"that's the scariest part of this process for me (so far.) Once I start painting, I'm pretty much committed. "
Same here......I'm hoping it'll be some kind of "Wise Men Stand on the Shoulders of Giants" kinda thing........probably end up more like "Wise-achers Stand on Their Tip-toes Looking Over the Fence at How Giants Do This....." kinda thing, but THANK YOU for detailing all this stuff.....
It looks really sharp......what kind / color / type of stain / paint has been rolling around in my head since I 1st saw mine......they said it's some kind of No. California wood in the original literature.....redwood, maybe, but at any rate your choice works out just exactly right from where I sit !!!!