Updating knotty pine paneling

Have you ever fell in love with the outside of a house, only to walk in and see wood paneling everywhere? Many people don't like the all wood look on the inside of a house. It can look dated, dull, and uninviting. You can transform the space without taking down much if any of the paneling!

This helps save on costs on installing something different. Most of the paneling stayed in place too, it was just painted white to add a brighter feel and more modern touch. Add more character to subway tile by doing a herringbone, chevron, or a number of other patterns as a back splash.

The living area needed major updating as well. It's a lot of work but stripping the orange shellac and refinishing it with a clear non yellowing poly.

You can't imagine how beautiful it can be. Kj on Jan 02, Pgl on Jan 01, Try lighting over it less invasive and not as permanent. Also try a good cleaner for wood you maybe surprised how much the color changes,you may have a build up of wax on them. You can also sand lightly and add slightly darker stain or lighter I've done this several times and result will surprise you by removing that orange look that develops over time.

Nancy Flemming on Jan 01, We had a similar style in our home but the brick went right to the ceiling, I never liked it. Our solution was to give the bricks a good cleaning thinking we were going to whitewash, but we first painted the brass fireplace surround with heat resistant black paint. What a difference that made, our shelves were removable so I sanded the panels and shelves to get rid of the varathane this gives it the orangy tone over time and sealed with non yellowing polyurethane with pecan stain.

Once the surround was painted black, and wood work a lighter or should I say brighter colour, the bricks didn't need anything. We also took down our smaller art work and hung one big picture above the fireplace, this reduced the amount of brick visual to the eye, it was a lovely transformation at little cost.

Good luck let us know what you decide. Arlene on Jan 01, I had a similar home and painted the pine. Loved it!! Takes time many coats of primer epically on the knots but so worth it!!! Made the room larger brighter and elegant! Did paint the fireplace white too not a wash brought a 70's home current! Good luck. Brenda Roth on Jan 02, Why not try fabric on it Debbie on Jan 02, Clean walls, then go to Home Depot or store like it, and get some primer, paint one or two coats, then when dry, dries very fast, find the color of your choice and paint and be happy.

I had this same issue in my home and it looks so pretty after. Give it a try in a small spot, close to the floor, behind something and you will love it. I had a fireplace frame and mantle. It was dated and the wood was ugly, but I didn't want to tear it out. After research, I used a specialty wood bleach. It turned out beautiful.

You can order wood bleach online. Dee B on Jan 03, Bartholomew Roberts Smith on Jan 03, My mother covered old walls with roll fabric sheeting she found on sale somewhere. She was able to cut to size and stapled it up. Later she was able to just pull it down and fill the staple holes. Judi1 on Jan 04, I once hung sheets on curtain rods installed at the ceiling for an accent wall.

Sheets have rod pockets and are inexpensive. Dee B on Jan 04, I thought of maybe using tension rods to hang fabric behind the shelves to break it up a bit. There are so many great ideas it's hard to decide! Pgl on Jan 05, The best way is to use starch full strength liquid starch. All you do is using a plastic tub is place the fabric in the starch and smooth it out on the wall.

Sonijune Wilcox on Jan 03, I guess I am old fashioned--but I love it like it is now. So warm and inviting. If you change it you can never go back to the original. Reminds me sooi much of Early American styles which we all enjoyed in the 50's and 60's. My goal is to give the wood new life without losing the warmth of it. May just stain it to make it more neutral - less orange - and updating the molding. Carolyn on Jan 03, I would add mirrors across the top, don't clutter it, just add some big vases or candles.

I have even used cheap Walmart door mirrors. Color is the goal Tape up the fireplace insert and spray paint it. Put a decorative fabric in the book cases and fill with vases and books of all coordinating colors, use wrapping paper to cover books, spray paint your frames and use the books to stagger them in different heights.

Don't be scared to mix colors, I added lime green to my motif with touches of reds, orange and yellows. If you find a vase or lamp you love the shape of, spray paint it, It becomes habit forming! I would even spray paint your rocker and place a blanket or pillow in it. Since we love to chronicle the almost-forgotten terms for the beloved decor within mid-century modern and modest houses, we dove into this subject and today, explore the origins of and more information about pickwick pine paneling.

Oh and yes: We identify some sources where you can still buy pickwick pine paneling today. Stare at the profile edge from the side and you can see: Pickwick consists of two beads with a hollow in between on one side of each board… this pickwick side also includes the tongue… and on the other side of the board, there is a groove. So now we have three different terms to identify this paneling profile: Pickwick… WP-2… or butterfly. What do you think? Personally, I think I like the wider boards.

Also, I like the idea of using randow widths and piecing them together. That said, I do not know if folks would have done this in the wayback time machine days. We do not know. However, we have some hints at a start:. We welcome any reader sleuthing on this question — this pickwick pine puzzle will now perturb Pam until an answer is apprehended.

Steven Jarvis, author of the forthcoming novel, Death and Mr. Pickwick, has what appears to be a pretty darn good answer to our question in this comment posted to the blog overnight Jan. Well, howdy do, mystery solved. Thank you, Steven, we will feature your book when it comes out — and I for one plan to read it. I feel so smart and literary. There is no doubt in our mind that pickwick pine paneling was massively popular in American homes after World War II — we will venture to guess it was the 1 most popular pine paneling pattern.

Some googling found this reference to pickwick pine — a ad in the Nashua, New Hampshire Telegraph. It encouraged homeowners to use the paneling in their den, playroom, living room or kitchen.

I will attribute it to longtime, continued interest in Early American interior decoration. Building homes, early Americans would have used the materials at hand — and in the early colonies, that would have meant a lot of pine. These trees blanketed Northeast America more on this subject further down.

The Wikipedia page on pinus strobus also says :. Old growth pine in the Americas, of various Pinus species, was a highly desired wood since huge, knot-free boards were the rule rather than the exception.

Pine was common and easy to cut, thus many colonial homes used pine for paneling, floors and furniture. Pine was also a favorite tree of loggers since pine logs can still be processed in a lumber mill a year or more after being cut down. The Eastern White Pine. Fast forward to the middle of the 20th century, fast-growing pine remained an easy wood to obtain.

During the postwar housing boom, the pine industry promoted its use with lots of advertising. It was very accessible for handy, thrifty do-it-yourselfers. Pine — including knotty pine — is a classic, vernacular material that was critically important, it seems, to many generations of American homes for many generations. Moreover, in midcentury America, knotty pine was not only considered practical — it was downright fashionable , said to to Ed Vorhees, who has owned Tidewater Lumber in Greer, S.

Vorhees knows this material well — and his company still mills and sells pickwick pine paneling. I asked Vorhees if he knew where the name Pickwick Pine came from, but he did not know. I also asked him if he knew how long the pattern had been available America, and while he did not know, he thought it had been available for quite a long time — since the early 20th century, at minimum.

Above: Yes, the catalog that we found says Americans have lived with knotty pine for generations…. We are updating 's rancher for resale. Should we paint paneling or leave natural?

What color? This rooms is open to kitchen with drywall; we are installing new cream painted cabinets. Email Save Comment 8. Featured Answer. The problem is poor lighting and dark furnishings combined with the paneling. If you could add lamps and stage the room with lighter colors I think the paneling would look great. Like 5 Save. Sort by: Oldest. Newest Oldest. Dytecture 6 years ago. Like Save.

Related Discussions Knotty pine paneling Q. White wash it.