Painting can be a bit, er, repetitive. How do I convince myself to spend a finally sunny day in the basement after spending the previous four nights there? Gogol Bordello on shuffle! One night I was painting so long I shuffled through all five albums’ worth and had to start over. But they kept me going. The only problem is that the propensity to dance makes the detail work extra challenging.

The place we got most of the porch parts, Vintage Woodworks, specifies oil primer and paint. We’ve been happy with Benjamin Moore paints, though I’ve heard good things about Sherwin Williams Super Paint and may try that on another project. Below is my next set—some of the 64 balusters; the others are set up on other sawhorses and an ironing board and a pair of milk crates and leaned up against the wall. Behind the bare wood you can see the shorter parts I’ve finished painting. The 9-footers are upstairs in the entryway.

Well, I’d better stop goofing off and get to Gogol Bordello. But first I’m going to listen to my steady Sunday guy, Dick Buckley.