth with benzine or turpentine for oil glazes and with 
 water for water glaze. 
 
 BROWNS: Burnt umber ground in oil or dry produces reddish 
 browns of light or dark character according to the strength of 
 the solution, meaning the amount of water in proportion to 
 color in water glazes and the amount of benzine, turpentine 
 or oil in other glazes. 
 
 Raw umber, ground in oil or dry produces greenish browns 
 in the darker shades and neutral grays in the light tints, that is, 
 when used thin. 
 
 Van Dyke brown, ground in oil or dry, makes glaze stains 
 which are far richer and deeper than burnt umber, in the darker 
 shades. In the thin form Van Dyke brown produces very inter¬ 
 esting warm tans and grayish, neutral tints. 
 
 YELLOWS: Raw Sienna is the most generally useful, being 
 fairly bright, quite transparent in the better grades and abso¬ 
 lutely fast to sunlight. It produces dark and light buffs. 
 
 Chrome Yellow. Strictly speaking the chrome yellows— 
 medium, light or lemon and orange are not glaze colors, because 
 they are opaque, not transparent, as glaze colors should be. 
 However, they are used and when mixed thin and wiped well 
 they are satisfactory glazes for small areas in decorations. They 
 are too strong and harsh for large areas. 
 
 Italian Pink. An aniline tinted color which produces yellow 
 glaze tints which are a bit more transparent than raw sienna 
 
 [73] 
 
tints. Used only on small areas. Priced higher than the other 
 yellows. 
 
 Gamboge is an artists’ color which is made from a vegetable 
 resin. In hue it is close to medium chrome yellow but it is trans¬ 
 parent, unlike that color. It is not fast to strong light and it is 
 not much used except occasionally on small surfaces. 
 
 Yellow Lake. This is a medium light yellow which shades 
 from a neutral light hue to a slightly orange hue. It is made 
 from quercitron bark as are Dutch Pink and Brown Pink. Not 
 a permanent color in strong light as originally made. It fades too 
 easily. When made from coal tar yellows it is a much more 
 satisfactory color for glazing. 
 
 Dutch Link. This is a peculiar olive yellow which is made 
 from quercitron tree bark. It is not much used by painters 
 except for coloring small ornamental surfaces. It has good 
 transparency and pleasing color. 
 
 Golden Ochre. A rather indefinite color name but usually 
 applies to mixtures of yellow ochre and raw sienna. Some 
 colors sold under this name are transparent and some are not. 
 Usually it is a fast color to light. Raw sienna can usually be 
 used instead. 
 
 Strontian "Yellow. A light, greenish yellow so near to the 
 hue of light or lemon chrome yellow that the latter may be 
 used instead. Strontian yellow, however, is more transparent. 
 It is fairly fast to light and is a chromate of the metal strontium. 
 
 Indian Yellow. A fairly dark color which tends toward the 
 tans and browns. Not much used except by artists and in a 
 limited way by decorators for glazing small surfaces. Mixtures 
 of other cheaper yellows serve better. Placed in the sun Indian 
 yellow fades too readily. 
 
 'Zinc Yellow. Called Buttercup Yellow. A bright, greenish 
 hue similar to lemon chrome yellow made from lead. It is also 
 called Zinc Chromate and is used in a limited way by artists and 
 decorators on small surfaces. It is more expensive than l^d 
 yellows, lemon or light chrorpe yellow for instance, but is more 
 transparent and thus better for glazing. 
 
 Cadmium Yellow. A bit redder than medium chrome yellow. 
 Lemon yellow cadmium has somewhat of a warm tone but 
 transmits an unusual amount of green staining strength when 
 mixed with blue and it likewise makes strong and clear orange 
 colors when mixed with red. The cadmium yellows are perma¬ 
 nent and fast to light exposure. They are used by decortors 
 and artists on furniture and pictorial surfaces. These colors are 
 more expensive and less opaque than the lead chrome yellows. 
 
 GREENS: Chrome Green, light, medium and dark. These 
 are the most important and most economical of this group of 
 colors and they may be had in dry form as well as ground in 
 oil. Used thin they are transparent enough for glaze stain coats 
 
 [74] 
 
and when raw sienna is added they make beautiful olive shades. 
 The chrome greens are not exactly fast when exposed to direct 
 sunlight but they are permanent enough for all practical pur¬ 
 poses on interior surfaces. 
 
 Emerald Green (Paris). This is a compound of copper and 
 arsenic which is very poisonous. A vivid bluish green that has 
 but little value in decorating except for occasional small sur¬ 
 faces. A more expensive color than the chrome greens. Fairly 
 opaque and not very stable when mixed with other colors. 
 
 Alizarin Green. A coal tar base color which is very trans¬ 
 parent and is used for glazing on small surfaces. It is permanent 
 to light and more expensive by far than other greens. 
 
 Green Lake. A coal tar aniline color of good transparency 
 and permanent enough for interior surfaces. Used only for 
 small areas because of high cost. 
 
 Malachite Green. A dark, yellowish green used on small sur¬ 
 faces. Has little tinting strength mixed with white or other 
 colors and it fades too readily in strong light to be of great 
 use. It is especially fugitive in the presence of sulphur gas. A 
 similar and more practical hue is mixed from emeraude green, 
 zinc oxide and raw sienna and mixing the color that way it does 
 not fade in strong light. 
 
 Emeraude Green (Viridian). This is one of the most perma¬ 
 nent of greens to strong light. A light, bright green which is 
 stable chemically in mixtures with other pigments. It is much 
 the same color as chrome oxide green. Decidedly beautiful tints 
 and shades of olive green are mixed from emeraude, raw sienna 
 and zinc yellow. This green is much used by decorators and 
 artists. It has good transparency for glaze staining. It is too 
 expensive for use on large surfaces. 
 
 - Verdigris Green. One of the copper base greens which has a 
 bluish rather than yellowish hue. Used to some extent as a 
 glaze color over copper and bronze ground coats to give an 
 antique copper finish. A rather fugitive color in strong light and 
 it is adversely influenced by sulphur gases. Used only On small 
 surfaces. 
 
 BLUES: Prussian. One of the most valuable and transparent 
 of glaze colors. It has very great strength in tinting and while 
 it is not absolutely fast in strong light it is sufficiently permanent 
 for interior surfaces. Not an expensive color and used for large 
 as well as small surfaces. Also called Chinese blue. 
 
 Antwerp Blue. A Prussian blue which is altered a bit to 
 possess a translucent quality by the addition of alumina hydrate. 
 It has about the same permanency as Prussian blue, except that 
 it has a tendency to turn green when mixed with white lead, 
 chrome yellow or American vermilion, the lead pigment colors. 
 Ultramarine blue and emeraude green are mixed by artists and 
 decorators to give the Antwerp blue shade. The color is used 
 only on small areas. - .- - 
 
 [ 75 ] 
 
ultramarine Blue. One of our most valuable colors which has 
 fine transparency for glazing and very pleasing hue. A good 
 point to keep in mind about it is that while it is not adversely 
 affected by alkali, as to fading, it is destroyed by acids. Prussian 
 blue is the reverse — it is faded by alkali but not affected by 
 acids as is ultramarine. Ultramarine is lighter in color than 
 Prussian and has only about one-tenth the tinting strength of 
 Prussian blue. Mixed with white ultramarine blue produces tints 
 which have a reddish cast, while Prussian blue tints have a green¬ 
 ish cast. 
 
 Ultramarine blue is considered fast and non-fading in strong 
 light. This blue is used on both large and small surfaces for 
 glaze staining. It is moderate in price. 
 
 French Blue. An especially fine grade of ultramarine blue 
 made with extreme care to gain color and in the washing to free 
 it from an excess of sulphur and impurities. It is especially valued 
 for mixing with alizarin crimson to produce clear and bright 
 purples. 
 
 Cobalt Blue. A much lighter color than ultramarine but 
 basicly very much like it. It is stable chemically and one of the 
 most expensive of the blues. Much used in making pottery and 
 dishes. Permanent to light. Used by decorators only on small 
 areas. 
 
 Cerulean Blue. A lighter blue than cobalt but closely related 
 to that color. It is permanent and stable in strong light and 
 for intermixing with other colors and white. The cheaper 
 grades are apt to be gritty and show a tendency to turn green 
 on exposure in time. Not much used except on small areas. 
 
 New Blue. This is cobalt blue in a cheaper grade. It is about 
 the same color as cobalt but in darker shades is nearer to ultra- 
 marine blue color. Permanent and stable in strong light. Used 
 for small surface areas only. 
 
 REDS: Burnt Sienna. An earth color which is absolutely 
 permanent in strong light. It has good transparency and is much 
 used as a glaze color on large and small surfaces. Moderate in 
 price. Stable in mixtures with other colors and with white. 
 Rather a dull red, but the best grades are fairly bright and more 
 transparent. 
 
 Alizarin Lake. A coal tar color of brilliant hue like scarlet and 
 carmine. It is much used for making fast mahogany stains and 
 for glazing by the decorator and artist. It is very transparent, 
 strong in tinting and one of the most permanent bright reds 
 known. An expensive color which is used sparingly on small 
 surfaces. 
 
 Carmine. A color of insect origin as made originally from 
 the cochineal insects found on cactus plants of Mexico and the 
 West Indies. Brilliant in hue and very transparent, but fades 
 
 C76] 
 
too quickly in strong light. An expensive color and not much 
 used by the decorator even on small surfaces. 
 
 Geranium Lake. A coal tar aniline color. Red with a bluish 
 hue. Very transparent and fairly permanent, depending upon 
 how it is made. Used on small surfaces only. Very expensive. 
 
 Crimson Lake. Similar to carmine but not so brilliant nor as 
 strong in tinting ability when made from the insects. Little 
 used and only on small areas. As made from coal tar dyes it is 
 more transparent, permanent and satisfactory. An expensive 
 color. 
 
 Scarlet Lake. A coal tar red similar to carmine of natural 
 origin. Just as bright and transparent and more permanent. 
 Used only on small surfaces for glazing. Very expensive. 
 
 Rose Link. The same color, practically, as Rose Lake. 
 
 Rose Lake. A coal tar color made like Scarlet Lake. An 
 agreeable and very transparent color which is expensive and is 
 used for glazing small surfaces. Sufficiently permanent in strong 
 light for interior exposure only. Too expensive for use on large 
 surfaces. 
 
 Magenta Mauve. The first of the coal tar colors made. Very 
 rich in color of a bluish hue and transparent. It is transparent 
 and permanent for interior use, but too expensive for any except 
 small areas. 
 
 Yermilion. Not exactly a glaze color but sometimes used thin 
 for its brilliancy and great permanency of hue. It has too much 
 opacity for an ideal glaze color. American vermilion is a bit 
 less expensive and generally serves just as well as English and 
 Chinese vermilions. The American vermilion is a basic lead 
 chromate. The English and Chinese vermilions are mercury or 
 sulphur-base colors which are not so permanent when mixed with 
 white lead and lead base colors. Vermilions are bright, vivid 
 reds and lean toward a yellowish hue. 
 
 Sizing Rufkote Finished Sttrfaces 
 
 As has been stated a color glaze stain penetrates deeply into the 
 porous Rufkote surface which is dry. Such penetration may 
 prevent wiping off as much of the stain as you wish to or it may 
 prevent the even distribution of the glaze color. On some tex¬ 
 tures this adds to the artistic coloring, but on others it prevents 
 getting the exact effect wanted of a fairly uniform or nicely 
 mottled glaze color; it causes blotches of dark color which 
 cannot be wiped out as wanted. To avoid deep penetration of 
 the glaze stain color you may simply apply a coat of clear water 
 to the Rufkote immediately before the water glaze is applied 
 in some cases. A better way is to apply a good size to uniform 
 suction. Glue size, made by soaking good white glue flakes in 
 cold water an hour or over night and then dissolving in hot 
 water, is suitable. Proportions of glue and water, the strength 
 of the size, is not so important for sizing Rufkote as for 
 
 [77] 
 
smooth plaster walls — 1 pound of first-class glue to a gallon 
 of water is about as strong as the size should be made and usually 
 about one-half that amount of glue of good quality is sufficient. 
 This is a suitable size for Rufkote to be glazed. Sizes made 
 from mixtures of linseed oil, varnish and turpentine or benzine 
 also serve to stop suction or uniform it. 
 
 Rufkote Wall Glaze 
 
 In order to produce glaze stained finishes which are uniformly 
 mottled and blended on each wall and ceiling, and what is 
 equally important to be able to match up the color glazing one 
 wall with another, it is desirable to have a suitable glazing liquid 
 to mix the glaze stain colors. Rufkote Wall Glaze is a liquid 
 made especially to retard the setting of colors long enough to 
 permit you to mottle and blend them perfectly for uniform 
 effects and then it dries hard and binds the colors firmly to the 
 surface. 
 
 Highlighting the Colors 
 
 This term refers to the common practice of wiping glaze-stain 
 coats while they are wet with a cloth to remove the color from 
 the high ridges of the texture and flat surfaces. Thus the color 
 is allowed to remain much darker in the crevices and rough 
 places, giving a most interesting display of different color values. 
 Nearly all textures are improved by glazing in color and high¬ 
 lighting Rufkote Wall Glaze makes it possible to wipe the 
 glaze colors more artistically and gives a longer time for this 
 wiping before the color strikes in deeply. 
 
 Fig. 49. 
 [78 ] 
 
Sanding Textured ’Einishes 
 
 After some textures are dry and have been given the glaze- 
 stain coat another color value can be added by simply going 
 over the surface with a piece of No. 1 sandpaper and clipping 
 off the high points of ridges. This reveals the color of the 
 Rufkote first put on, white or tinted. Sanding of textures im¬ 
 proves some textures and injures others. Figure 49 shows the 
 result of sandpapering a glazed texture. 
 
 Bronze and Vainted Ground Coats 
 
 For certain decorative effects Rufkote is textured in its natu¬ 
 ral white color and allowed to dry. Then the surface is given a 
 glue size and is painted in flat paint to suit. For some purposes 
 the texture is painted with bronze in gold or other color. The 
 dry bronze is mixed with a liquid composed of one part benzine 
 or turpentine to two parts good floor varnish. Solid covering is 
 gained in one coat of bronze by mixing enough bronze powder 
 into the liquid. When the bronze is dry an oil glaze-stain is put 
 on and is wiped to highlight it. This stain is mixed from tinting 
 colors ground in oil and Rufkote Wall Glaze. 
 
 Smut Coats 
 
 Textures are often used in rooms having old Spanish or Italian 
 architecture and where an antique effect is wanted. Rufkote 
 is applied and textured, glaze-stained and wiped and then is 
 allowed to dry. After that a glue size is spread over the texture 
 and while it is wet dry rottonstone is pounced on to give an old, 
 dusty effect. The dry rottenstone is put into a piece of loose 
 woven muslin about as big as a handkerchief, the ends are drawn 
 together and tied. By pounding the wall with this the rotten- 
 stone sifts through and sticks to the wet glue size. 
 
 Starching Walls 
 
 Walls decorated with Rufkote textures can be washed just as 
 any painted wall. Fiowever, the washing is more easily and 
 quickly done and the dirt is removed more completely if the 
 walls are given a coat of starch while new. The starch prevents 
 the dust and smoke accumulations from penetrating into the 
 wall surface and when the washing is done the starch comes off 
 with the dirt. When starching is properly done it cannot be seen 
 on the walls and does not change the color in the least. 
 
 Use ordinary laundry starch. Place the dry starch in a pail 
 and pour over it a little cold water. Mix the starch well with 
 the fingers to break up the lumps and then pour on boiling 
 water. Cook the starch ten to fifteen minutes at the boiling 
 point. When properly mixed in this manner the starch will be 
 perfectly transparent. Apply it to the wall with a calcimine 
 brush and stipple it with a wall stippling brush to distribute it 
 
 [79] 
 
evenly. You may add a little dry color to tone it to the wall, 
 but this should be thoroughly mixed. A very little color is 
 needed and if too much is used it will spot the wall. When 
 starch is mixed with cold water only it turns to a white powder 
 on the wall. It is the cooking that makes it transparent. 
 
 A coat of buttermilk applied without thinning serves the 
 same purpose as starch and is less trouble to get ready. If there 
 are lumps of butter fat in it strain them out through cheese 
 cloth. 
 
 Polychrome Finishes 
 
 Reference is made often to polychrome finishes and the 
 meaning is not always clear to some. Literally polychrome 
 means done in many colors. Consequently, any bit of decoration 
 done in several colors is a polychrome finish. A rather narrow 
 construction has been put upon this word these past few years, 
 however, and the term is usually employed to describe such 
 finishes as are noted on lamp stands, book ends, ornamental 
 iron furniture and architecture and antique furniture. 
 
 Methods employed to produce polychrome finishes differ some¬ 
 what as to the number of coats and kind of materials used for 
 ground coats but they are essentially alike in general. On furni¬ 
 ture and wood trim the ground colors may be stained finish, 
 natural wood color, enamel, paint or lacquer. On plaster walls 
 and ceilings the ground coats consist of size, paint, enamel, 
 bronze or lacquer enamel. Ground coats on wood, metal or 
 plaster may be and often are aluminum, gold, copper or other 
 colored bronzes and on fine work the ground may be painted, 
 sized and covered with real gold leaf, silver leaf or Dutch metal. 
 The essential thing is that the ground should be either a bright 
 color or a bright metal. All of these grounds are used on 
 Rufkote after sizing. 
 
 Having a suitable ground color and suction stopped the poly¬ 
 chrome finish proceeds with one or more colors, ground-in-oil 
 or japan, and thinned with turpentine used thin, as a glaze stain. 
 They are brushed over the bright colors of the design or the 
 metal grounds. The glaze is wiped with a cloth while wet to pro¬ 
 duce highlights, allowing the glaze color to remain only in the 
 depressions. This glaze stain may be any of the transparent or 
 semi-transparent tinting colors ground-in-oil. Often the glaze is 
 simply raw umber. Van Dyke brown or a mixture of raw and 
 burnt umber to give an antique effect. The ground colors over 
 which this antique glaze stain is used are usually opaque and 
 bright. 
 
 After the ground colors, or metals, are on and the glaze stain 
 has been applied and wiped, the polychrome finish may be given 
 a smut coat as described in the preceding sections of this chapter. 
 Or the rottenstone used for the smut coat may be mixed with 
 turpentine, brushed on and wiped off high refief. 
 
 [ 80 ] 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 Relief and Stencil Decorative Effects, Die- 
 Pressed Fibre Relief Ornament for Placque^ 
 Frieze, Band and Spot Decorations in 
 Rufkote and Polychrome Finishes 
 
 M uch charm and interest is added to decoration by using 
 the third dimension to add depth or thickness to the pic¬ 
 tures. This depth gives us what is called low relief decora¬ 
 tions for forms which have the minimum depth and high relief 
 for forms which are much deeper. In addition to coming nearer 
 to the natural forms of the objects pictured, relief decoration adds 
 a point of great interest in the way of an interesting play of 
 light and shadow on the surfaces. Relief decoration also offers 
 far greater opportunity for interesting use of colors. 
 
 Few decorators are possessed of sufficient skill to model deco¬ 
 rative forms free-hand on architectural surfaces as the sculptor 
 works. Furthermore, the amount of money paid for architectural 
 decoration on most jobs is not sufficient to warrant spending 
 the amount of time on the surfaces which is called for by free¬ 
 hand or sculptured ornament. Fortunately, there is a method by 
 which interesting and artistic relief decoration can be applied in 
 a practical way. It is a method that can be used by anyone 
 accustomed to working with decorators’ tools, and it calls for 
 no more than an elementary training in drawing. The essential 
 tool, the stencil, can be purchased ready to use. Ordinary sten¬ 
 cils cut from heavy oiled paper are ideal for the production of 
 relief decorations, using Rufkote plastic stone to form the de¬ 
 signs in three dimensions. There are catalog stocks of stencils 
 of great variety and in many sizes and they are not expensive. 
 Most paint supply houses carry them. However, the decorator 
 who has learned to design his own stencils has a great advantage, 
 because to him the whole field of historic and period ornament is 
 open. Further than that he is able to find an unlimited number 
 of modern designs in art magazines, posters, advertising literature, 
 school drawing books, art books, newspapers and on wall paper 
 which can quickly be redesigned for application by the stencil 
 process. As a rule such designs are too small for large surfaces, 
 but that is easily overcome by enlarging the designs by means of 
 \ an inexpensive tool called a pantagraph, for sale at paint and art 
 \ stores. Directions for use come with the tool. Briefly, it is neces- 
 
 \ sary simply to cut out the design which is to be enlarged or 
 
 reduced in size, secure it on a large piece of drawing paper with 
 thumb tacks and then set up the machine to trace it. The design 
 can be enlarged to many sizes and then it is simple for any 
 
 [ 81 ] 
 
Fig. 50. 
 
 decorator who knows stencils and their use to redesign the pic¬ 
 ture to make a stencil. 
 
 Stencils for use in making relief decorations may be the 
 ordinary type having ties properly placed to form part of the 
 design in a flowing, natural direction, rather than abruptly and 
 awkwardly, or they may consist of two, three or four stencil 
 plates to reproduce one design. Then no ties, or few ties, are 
 necessary. ,A stencil is cut for each part of the design. Some¬ 
 times one is cut for each color to be used in the design. All 
 stencils cut for one design must be made to register one with the 
 other. This type of stencil, called multi-color stencils by some, 
 is well illustrated by Figure 50, a high relief decoration made 
 with Rufkote and using a small magazine clipping about one 
 and one-half inches in diameter to begin with. 
 
 This clipping was a poster design and it was enlarged to eleven 
 and one-half inches in diameter. It could have been made three 
 or four feet in diameter, if desired, by using the pantagraph. 
 Three stencils were cut to reproduce this design. One stencil 
 had cut into it only the animal and the broken ring of white 
 forming the outside border. The second stencil had on it only 
 the leave branches and dark spots on the animal. The third had 
 cut into it the dark border ring with four ties which were filled 
 in later to eliminate them. 
 
 The decoration was produced after this manner. The wall 
 panel was coated-in with Rufkote and the cross-hatch texture 
 produced as described elsewhere in this booklet. While the tex¬ 
 ture was still in the white, that is, before glazing it with the 
 
 [ 82 ] 
 
 
stain color and wiping it was sized with glue and the stencil was 
 applied, using Rufkote of ordinary consistency. It was knifed 
 on through the stencil openings, using a putty knife and a 
 small pocket spatula knife. The portions shown in the photo¬ 
 graph as white were done in white, natural colored Rufkote. 
 The other two stencils were applied with Rufkote colored black 
 with dry Swedish black. The animal in this design is done in 
 deep relief, the Rufkote being piled on to a thickness of about 
 one-quarter inch for the most part, but it tapers off at the edges 
 to the thickness of the stencil paper. The balance of the design 
 is done in low relief (the thickness of the stencil paper). After 
 the whole design was applied and was dry it was sized with glue 
 and a glaze stain applied to the whole wall texture and the 
 design. In this case dry raw sienna was mixed with glue size 
 and brushed over the surface, after the whole area had been 
 given a coat of glue size which was dry. While the glaze stain 
 was wet the wall texture was wiped with a cloth to remove 
 most of the color, all except what lodged in the deep brush 
 marks of the texture. The stencil decoration was wiped with a 
 wet cloth on the parts showing very light. The background of 
 the stencil design was not wiped at all. The result of this method 
 of handling is a pleasing color treatment, showing the wall panel 
 in light buff, the animal and outer border in old ivory, the inside 
 border and foliage in black. 
 
 Fig. 51. 
 [83] 
 
Fig. 52. 
 
 Ordinary Stencil Decoration in Relief 
 
 The use of an ordinary stencil having ties is quite a simple 
 piece of work, using Rufkote in natural white or colored. The 
 stencil is placed in the right location on a wall that has been 
 textured with Rufkote in white or color and sized with glue. 
 Secure the stencil with pins and hold it flat with the left hand. 
 Mix Rufkote to a thick consistency and apply it like putty 
 through the stencil to the wall or ceiling. When the stencil cut¬ 
 out portions have been well filled with Rufkote, pressing it 
 firmly in contact with the surface, scrape off all excess of mate¬ 
 rial from around the openings to cut the design clean. Figure 
 5 1 shows this operation as conducted when low relief decoration 
 is wanted. Allow the Rufkote to set a few minutes and gently 
 lift the stencil off the surface. If any details have not been 
 transferred in a firm and sharp manner they can be touched up 
 with a little Rufkote, using a small spatula knife for the pur¬ 
 pose. There may be a wire edge or bit of roughness in evidence 
 on the transferred decoration but pay no attention to that until 
 the Rufkote is dry. It can then be smoothed up with a piece 
 of fine sandpaper. 
 
 When deep relief is wanted follow the same method except 
 that before the stencil has been removed pile on more Rufkote 
 to the center areas of the design, smooth them over only fairly 
 well with the small knife and round the areas off on all sides 
 toward the stencil edge. Let the Rufkote dry a little, until no 
 longer sticky, and then pat the surface with your fingers to give 
 
 [ 84 ] 
 
a hand-modeled effect noted on sculptured pieces of art. In 
 other words, a slightly rippled, unevened surface is desirable. 
 
 The coloring of the relief decoration may be done in two 
 ways. The Rufkote used to form the design may be colored 
 by mixing with it colors ground in oil or dry colors, preparing 
 a separate batch for each part of the design to be colored. Or 
 the whole design may be transferred in white, natural Rufkote 
 which is allowed to dry, is sandpapered and sized and then colors 
 in oil, dry color and glue size or bronzes mixed with regular 
 bronzing liquids or a mixture of one part floor varnish and one 
 part turpentine, are applied with small brushes. A very rich col¬ 
 oring results from simply applying the glaze stain color to the 
 textured wall and the relief decoration at the same time, wiping 
 the color from the high points of the design, but allowing the 
 dark color to remain in the background of the design. Note 
 Figure 51. 
 
 Figure 52 shows the same design applied in white, after poly¬ 
 chrome finishing. The border was coated with aluminum bronze. 
 The animal at the top was glazed in bright red, vermilion, the 
 middle animal was glazed in yellow, light chrome, and the bot¬ 
 tom animal was glazed in blue, Prussian and white. All three 
 animals were wiped while the colors were wet to give an uneven, 
 mottled coloring. The background was finally colored with 
 
 Fig. 53. 
 [ 85] 
 
Van Dyke brown ground-in-oil and thinned with turpentine only. 
 The glaze color used on the wall decorated with this relief orna¬ 
 ment was run over the aluminum bronze border to subdue it 
 a bit. 
 
 Tapestry Relief Decorations 
 
 The type of stencils called diaper and all-over designs make 
 very beautiful wall decorations. They are such as cover the 
 whole wall, or better yet, all of the areas within panel mouldings 
 with decoration. Such stencils are rather numerous in catalogs 
 and one pictured in Figure 54 is a stock design, a stencil which 
 is 24x30 inches in size. This type of design is often employed 
 in theatres, clubs, fine retail stores, and in fact, in many build¬ 
 ings where very rich decorations are produced. Sometimes the 
 background is dark and the relief decoration light, sometimes 
 the color values are reversed. Bronze ground colors, aluminum, 
 copper or gold, are sometimes used with remarkable beauty. The 
 bronze paint is applied after the Rufkote has been textured and 
 the design stencilled on in white. A size comes next and then 
 the bronze. The bronze is applied to design and background 
 alike. 
 
 When dry a glaze stain, using oil colors thinned with flatting 
 oil, or with a glazing liquid manufactured for the purpose, or 
 with a glazing liquid made up of 1 part boiled linseed oil, 2 parts 
 turpentine or benzine and 4 parts flat varnish, is applied to the 
 whole surface. While wet the glaze is wiped off the relief decora¬ 
 tion after the whole surface has been stippled with a wall 
 stippling brush or mottled with a wad of cheese cloth. The 
 bronze ground shows through the glaze stain in a dull, metallic 
 sheen which is positively beautiful without being gaudy. 
 
 The tapestry stencil designs of this type are sometimes applied 
 over a full gloss ground color, making design flat in contrast. On 
 other jobs the reverse is produced, gloss design on a flat ground. 
 Flat ground and flat design makes an attractive combination, 
 but when both ground and design are full gloss the effect is 
 much cheapened, it looks gaudy. 
 
 To come to the specific decoration shown in Figure 54. It 
 was done by first coating in the wall with Rufkote as usual. 
 While wet the material was stippled with a wall stippling brush. 
 Allowing the Rufkote to set until the sticky character had left 
 the surface was modeled a bit by working the palm of the 
 hand over it. The texture was allowed to dry and given a 
 coat of glue size and the stencil was then applied, using Rufkote 
 in natural white to form the design and smoothing it off level to 
 the stencil thickness—low relief. The stencil was removed and 
 when the Rufkote was dry the surface was sandpapered lightly 
 with No. 1 paper and brushed off. 
 
 [86 1 
 

 Fig. 54. 
 
 Tupeslry Relief Decoration 
 
 [ 87 ] 
 
Fic. 55. 
 
 
 Detachedy Spot Decorations 
 
 For the decoration of wall and ceiling panels, friezes and even 
 door panels and other wood trim a great many designs are 
 available, both in the form of stock designs and those which 
 the decorator can pick up in printed form and redesign for 
 stencil application. 
 
 In Figure 5 5 is shown some ducks done in high relief. The 
 starting of this decoration was a very small Japanese design 
 clipped from a magazine. It was enlarged with the pantagraph. 
 The wall panel was done in Rufkote using the simple wall 
 stipple brush texture. It was then sized with glue and the birds 
 transferred with the stencil showing only the outline. Then the 
 center areas were piled to a depth of about one-quarter inch with 
 Rufkote to make the high relief. The Rufkote was colored 
 a dark olive green, using medium chrome green and raw sienna. 
 The wall texture was glazed with the same colors wiped well to 
 give a light background. Of course, any coloring scheme could 
 be used, even the natural colors of the birds. 
 
 1 
 
 [ 88 ] 
 
 
Fig. 56. 
 
 Greek Fret Design. 
 
 Band and Border Decorations 
 
 Figure 5 6 pictures a variation of the Greek key or fret design 
 which has endured for many centuries in one form or another. 
 It is to be had in many widths from stock catalogs. Band deco¬ 
 rations are useful in rooms in all manner of architecture and in 
 many spaces such as at the top of walls; above, below or in place 
 of picture mouldings, in friezes in place of chair rails for divid¬ 
 ing walls and for borders of panels. The use made of this design 
 in Figure 18 was on a marble effect texture and the design was 
 done in high relief about one-quarter inch deep. The coloring 
 was simply that of the glaze stain applied to the whole wall and 
 the color was wiped to highlight. 
 
 In Figure 57 the same Greek fret was used in a different form. 
 It was applied with two stencils, one for the vertical and one 
 for the horizontal portions, so as to avoid having ties. The same 
 could be done with ties, filling in by hand the blank spaces left 
 by the stencil ties. 
 
 Fig. 57. 
 
 Greek Fret Design Inclined. 
 [89] 
 
Fig. 58. 
 
 Filling the ornament with Rujkote 
 
 Die-Pressed Fibre Relief Ornaments 
 
 There is on the market a type of relief decoration which is 
 gaining increasing use in this country and which has been used 
 for many years in Europe. The decorations consist of pressed 
 white fibre about one-sixteenth of an inch thick. They are 
 made from metal dies and pressed into shape under great pressure. 
 The pieces are cemented to the wall and then are colored, after 
 sizing, to finish. 
 
 A simple form of this type of decoration is shown in Figure 5 8. 
 After applying the Rufkote texture to the surface and while 
 still wet the pressed fibre ornament is filled on the back with 
 Rufkote and placed firmly imbedded in the wall texture. On 
 large sheets a few brads are used to hold the fibre in place until 
 the Rufkote sets. The wall texture and relief ornament are 
 allowed to dry and then both are sized. The finish may simply 
 consist of running a glaze stain over wall texture and ornament, 
 or the relief ornament may be given another color, or colors, 
 before the glaze is applied. In Figure 59 the glaze color has 
 been run over the relief decoration and wiped off the high places. 
 When relief decoration must match the wall in color the whole 
 surface should be painted before glazing to uniform the founda¬ 
 tion color. 
 
 [ 90 ] 
 
Fig. 59. 
 
 Stock patterns of this type of relief decoration are numerous 
 and the design may be had in simple, continuous patterns for 
 bands and friezes, in the form of detached or spot decorations 
 and in forms suitable for plaques. Two of the plaque types are 
 shown in Figure 60 . There are four designs in this series called 
 '"'The Tourney.” Each one is about one foot high and two feet 
 wide. There are many others of various sizes, shapes and subjects. 
 Some are matched up in such a way that complete ceilings can 
 be done in true period designs. 
 
 The method of handling the application of this form of relief 
 is illustrated by Figure 61 . Rufkote was applied to the back 
 of the fibre to fill up all depressions. After applying Rufkote 
 to the surface and texturing it the fibre relief decoration is 
 imbedded into the Rufkote and the corners tacked down with 
 wire brads to hold each form in place while the Rufkote is set¬ 
 ting. Figure 60 shows the plaques in places and Figure 61 shows 
 the same surface after the frieze was coated with Rufkote to 
 fill up and hide the edges of the fibre decoration. The Rufkote 
 was brushed on and worked out to a very thin edge as it was 
 ! carried up close to the figures. Then a wall stippling brush was 
 I used to stipple the whole surface. After texturing the Rufkote 
 was carefully wiped out of the depressions in the relief ornament. 
 
 I The fibre plaques were sized before application. 
 
 [ 91 ] 
 
Fig. 60. 
 
 Having the fibre decoration applied and textured with Rufkote 
 the next operation was to apply oil colors thinned with turpen¬ 
 tine to the figures and equipment. Some of the areas like the 
 armour and other metal surface were coated with aluminum 
 bronze. The harness was done in copper bronze. The flags were 
 coated with aluminum bronze. The ladies’ dresses and fabric 
 drapes on the horses were coated with aluminum, copper and 
 gold bronzes. Bright colors ground in oil and thinned with tur¬ 
 pentine were next spread on top of the bronze coated surfaces 
 after they were dry and were wiped off to show highlights and 
 allow some of the metal bronzes to show through. Some of the 
 horses were given a glaze color of a dark nature and some were 
 lightly colored. All were wiped to highlight. Figure 61 shows 
 the figures after applying the ground colors and bronzes and 
 before any glazing colors were applied. 
 
 Fig. 61. 
 [92 ] 
 
r93] 
 
 Figure 62 shows the finished frieze after glazing, wiping and filling in the background 
 
 with Van Dyke brown, dry, mixed with glue size. 
 
INDEX 
 
 Page 
 
 Foreword . 5 
 
 History of Textures. 6 
 
 Aged Rock Texture (Materials Needed) (Tools Needed).42 
 
 Application of Rufkote.29 
 
 Backgrounds of Colorful, Enduring Charm.12 
 
 Band and Border Decorations.89 
 
 Band and Spot Decorations in Rufkote and Polychrome Finishes, 
 Relief and Stencil Decorative Effects, Die-Pressed Fibre 
 
 Relief Ornament for Plaque, Frieze.81 to 85 
 
 Brick Surfaces .20 
 
 Bronze and Painted Ground Coats.79 
 
 Ceiling Textures and Colorings.68 
 
 Cleaning Various Wall Surfaces.24 
 
 Colonial Type (Material Needed) (Tools Needed).62 
 
 Concrete Surfaces .20 
 
 Cross-Hatch Pattern (Material Needed) (Tools Needed).56 
 
 Damp Walls .26 
 
 Detached Spot Decorations.88 
 
 Die-Pressed Fibre Relief Ornaments.90 
 
 Directions for Preparing Size. 16 
 
 Filling Holes and Cracks in Walls.16 
 
 French Caen Stone (Material Needed) (Tools Needed).50 
 
 French Effect <^Material Needed) (Tools Needed).55 
 
 Foliage Texture (Material Needed) (Tools Needed).54 
 
 Glaze-Staining, Highlighting, Bronzing.72 to 77 
 
 Hanging Open Mesh Canvas.26 
 
 Highlighting the Colors.78 
 
 Holland Wall Textures (Material Needed) (Tools Needed).66 
 
 How to Use Rufkote with Color.33 
 
 Italian Effect (Material Needed) (Tools Needed).52 
 
 Lattice and Scroll Texture (Material Needed) (Tools Needed) . .45 
 
 Metal Surfaces .23 
 
 Mixing Rufkote and the Addition of Color.28 
 
 Moderately Rough Textures.53 
 
 Multi Color Scroll Texture (Materials Needed) (Tools Needed) . .44 
 
 New Smooth Plaster Walls.18 
 
 Novelty Textures.68 
 
 Old English Finish (Material Needed) (Tools Needed).60 
 
 Old Smooth Plaster Walls.18 
 
 Polychrome .72 to 77 
 
 Polychrome Finishes .80 
 
 Preparation of Wall Surfa ces. 18 
 
 Producing Texture Patterns.34 
 
 Relief and Stencil Decorative Effects.81 to 85 
 
 Removing Cracked and Sealing Paint. 26 
 
 Removing Wall Paper and Fabrics.24 
 
 194 ] 
 
Page 
 
 Rugged Textures for Large Rooms.35 
 
 Roman Travestine Texture (Material Needed) (Tools Needed) .. .47 
 
 Rufkote for Interior Walls.10 
 
 Rufkote Applied over Open Mesh Canvas.27 
 
 Rufkote Wall Glaze.77 
 
 Sand Finish or Brown Coat.18 
 
 Sanding Textured Finishes.78 
 
 Sizing the Walls.16 
 
 Smooth Marble Finishes (Material Needed) (Tools Needed).63 
 
 Spanish Palm Finish (Material Needed) (Tools Needed).46 
 
 Starching Walls.79 
 
 Stock Patterns of Relief Decorations.91 
 
 Smut Coats ...79 
 
 Starching, Sizing and Smut Coats.72 to 77 
 
 Sponge Pattern (Material Needed) (Tools Needed).61 
 
 Sizing Rufkote Finished Surfaces.77 
 
 Surface Preparation .15 
 
 Stipple and Smooth Textures (Material Needed) (Tools Needed) . .36 
 
 Square Trowel Textures (Material Needed) (Tools Needed).58 
 
 The Famous Ring Test.11 
 
 Textures .14 
 
 Texture Making Tools.31 
 
 Tree Back Texture (Materials Needed) (Tools Needed).38 
 
 Two-Tone Scroll Texture (Material Needed) (Tools Needed) ....36 
 
 Verticle Stripe Textures (Material Needed) (Tools Needed).64 
 
 Wall Board Surfaces.20 
 
 Washing Very Dirty Walls. 
 
 Wood Surfaces .23 
 
 [ 95 ] 
 
backgrounds of Enduring Charm 
 
 Produced by Quality Wall Coverings 
 
 Manufactured by 
 
 H. B. WIGGIN’S SONS COMPANY 
 
 Bloomfield, New Jersey 
 
 REG. U. S. PAT. OFF. 
 
 Genuine Cloth Wall Coverings 
 
 Architects and Decorators specify the use of Fab-Rik-O-Na 
 Wall Coverings because they are well aware of the non¬ 
 fading colors, beautiful designs and firm 
 non-shrinking textures 
 
 A New Development in Plastic 
 Stone For Interior Walls 
 
 Historic wall effects and many others of modern novel 
 types are easily recreated with this new plastic stone. 
 
 Weaving beauty of design, permanent colors, firm textures 
 and durability into a single wall covering fabric— 
 
 that is also washable. 
 
 f i i 
 
 Samples and Literature Sent upon %equesLj 
 
 [ 96 ] 
 
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