The first step in restoring the chair rails was for the Restoration Team to determine their original location. Because the chair rails were often mounted onto the brick walls, the nailers and whistles that were found embedded in the walls provided the Team with the approximate height for each of the rails. To acquire a more exact measurement of where the Madison-era rails were located the team next used a flash light to rake light across the sides of the window and door trim as well as the sides of the chimneypieces at the approximate height of the nailers. Under the raking light, the paint ridges that had been formed from multiple layers of paint brushing up against the Madison-era chair rails often provided the team with the exact location of the long missing Madison rails.