A Restorative Vacation

After a couple of ridiculously tough months of work, I’m on vacation this week. And like the Good Book says, there’s no better remedy for creative burn-out than a week of manual labor.

So this week, I’m staining, shellacking, cutting, and installing the cap and shoe for our living-room and dining-room baseboards.

For over a year we’ve had just the base up, and it looks very decent. (Much better than the bare plaster peeking out below the wallpaper!)

Here’s the new cap after being stained and shellacked:

It’s poplar, with walnut stain and lemon-yellow shellac, which gives it a warmer tone.

Still to do:

• Stain and shellac the shoe (3/4″ pine quarter-round)
• Remeasure the living room, dining room, entry, and hallway walls
• Cut it all
• Install it all

Easy-peasy, right? Just a nice, relaxing vacation.