Tintillating

We spent most of Thursday going back and forth to the paint store, sometimes with scraps of pine in hand.

We did at least a half-dozen tests, and I think the mileage was worth it: When Roy started on the upstairs ceilings Friday, I finally saw the warm tone -- somewhere between amber and honey -- that we'd been looking for.

Even better, though we started with wipe-off stain that would eventually have to be sealed, we ended up with a brush-on polyurethane.

Even so, Roy wants to give it one extra coat of clear poly, because the wood is taking the coating at different rates, and he says one last coat will even the sheen out beautifully.