skip to main content

living room Home Decorating Paint

Painting knotty pine?

Ashley Humphrey

3 years ago

We recently just purchased a house with lots of wood (seems to be pine) I love wood and fell in love with the charm but now i'm starting to wonder if i should paint the wood walls white (i'm sure my husband's going to just LOVE that) Bedrooms also have one or two wood walls as well, and i am kind of thinking the floor clashes? Also any suggestions on the fireplace in the living room!? I plan on a beam mantle, should i paint that too? The beams on the ceiling i prefer to leave the way they are. (Not my furniture) Our last house was gull of greys and white honestly scares me (i have a 5 & 8 yr old with two dogs as well) but white just seems to brighten up EVERYTHING.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

pricklypearcactus
3 years ago
Your new home has some really beautiful character. I don't always love that much wood on walls, but I think it looks good in your new house. Why don't you add some soft area rugs to break up the mass of wood that is visible in the pictures and try living with it? It would be such a shame to paint now without even giving the house a chance to see if you like the wood given a little time to get used to it.
pds290
3 years ago
I agree with pricklypearcactus. Your home is charming and I would live with it for a bit before deciding whether you want to paint the wood, and if so, whether you want to paint all or some of it. I speak from some experience. I live in a house that was ALL unfinished pine paneling. I loved the feel of the wood, but unfinished, the pine had darkened to an orangey tone that I didn’t like. I would have preferred a lighter home. I finally decided to do a light white wash over the pine. After some trial and error I realized that the walls would have to be sanded first. I’ve been very happy with the results, but it was a long, hard, dusty process, and since my home is largely open plan, once I’d done any of it I had to do all of it. I was glad I had taken a lot of time to make the decision. Here’s a picture so you know what I chose to do.
Related Discussions
Any photos of 'refreshed' knotty pine kitchens?
Q
Comments (21)
I think depending on the style of the rest of your house and your decorating, you could make these cabinets work without painting them. I understand your worry that they look dated. I think by refreshing the cabinets, and changing the formica and backsplash, you could have a very beautiful, charming space. I have 1960's cherry cabinets that I debated whether or not to paint b/c they were very dingy and I just hated the look of the kitchen. We did not have the money for new cabinet installation, and our remodel was 100% DIY. After posting on the kitchens and old house forum, I decided against painting them. I 'refreshed' them and am soooo happy I didn't paint. Granted, knotty pine is not cherry, but it still has a certain charm to it that painting would take away. If you decide not to paint, my advice would be to test what finish you have on them. Then, remove the hardware and give them a good washing with some fine steel wool and TSP and rinse them completely. Then re-coat them with a compatible finish (i.e. poly, tung oil, varnish). Make sure you do a test with your new finish in an inconspicuous spot to make sure it doesn't gum up, etc. Before: Mid-remodel: (Needs more trim work, painting, new window, etc.) You get the idea with the cabinets. Excuse the clutter and the flaws that the flash picks up, this was snapped hastily!
...See More
Painting Knotty Pine
Q
Comments (2)
what coating does the ceiling have...sealer/stain/topcoat....a combination? I've used deglosser to older surfaces w sheen...then painted without an additional primer step. It worked well...getting newer paint that has priming/painting in one step may be your key to this. But you have to assess what is the top coat on that ceiling surface that you are trying to get the paint to adhere to. What is the age of it? You might be well served by hiring someone. Ceiling surfaces are so much more easily dealt with by those who do them regularly....not that you can't...but use your valuable time elsewhere is my best advice.
...See More
I'm considering painting the knotty pine in my northwoods cabin
Q
Comments (12)
I think your ideas are spot on. <---written by a person who hasn't had a scrap of natural wood trim or walls in decades. I'm a white paint person that prefers to have my color in cabinetry, floors, furnishings and art. I'm also a person who lived in northern Wisconsin for 10 years and "selling and rebuilding" isn't as easy there as it is in other places. Little cabins sell but it's a tougher row to hoe with a large home. Large homes of any style. There are only so many buyers. It's too painful to talk about how I know this, lol. Since you have your own painters, maybe consider whitewashing the ceiling and painting the rest? If you don't like it, you can always paint over the white wash. I like the cable railing ideas.
...See More
help with color for knotty pine walls
Q
Comments (5)
Make sure your paint professional has not cut corners with the prep work. Natural pine walls like you had probably had some kind of polyurethane coating which must first be removed. All those knots must be sealed, or they will “bleed through” over time. I was where you are with our pine summer cottage a few years ago, and it took A LOT of time and effort! We still have several walls to go. Good luck!
...See More
User
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I think the wood is lovely and a unique look that's definitely not cookie cutter. I would not paint any of it, but work towards embracing it as a beautiful element of your new home. Once you paint, it's pretty much impossible to reverse that course.
My3dogs ME zone 5A
3 years ago
Another vote to try to use rugs, drapes, and your decorative items and try to live with the walls for a while. It definitely not a 'cookie cutter' home, and appears to be very well cared for. The fireplace must be gas? Your idea of a beam mantle over that is good, just a bit wider than the firebox itself.

Maybe try to emulate what PDS290 did in her home in a small bedroom to see how you like like it, where the character of the wood shows through a light wash of paint.
Ashley Humphrey
Original Author
3 years ago
The fireplace is actually a wood burner! Thank you all for your input! What colors as far as rugs and drapery would you recommend? It's been a long time since we have had wood flooring and we have NEVER lived in a home so unique!

Related Stories

Design Dilemma: Keep or Nix Knotty Pine?

By Annie Thornton

Help a Houzz User Choose a Paint Color for a Cohesive Design

PAINTING Knotty to Nice: Painted Wood Paneling Lightens a Room's Look

By No. 29 Design

Children ran from the scary dark walls in this spare room, but white paint and new flooring put fears and style travesties to rest

WOOD Knotty and Nice: Highly Textured Wood Has a Modern Revival

By Mary Jo Bowling

Whether it's cedar, fir or pine, if a wood has a knot, it's hot

WALL TREATMENTS These Are Not Your Grandfather’s Pine Walls

By Janell Beals - House of Fifty

The knotty look went from popular to pariah in years past, but today’s designers are finding new and stylish ways to embrace it

DECORATING GUIDES Feeling Knotty? Add a Little Rope to Your Decor

Neutral, natural and often unexpected, rope is an all-purpose accent on land or sea

WORKING WITH PROS Inside Houzz: New Rustic Style for a Mountain Cabin's Kitchen

By Mitchell Parker

A North Carolina couple takes a log cabin kitchen from knotty-pine tear-down to modern-day knockout with rusty tin and reclaimed barnwood

Pine Cones: Not Just for Christmas

By Lisa Frederick

These natural treasures from the trees testify to Mother Nature's eye for great design

WALL TREATMENTS Fall in Love With Lacquer

By Jess McBride

Explore 12 ways to add high-gloss drama to your home

Houzz Call: Show Us Your Paint Makeovers

By Becky Harris

Let your newly repainted house or room do the "How d'ya like me now?" strut right here — it might just be featured in an upcoming ideabook

DECORATING GUIDES What You Need to Know Before Painting Brick

By Vanessa Brunner

Sure, painted brick can be a great look. But you need to take some risks into account. Here's how to paint brick like a pro

Sponsored

Kuhns Contracting, Inc.

26 Reviews

Central Ohio's Trusted Home Remodeler Specializing in Kitchens & Baths

More Discussions

Interior Window Trim Color For 1926 Spanish-Style Home

7

Please Help! Palette & Style Conundrum-Modern Tropical Glam vs Coastal

82

Exterior paint ideas needed

2

Would love ideas 1920’s farmhouse

3

Help with exterior paint!

4