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everlastb

man cave paint ideas

everlastb
13 years ago

I am working on turning my nasty old basement into a man cave but need serious help with painting suggestions. The ceilings are 7ft and the walls have knotty pine paneling. However the paneling is on the top portion of the walls. Please don't suggest removal and drywall because I'm a college student working on a VERY limited budget. I can't explain how much I hate knotty pine but I'm almost worried that painted knotty pine could somehow look worse. If it were on the bottom I would have painted it by now and played it off like its wainscoting. Do I paint the pine and if so what colors, or do I leave the pine and try to find a color that goes with that nasty amber?

Comments (6)

  • everlastb
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Here is what I'm working with at the moment. Im installing the carpet soon as I can decide on paint. The carpet is an off white berber with green and maroon accents.

  • annika_s
    13 years ago

    Knotty pine (or "naughty" pine, as I call it) doesn't look bad at all when painted! I think it'd look much better than the amber stain.

    Immediately when I saw the subject line "man cave paint ideas" I thought, graphite! I'm a woman...but I think a dark, dark gray would be awesome. It's masculine, but also nice and dark for video gaming and movies/TV to avoid glare.

    You could easily put a charcoal color on the bottom and then a one-or-two-shades-lighter gray on top, or flip them and put the darker on top. I agree it's too bad the pine isn't on the bottom half...but still totally workable.

    Scuff it and prime it with Zinsser BIN and wear a VOC respirator. That stuff works SO great on surfaces that might have a tendency to bleed through, plus it sticks and clings to anything! Just my $.02.

  • paintergirl94
    13 years ago

    I don't think it's that bad, either. And remember, most of the top portion can be covered with posters, artwork, big screen TV....a window treatment. And then your furniture.
    I don't have a SW fandeck, but not crazy about those sample colors. Or, at least don't say man cave. With your carpet, how about a brick red or burgundy on bottom with that camel color on top and maybe paint the ceiling, too. Also, a chocolaty brown on the bottom would be nice.
    You can also paint top and bottom the same color, may make the room appear larger, which I actually don't think is a big deal for a cave.
    Don't forget to spot-prime those deep knots.

  • everlastb
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for the advice on colors. My initial idea was charcoal/dark grey but I have alot of grey throughout the rest of the house. I'm not a fan of the samples on the wall either. That was just what I had leftover from the rest of the house trying to brainstorm. If I go with a 2 tone color what should I do about the trim? Should I paint the baseboards the same color as the knotty pine on top or the same as the bottom color or make it a 3 toned wall and paint them off white like the rest of the house?

  • annika_s
    13 years ago

    I'd make the trim and pine the same color...otherwise I think there would be too much going on.

    I think the brick red is another good idea, based on the carpet...you could paint the entire wall brick red, but make the bottom a matte and top a satin (I think matte wainscot would look weird), and then baseboards white...that would tie in nicely with the carpet you said you have coming.

  • paintergirl94
    13 years ago

    I thought about making the trim white, or off-white like your carpet: baseboard, chair rail and crown, but that would un-cave it and make it more dining room. So, you can paint those 3 sections black, or same as wall color(s).
    Then, the corner bead can either be divided or painted same as wainscot color.

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