beforeApartment Therapy :: Before and After Knotty Pine Paneling
How to de-gloss paneling :: Ranch Remodels
More Knotty Pine before and Afters :: Curbly
Wood Paneling That Looks Really Great Unpainted :: Inspired Room
Joy, this post is for you and the others out there wondering the same thing. Here's a small part of Joy's comment from yesterday's post about painting pine furniture:
Here is the question of all time for those of us who have knotty pine and can't stand it (But of course everyone keeps telling me im CRAZY to paint over it, it will not work but the ladder is to live like im in a tree house!! LOL!! But no really!!!...I don't want to live in a tree house!!!). And everyone telling me this does not live in my house with me, hubs would probably try painting it if we could find a paint that would at least cover somewhat.Go for it Joy! YES! You can paint that naughty pine! Have you painted paneling before? Feel free to link to a post in the comments showing your painted paneling--knotty or not!
46 birds say {click here to leave a comment}:
WOW- The "after" photo of the stairs- SO MUCH BETTER!! ;)
That "after" shot says it all. So worth the effort to paint that. Wish my husband would have just painted over the pinkish (yes, pinkish!!) paneling in our LR when we moved in, but he ripped it all out and put drywall up. Would have given me something to blog about down the road if he'd just painted. ;)
Wow - it looks even better than bead board in my ?not so knowledgeable about naughty pine at all" opinion. :)
Good to know it can be done. I see them a lot in kitchen cabinets (in outdated kitchens). I always heard that the knots bleed through, (unless you seal them with something) but that doesn't look like the case in the picture you show.
I'm going to check out the other links you reference. Thanks!
I have been debating for 3 years to paint my "naughty" pine...but what if moving is in the near future? I guess it would help with selling?
The thing I dread is filling ALL the holes from the previous owners handywork:)
I cannot say how much I LOVE painted surfaces like this...wood, brick, etc.. it just looks so amazing!
Nester, I JUST found your blog last night, and I was so inspired by your down to earth practicality, I HAD to make a whole post about you on my blog.
Thanks for the inspiration!!
I have to admit I'm a bit surprised in some of those blogs by the snotty comments made by the "never paint knotty pine" brigade-good grief, it's just PANELING! Knotty pine is the POOR QUALITY WOOD that wasn't good enough to build houses with!
Angela, I can almost guarantee that in the mind of most potential buyers they're wondering how much it's going to cost to get that paneling out of there and they're taking that amount of money away from their offer. It's dated, it makes rooms look dark and there are only a very few furniture styles that work well with it. There are not enough potential buyers out there that want knotty pine paneling that it's worth catering to such specific taste when trying to sell your house.
Filling holes is definitely not as much work as most people think either-they're almost always at waist level or higher, you can take your spatula and can of spackle and just whip it out in half an hour. Go back later and give each one a quick swipe with sandpaper and you're done.
LOL-sorry, I do go on about this. It just makes me sad that people aren't enjoying their houses because of something so easily remedied. It's like refusing to water your lawn because you have dandelions.
For those painting knotty wood I have found Zinsser BIN is a shellac based primer and it actually seals out the knots , as I have primed and painted some furniture and it has taken as long as months for the knots to bleed through , which is so frustrating.
Great post , what a transformation .
Oh, mercy, this brings back memories! We had nasty paneling in our den growing up (along with brown shag carpet). When we were in high school my parents decided to fill in all of the seams and try to paint over it. It took so long, that we were eventually allowed to invite friends over and get paid to help! That stuff just kept sucking up the wood filler and paint. It was wretched! Big process but much better "afters". These are all gorgeous.
P.S. To go along with your note about everyone having that armoire...my sister has it with a coordinating coffee table and I have always loved those pieces. I am forwarding your post to her!
Wow, this was long! Oops!
Oh Ms. Nester! I painted my naughty pine and I don't regret a second of it. Every single contractor who walked through my house told me not to, but I remembered what your sister said "if they were designers, they wouldn't be painters" and I went with it! I lurve it. I also did a board and batten in my kitchen and love it too. Next step is painting those kitchen cabinets, but I can't decide if I am going to go white or black.
Has Oprah called yet? I'm telling you... it will come!
I already know I'm a little pyscho, but here's a little proof: I wish I had a house with wood panelling just so I could paint it. I really like the look of painted wood paneling. I'm working on beadboard--at least in my head. I'd like to think panelling is harder to ding than regular walls. Then I could avoid the inevitable mattress-padded walls I think I'll need when my boys get bigger.
Wow that is phenomenal! Great job!
I just had this email back from Behr, in response to my note to them yesterday requesting that they hop on over here and give the Nester some love!
Thank you for contacting BEHR Technical Services.
Thank you for directing us to this site. We will be sure to contacting the poster regarding the wonderful feedback on their site! It is always great to hear when people enjoy using our products!
Regards,
Elizabeth B.
Web Communications
Wow, I love it. I always said I wouldn't buy a house with wood paneling but now that I've seen what you can do, I would buy and paint it. I looks wonderful.
I had knotty pine in my kitchen and people were surprised when i said i was going to paint it. The transformation was incredible, just like i knew it would be. I can't encourage anyone enough to just do it.
So many times we make the mistake of asking people what they think and not going with our gut. I'm a huge believer in paint and I have never regretted one improvement i have made in my old farmhouse.
Of course, once the painting was done, i have gotten a million compliments from the very people that were surprised I wanted to do it!!
The home I grew up in was completely paneled in heart of pine with tons of knots...kitchen (even the cabinets!), dining room, living room, hall, master bedroom and all the ceilings. The floors were also pine. It's hard to imagine...although it truly was beautiful, it was rather dark and dated, even when my parents bought the home in the early '60s. Oh, but we loved that lake!!!
When central air was added, we had to drop the ceilings and build a false cavity to accommodate the duct work. It turned out that the walls were solid concrete with rebar every 2"...no hurricane would budge that house!!! My brother purchased the home from the parents and had the walls in all the rooms painted. To this day (30+ years) that pine paneling still looks good...and white! No knots have ever bled through and the rooms are airy and spacious. Definitely, if you have pine walls, give it a try...
Jane (Artfully Graced)
So...what do you do with cheap 70's fake paneling? The people who lived in our house years ago paneled everything (I painted over the "wallpaper" paneling in the kitchen, have faux brick on one side of our living room, one bedroom has blue-grey "wood", the bathroom has some crazy fake marble plastic junk...and the real kicker...CORK in the master bedroom...glued to the wall...got half of it off using a putty knife and it about killed me!). Some days it seems like lighting a match would be easier then remodeling this old house!!!
What a transformation! It's an incredible improvement. You gotta love it when a plan comes together!
What a transformation! It's an incredible improvement. You gotta love it when a plan comes together!
Knotty pine and grainy oak are never coming back in style (there, I've said it!) And even if it does in 50 years, your grandkids can strip it all off. Im sure the future will have easy paint stripping efforts.
I'm all for painting that dark stuff! We painted over dark plastic paneling in our den!
We all need more light in our life!
Wow looks much better painted.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! We have the outdated tongue & groove knotty pine paneling in our living room. I absolutely hate it, but we haven't got the money to do a full remodel. I've been trying to convince my husband to paint it for the short term fix until we can afford a remodel. I think this post is going to help me convince him! I absolutely love your blog! Thanks for all you awsome info & stories!
We painted over the u-g-l-y green fake 70's panelling AND the fake brick wall in the living room years ago....I'm sure we used Bin or Kilz as a primer, and an antique white paint over that. Oooolala! Shabby chic!
YES! We have painted knotty pine in our den. It is yellow, now. Pan down to pictures 7 and 8 for a view. http://theoldpostroadblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/stayin-alive.html
Our biggest problem was the contraction of the wood during the winter (our 1850's house is NOT well insulated) and the joints would show as the wood contracted. We then filled the cracks with caulk, which sometimes comes out in the summer, as the wood expands with the Georgia heat. --This room was a dark 'bowling alley' before we painted the warm yellow, which widened and brightened the room.
Our knotty pine panelling definitely oozes cottage charm now that's it's gotten a fresh coat of Sherwin Williams' "Natural Choice".
Here a post I wrote about it, a while back:
The Lettered Cottage
Layla :-)
OH NESTER,
Yippie ya- yeah- oh happy day!!!
YES i CAN paint NAUGHTY (Of course I caught that- ubberdooberly cute!!!) pine!! ;)
Singing halleluyahs here & praising the Lord!! No really he has made my day and so have you!!!
My jaw just about dropped seeing this post and then.....a quote and my name (pen name)ohhhh.... my you just made my day...im a famouse!!! Tee-hee!! LOL!!! True confessions of this homeschooling God loving God fearing mamma of 4wittle blessings, my wittle babies- love'em lots. I guess I feel that way because im just a plain ol' momma of 4, a pretty reserved momma of 4 but writing can transform a person I guess sorta speak. =)
So there is HOPE that YES we can paint knotty pine!!! here's to the nester!!!thank you for your nesting genius and encouragement. I know you are a bussy momma youself so I truley, really apprecite the fact that you read my post. You are the real deal- thank you!!
Sometimes in the business of decorating it takes what seems like a crazy momma to take a risk to make things beautiful for our family! THANK YOU for doing that all the time!!
From one daughter of the king to another, GOD BLESS!
Because he died so we can live,
~ Joy =)
Thank you Thank you THANK YOU! I am going to do it and feel prepared and confident!
Y'all, is Joy not totally cracking you up? I've never met her but some how I can totally hear her talking when I read her words! I have a feeling she is SPUNKY!
Joy, I am so glad you found freedom in painting your pine! Girl, you go and enjoy the transformation--send me before and after photos!
I am also now laughing at the poor google ads trying to get us to PURCHASE the knotty pine! Poor robot, has no idea what we are talking about.
I have this great buffet- but it is pine and I can't stand it. I have been wondering if I should just stain it dark- an update at least...
Now I am ready to tackle it!! Would a deep red work okay, seems like most colors I'm seeing are white/light??
Yeah, it's just such a shame she's so shy and reserved...LOL!
Joy, clearly you are well named!
Our home was built in 1917, remodeled in the 60's..they came in and put knotty (NAUGHTY!!) paneling in the kitchen, entry and formal living...not to mention lowering the ceilings by a foot and a half...not fun, but the transformation of paint is unbelievable...here are my before and after pics...
http://web.me.com/ellifffam/Site/Blank.html
Amazing what a little white paint will do!
I'm in the market to buy a house and I am always turned off by knotty pine! We painted the very dark pine paneling in our current house but it didn't have knots in it. Your after shot is so much improved! Lots of the houses I see have knotty pine kitchen cabinets. Hate them! Thanks for an informative post!
Okay I'm usually far more of a "reader" than a commenter but the timing of this post is hilarious. I am this very week ripping out knotty pine from my bedroom. I have lived with it for 3 years, which is about 3 years too long. I know I could have painted it but I have been dreaming of smooth walls the entire time, and I can't wait. Turns out there is almost always drywall under the knotty pine, and there was in may case too. I'm not sure you're investing less man hours in apinting it, but if it fits with your decore, I say go for it! Either way it can only be an improvement.
love it!
I don't have knotty pine, but I do have '80s picture frame wood paneling. We're having it painted in August. I'm so excited to get rid of the drab brown!
We've painted paneling, we've painted woodwork, we've done all the "no-nos". We just finished painting our dingy dark wood kitchen cabinets and wainscot, and it looks amazing. Please come take a look! http://lisazahnwrites.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/the-kitchen-finally/
I was totally inspired by you, Nester!
I say "go for it!" to anyone tired of the darkness...One thing the Home Depot paint lady told me is to wait 12 hours after using stain-blocking primer (we used Zinsser brand, similar to Kilz) to give the primer a chance to do its stain-blocking job before painting. It worked! The cabinets bled yellow through the primer, but that did not come through the bright white paint at all.
Tina, I think red would be FAB! Just don't get any high gloss or semi gloss paint, I'd go for a matte finish!
I like that natural look and feel. Only concern perhaps are the inevitable dinks and dents from occasional bumping on the surfaces, especially if you have kids.
Framed photographic prints of wild birds would enhance the nature charm.
Do you know what is worse than naughty pine? Naughty pine going diagonal.
Thank goodness it was ripped out!
WOW I had no idea people thought painting knotty pine was wrong! now I know people think painting over oak is a "no- no" but heck, our family made a living off of painting over knotty pine for 14 years! LOL My dad and brother built furniture out of knotty pine and most all of it was painted - here's a post on my blog of several pieces I have in my house! http://tidymomof2.blogspot.com/2009/04/because-painted-is-pretty.html
Beautiful transformation! Still hyperventilating, though, because this post reminds me of catching our painters filling in the knots on our brand new knotty alder front door!!! Deep breath - exhale!
We have knotty pine in our basement and we hate it.
People keep telling us to NEVER paint over it because it is worth alot. Is that true?
Is it better to paint it or rip it out and drywall?
If we do rip it out, is the knotty pine worth anything? Can it be sold?
Thanks so much for this website! I am learning alot.
Dianna Jennings
diannamcollins@yahoo.com
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