opinions on painting pine wall

[grodenhiATgmailDOTcom]

We have a 1950's ranch and almost everything has been updated thus far, except for what we call the mud room. This is about a 15x15 foot heated room between the garage and rest of house that has glossy pine tongue and groove walls and ceiling. Originally I was planning on tearing out the walls and ceiling and replacing with standard drywall, but I'm starting to wonder if that would be a big mistake (maybe we should keep it for character). I'm starting to think I could paint the panelling white (using a strong primer then oil based paint). This would sort of give the beach house/cabin look I think. Does this sound doable? Do you think this will look all right or cheesey, or am I convincing myself that it will look decent knowing it will save a lot of time/money? Would you do BOTH walls and ceiling white, or just walls leaving the ceiling a glossy pine?

[Goedjn]

I wouldn't mess with it at all. DOn't you have anything better to spend the money on? Beer? A trip to niagra? Just build storage benches or overhead cabinets, and put all the crap you keep there in those. It will then look so much better you won't need to change it.

[grodenhiATgmailDOTcom]

[bamboo]

[tbasc]

[RicodJour]

Your house, your taste, but I think you'll find that a lot of people would prefer the wood look. If it's just the glossy finish that's bothering you, take some steel wool to it and rub it down to a satin sheen.

If you're going to paint it, use some Benjamin Moore Fresh Start primer. It's made to adhere to all sorts of surfaces that would normally require sanding, such as glossy varnish. Make sure there's not a wax finish on the wood as that will interfere with any coating's adhesion. Then paint as usual. I would think long and hard about painting the ceiling and the walls. Leaving the wood ceiling might be a nice compromise and less work.

R

[Banty]

I would leave the ceiling, possibly knocking down the gloss a bit with steel wool, and then prime (Bin or Ben Moore Fresh Start) and paint the walls either off white (if it were me, it'd be Ben Moore's White Dove) or a neutral that works well with neighboring rooms. Might take more than two coats. IMO, painted panelling looks quite nice.

Besides, if you try the paint first, find you don't like it, then you can knock it out and go for drywall. You can't go the other way around. Worth trying first.

Banty

[grodenhiATgmailDOTcom]

There are very noticable grooves between the "planks". While we are kind of openning it up to the kitchen, it will be n no means the same room. Currently there is a door between the two rooms and a window. I plan to take out the door and make it like a standard interior doorway (doorway with no door in it that is), and take out and enlarge the window spot. While I know the walls would not match the kitchen, I was thinking leaving it a sitting room with a beach house feel (wicker etc), and thought white solid panelling would maybe look alright. I never thought of it until we started looking at the Pottery Barn catalog for something else and noticed MANY of the rooms they showed had a beach cottage look with white panelled walls. I was wondering the best proactice to do this, and before attempting what people's opinions were on if it would look nice, or a cheap way to cover panelling. The panelling up is real wood, not the 70's style made of particle board. We are thinking of leaving the ceiling as it is, but the oragny shiney wood on walls and celing is too much.

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[KLS]

This will look just fine, in my view. Go for it. Just make sure to clean the walls thoroughly with something like Soilax, scuff up the surface, and put down a good primer (oil based would give the best results, I imagine) and then paint it. My parents did something similar with their one wall of paneling in our old family room, and I thought the results were great. You get texture and depth and an interesting result.

[Goedjn]

Find a local artist, buy a couple of really big paintings from them, and hang them in that room. That will cover enough of the wood so that the remainder won't be overpowering, support a local artist, be cheaper, and is easier to change, later. FAiling that, try tapestries. Tapestries are cool.

[HeyBub]

I'd work with what you've got. A moose head would probably be too large, but just antlers or smaller critters (badger, beaver, skunk, etc.), along with a couple of rifles and an Indian blanket would add some flavor.