Our 1940's Colonial Revival has hot-water baseboard heaters. When we moved in a few years ago, the walls were pristine, but lately we’ve been plagued with ghosted jets of grime on the walls above the vent openings. It’s kind of creepy.
![Stuff Thermals Screwed Up](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/6178/202391/5870cbddde245/Stuff-Thermals-Screwed-Up.jpg)
THE FIX
Your problem is a common one. It can happen whether the fuel source is gas or oil, and whether the heating system is a hot water boiler or a hot air furnace.
The ghostly stains, called thermal tracking, are actually deposits of soot or dust circulated in the air and deposited on the walls. They can also appear around electrical outlets and along studs or joists on the wall surface.
Esta historia es de la edición January/February 2017 de Old House Journal.
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Esta historia es de la edición January/February 2017 de Old House Journal.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
![THE Villa RENEWED](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1343252/46qFLSoSA1686720602228/THE-VILLA-RENEWED.jpg)
THE Villa RENEWED
This house in Greene County, New York, has been faithfully restored, from its foundation and structure to exterior elements and trim inside.
![walls & ceilings](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1343252/uzo7vu7pT1686720288405/WALLS-CEILINGS.jpg)
walls & ceilings
BY THE 1870s, the tripartite treatment was fashionable: walls divided into dado (or wainscot) below the chair rail, fill or field section, and frieze at the top of the wall.
![lighting + hardware](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1343252/k5htxCHr21686720039774/LIGHTING-HARDWARE.jpg)
lighting + hardware
ANTIQUE, REPRODUCTION, or contemporary, lighting fixtures and lamps are among the most cost-effective ways to add drama or period style to a room.
![CRAFTSMAN PATINA](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1343252/ICIXOHWX01686719695678/CRAFTSMAN-PATINA.jpg)
CRAFTSMAN PATINA
A smitten owner brings the Arts & Crafts aesthetic to a 1921 bungalow in Seattle.
![furniture & decorative accessories](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1343252/BZyS92PWe1686719476599/FURNITURE-DECORATIVE-ACCESSORIES.jpg)
furniture & decorative accessories
PERIOD ROOMS are the goal of a very small niche of old-house owners.
![wall & floor tiles](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1343252/gOf6w0Qra1686719148064/WALL-FLOOR-TILES.jpg)
wall & floor tiles
TODAY WE FIND TILE from small studios . . . carved relief tiles, subway tile and mosaics, glazes matte and iridescent . . . plus encaustics and California revivals.
![A TRANSCENDENT BATHROOM IN OJAI](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1343252/widodnMoe1686718923465/A-TRANSCENDENT-BATHROOM-IN-OJAI.jpg)
A TRANSCENDENT BATHROOM IN OJAI
A seamless addition allowed for this timeless primary bath, which has been re-imagined as an upgrade dating to ca. 1930.
![CRAFTSMAN DETAILS IN A KITCHEN](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1343252/TqMN9OOHg1686718261579/CRAFTSMAN-DETAILS-IN-A-KITCHEN.jpg)
CRAFTSMAN DETAILS IN A KITCHEN
An excellent layout and period motifs distinguish this midsize kitchen in a bungalow-era house.
![home design - HOUSES HAVE A PAST - AND A FUTURE, TOO](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1343252/-fecUwV_Z1686717932660/HOME-DESIGN-HOUSES-HAVE-A-PAST-AND-A-FUTURE-TOO.jpg)
home design - HOUSES HAVE A PAST - AND A FUTURE, TOO
THE BEST RENOVATIONS TOE THE LINE BETWEEN NECESSARY UPDATES AND ENOUGH SENSITIVITY TO ASSURE DESIGN INTEGRITY.
![a farmhouse RESCUE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1343252/i3sAF_L4V1686717444533/A-FARMHOUSE-RESCUE.jpg)
a farmhouse RESCUE
Using a cache of salvaged finds, the homeowner, architect, and contractor together rescued a tumbledown farmhouse in Vermont.