My back is very sore today. I spent a good deal of time yesterday installing the wainscoting in the stairwell. I had been planning on using the Liquid Nails that we bought to attach the boards, but, after reading about installing wainscoting at the This Old House website, I decided to go with their recommendation of horizontal runs instead. And I’m really glad I did, because it worked really well. And after screwing up some 4d nails, my brilliant wife Dawn suggested using the staple gun that we bought. It also drives 5/8″ brads, which worked great.

So while Dawn sewed all afternoon, I worked on the one side, the south side, of the stairwell. And I finished it. And I have up already the horizontal boards on the upper part, the west side. And I know it took me more than four hours, because Gone with the Wind was on TCM the whole time I was working. Or not working, actually, like when I would stop to watch a scene or ask Dawn what was going on.