Page:The museum, (Jackson, Marget Talbot, 1917).djvu/116

92 is hard to walk upon and should always be painted, as otherwise it is impossible to keep it clean.

The most agreeable floor to walk upon is cork tiling. The process has not been sufficiently perfected yet to be thoroughly dependable, however. Some treatment will doubtless soon be invented which will preserve the surface and render it more durable. It is noiseless and unobtrusive in coloring and very restful to stand upon. Hardwood floors are useful and agreeable, and the museum visitor will always be grateful to the architect who has provided them. In order to make these fire-proof, the parquet is laid in mastic cement. This black liquid, containing a certain amount of creosote, is poured hot upon the concrete and the little wooden blocks are laid in it without nails. This device holds the floor firmly in place and there is little danger of the seams opening up or of its becoming uneven. If the blocks are not laid directly in the mastic they are apt to become loose with time. The mastic also helps to deaden the noise of footsteps. In using a hardwood floor, it is well, if possible, to lay it in a pattern with small blocks, as where the floor is laid without a pattern, using long strips, there is found to be more wear and tear in certain places than in others and it is more difficult to replace a worn patch in a floor laid in this