I'm considering painting the knotty pine in my northwoods cabin
My wife and I have grown tired of our classic northern Wisconsin cabin that has steep pitched 10/12 cathedral ceilings with all knotty pine walls and ceilings, complete with feildstone fireplace and log mantel and railing.
We are plannig to paint all the knotty pine, trim, doors, cabinetry, add new counters, wood floors and new metal rails.
We would eventually move outside and change the stain color to most likely something more mute or grey.
Do you think we can pull it off? Some initial toughts:
1. Most images I see have verticle boards, ours are horizontal.
2. We aren't really drawn to the two tone look with keeping the ceiling stained, but we may consider whitewashing the ceiling and painting the walls, first instinct is all painted.
3. We may add 2 collar tie beams 2/3 thirds the way up the ceiling in the geat room, thoughts?
4. Stone fireplace would remain unchanged but plan to darken significantly the log mantel color.
5. log railing would go, new wood steps to match wood floors.
6. Carpet and tile floors would come out except for baths and screen porch, a lighter white oak wide plank flooring would go everywhere else.
7. We plan to paint the hickory cabinets and get new, possibly black low matt ground quarts counters.
Any feedback or images would be appreciated!
Bob Gryboski
Comments (12)
klem1
3 years ago- PRO
Gryboski Builders Inc.
3 years ago Related Discussions
How can I modernize my knotty pine-paneled kitchen?
Comments (12)Thanks, mjsee! Unfortunately the nearest Ikea is over a hundred miles away from us so I'm not exactly sure we'll go that route cabinet-wise. As for the walls, I tend to agree even if my first reaction when I saw this room was "Oh, eff my life, we need to paint this ASAP." It's grown on me and I definitely don't like the idea that once I paint it we can't really go back. I could see one day taking it down and drywalling it (the insulation is non-existent as we're in a warm part of California so I'd put some in at that point), but we're not there yet. Nicole--I love that look, I just don't think it'll work in my space. :\ Stacey--thanks! WRT the living space, it's set up fairly similarly to the scene shown: two green microfiber couches instead of a sectional, a black/glass coffee table, and from Overstock. We have a black/dark brown TV table, a desk hidden behind the TV, and generally dark-colored wood or pine bookshelves dotted around the room. Oh, and a massive cat tree. :) I took the shelves down from the windows. The fans we brought in are amazing--dark wood blades with these Steampunk-like brushed nickel bodies. The rug:...See MoreTrim Color and Contrast Wall Color with Knotty Pine
Comments (3)Hi Laurie, Well your cabin sounds absolutely adorable and I hope a lot of people chime in to help you come up with some fun and easy solutions. I love soft cream as a wall color too, and think it's a lovely match for the walls and knotty pine. I'm not a big fan of wallpaper or sponging, so my 2 cents would be to nix them. You are spot on about putting the wood print next to the real deal. And I just think you can do better. Instead of wall paper or a paint treatment, I would keep it simple and find a pretty pale sage color to paint that corner. Something that will offer a nice complimentary contrast to the knotty pine and cream. I love the idea of hanging the painting painted by your grandfather on one wall though I think if it were me, I would to find a frame that is more similar in color to the knotty pine. On the other wall you could maybe hang a series of 3 or 4 smaller prints in similar type frames that have pine cones in them. For the trim, it's really hard to say. In most cases I prefer a lighter trim, but I'm thinking with the pine, a darker trim might go better. I hope when you finish your room you remember to post a picture or two, I love seeing the finished rooms! Good Luck!...See MoreI'm tired of the knotty pine vaulted ceiling in my living room.
Comments (18)Those current wall colors are awful as they don't even seem to complement the actual wood tones and they are dark. It looks like an awful murky dreary mess. There has to be a color that lightens and brightens the room without it being a "horrible contrast". There is a veritable universe of light paint colors which read completely differently from each other because of the undertones. You might really benefit from hiring a true color specialist to suggest a specific paint that works best in your room. And of course lighting would make a huge difference....See MoreHelp with knotty pine basement
Comments (17)Gina, fwiw, lots of designers are embracing wood panelled walls these days. It's all part of the current soft modern design trend featuring organic materials. Here's a 2015 Houzz article from Janell Beals about knotty pine walls. Lots of inspo pics. (I recall Janell from decorating boards ages ago. She has fantastic taste and a great eye!!) Also, while painting the walls is a big job and might be too time-consuming or expensive to do now, nothing forces you to paint ALL walls if you decide to paint. (Might already have been suggested upthread). What kind of material are the floor tiles? Wondering if they could be painted. I mean, if you can't stand them. (I like vintage patterned tiles so depending on their colours, I might not be in a hurry to cover them. But that's me. This is YOUR house. :)) Lots of materials can be painted and yes, often, it's a short term solution but there's nothing with that. Again, to my amateur eye, if you want a more open and contemporary feel in the space, changing the ceiling (which will include removing the soffits) and optimizing the lighting will give you the biggest bang for your buck. Could you even gain height with a new ceiling? I seem to recall this happened when Sarah Richardson redid a tiled 70s basement (one of her recent renos on her YT channel). Don't know how long you're planning on living in this house but I bet you'd recoup that reno cost when selling. All this to say, enjoy your space and the process to make it more "you". Don't let its shortcomings overwhelm you. As I tried to express initially, it's easy to get bogged down by our spaces when they fall short of our taste and decor visions but what house is perfect? Plenty of us live with design compromises and shoestring budgets. The important thing is that we LIVE in our (imperfect) spaces. :)...See Morecat_ky
3 years ago
PRODiana Bier Interiors, LLC
3 years agoVery interesting home. I like the idea of removing the log banister and balusters--a metal and cable railing would be a good choice. The dark door in the background is a cool color--maybe paint your cabinets dark, then get stainless steel appliances. You could get a more updated look by changing your furnishings, which is less of a commitment than painting all the wood. And the lighting needs to be addressed--it's very dark, and you could improve the look with new lighting before you paint the wood.
Here are some rustic wood rooms. Some are all wood, others are partially painted. All are decorated beautifully.
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Gryboski Builders Inc.
3 years ago tsjmjh
3 years agoheatheron40
3 years agoAnnKH
3 years ago
JoAnn Hennigan
3 years agoShawn and I just had this same dilemma up in Jacksonport. We decided to change out all the light fixtures, update window treatments and update the furniture. Went for a more urban chic/restoration hardware look instead of the "alpine cabin" look we had before. It is amazing how much different she looks now. I'm glad we left the wood alone, we thought about painting logs and stripping wood floors. My photos are a bit dark but it is amazing how different the place feels with just some changes in decor. Good Luck!
Charles Ross Homes