pinus resinosa could not be more wrong for that spot.. than any other species ... you can NOT put a species tree in there ... i wont waste my time posting the golden spreader pix .... if you have rejected them in toto ... let me know otherwise .. no real problem either way ... all forest pines.. species.. are too soft wooded.. and grow to aggressively [about 3 to 5 feet a year] .. and should NOT be planted that close to a house ... let alone hanging on a wall .. ken Here is a link that might be useful: pinus resinosa habitat

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Ginger! I'm trying to lose weight and eat healthier. Lite Yogurt adds calcium & protein to my diet but it gets boring day after day. I can't wait to try these recipes. I'm off to order the popcicle molds now!

There is an easy way. It's very simple, although it may sound complicated at first. I'll give you an example using some assumed measurements for your situation, and you can adjust to what you actually have. You will need a facing board whose width is just a little more than the greatest distance between the bottom of the beam and the ceiling, at whatever point that occurs. Let's say that the distance from the bottom of the beam to the ceiling is 6" at its greatest point (presumably one of the ends). Mark a distance on your board of, say, 6-1/4" from its bottom edge (so that, when you are done cutting, the facing board will give you some wiggle room by hanging down about 1/4" below the bottom of the beam). Then put the board in place so it butts up against the low center point, plumb it horizontal with your level, and fix it in place (2 nails?). Then, get out a drafting compass (you know, those things you use to draw circles on paper). Set the distance between the points of the compass to the distance between the ceiling and the pencil mark you made. In the next step, make sure that the distance you set the compass points to doesn't change as you are working with it. Then, simply run the compass point along the ceiling and the pencil point along the board, from one end to the other. The pencil will mark a line on the board that exactly conforms to any deviations in the ceiling. Take the board down, cut along the marked line with a saber saw, and you're ready to put it in place. If you've been able to follow my instructions, you will have a board that conforms to the irregular ceiling and hangs down about 1/4" lower than the beam at all points. Do the same thing for the other side of the beam. Then nail a third piece across the bottom and it's a wrap! If you have any slight gaps when you're done at the ceiling line, you can put a small piece of trim in place that will hide them. Hope that's clear. The link below (illustration 5) shows how to use a compass to scribe an irregular surface in a different application, but, hopefully, this may help your understanding of the technique. Let me know if you need anything clarified. Here is a link that might be useful: Scribing with a compass

A gut job will mean the walls will have the baseboards removed. Excellent. Have the baseboards painted as you wish and installed AFTER the wood floors. Done and done. So long as you make a statement to the fact that you do not want quarter round or shoe moldings used and that any baseboards used will be PAINTED to your specifications and added AFTER the flooring, you are golden. No worries. Just make sure the painters know what is what (so they can make the proper bid) and you will be fine.