Why would you put up something expensive like knotty pine and then paint it???? You could have just gone with drywall for 1/12th of the cost if you wanted a painted surface.

Your best bet it to just do a simple polycrylic topcoat to it and let the beauty of the natural wood shine through. Then use a filler matched to the pine for the finish nail holes and do a second coat.

I am painting the trim not the knotty pine, I was thinking of staining it and applying a clear coat, but also considered leaving the wood natural and just applying a wax coating of some kind. One issue for me though, is that the pine wood has been up for a year now and it has turned an orangey color which I don't appreciate and would like to lighten it but still see the grain and the knots. I do have some scraps of wood that I can test some stains on first to see if I can find one I like.

Can you tell me what the difference is between polycrylic and polyurethane coating? And why do you do a topcoat and then fill the nail holes?

Consider buying a small space heater and heating the space so it's warm enough to stain, poly, and paint. I wouldn't do it at 38 degrees.

Pine is going to be orange-y no matter what you do. That's its natural state.

The reason to stain/poly before you fill the nail holes is because then you can use nail hole filler that more closely matches the color of the finished wood. If you put "unfinished" color putty in the holes, they won't stain the same as the wood.

Painted wood, OTOH, you should putty the holes before painting.

Thanks for that suggestion about the space heater. I've also seen that they are upgrading the forecast to above 40F one night and higher after that.

I have been reading lots of descriptions of finishing knotty pine paneling and some suggest if you apply a clear coat right away it keeps the color light, but in my experience with maple cabinets that had been finished with a clear coating, over time you still get the orange color developing.

After reading how much work is involved in finishing this paneling with stain than a poly coating, with sanding before and between coats, I'm rethinking this and the fact that I would like to tone down the orange tones of the wood but keep the texture and the grain, I'm thinking about white washing it instead.

It is a very small space and going for a casual effect. I don't need to have the surface of the paneling like glass. I'm happy with the unfinished look, except for the darkening orange tones. And I think I will create more work for myself if I just leave it unfinished. If it were a ceiling in a room without a stove or a fireplace, I might think about leaving it unfinished.

My main goal is that whatever I end up doing, doesn't cause this entry to need major work down the road. In other words, let's say in 15 years, I'm not happy with the way it looks, or it's become discolored or dirty, if I want to refinish it, I don't want to have to scrape off peeling paint or have to take all the paneling down to bare wood with a sander to redo it. Something that can just receive a light sanding and another application of something would be my preference. Either that or whatever I put on it now, should last 30 years without having to be redone.

Am I being unrealistic? Is there a finish I can apply that will wear so well, that in 15 years, I could just sand lightly and apply another coat?

Thanks Hollysprings, funny analogy about the beach/sand. (g) Thank you for explaining the reasoning behind not doing it the way I suggest. It always helps to understand why you are doing something or not doing it.

So.... sanding it, I have a cheap electric sander with a square base. Just give it the once over? The paneling is beaded, and it is tongue and grove so there are crevices, I don't have to worry about getting the sander into those, right? Then wipe down with a tack cloth and then it's good to go?

Then I read somewhere that pine is going to pick up the stain 'unevenly' and that I should use a 'conditioner' first, and I've had people tell me to fill the nail holes w putty first, then someone said no that won't work and then I was told to use a wax pencil to fill them, 'after' the top coat.....see it gets so complicated.

And I am still considering whether I'm going to be happy with just a clear coat over the pine. I accept that it is going to amber, but I also am thinking that I've seen lots of pine furniture that was stained dark and it stayed dark over time. And white washed pine stays light too, right? If it has a top coat over it? I like pine. I like the knots and the grain and I really like the color when it is new. I just am not that fond of the amber color. :-)

Sounds like you have a lot of experience with painting and staining etc.

IMO, the best finish for knotty pine is shellac. It is a natural sealer for the knots, which contain resin. This resin may bleed through traditional varnish. Shellac dries quickly. You could probably do 3 coats in one day. If the finish is too glossy - rub with 0000 steel wool, or a 3M pad. Use white shellac.

Get a wood filler close to the color of your pine. Use a putty knife so you don't get a lump of filler that you have to sand off.

All brush on finishes will run - so you need to apply several thin coats.

Lightly sand, vacuum, wipe with tack cloth. Apply first coat. When dry, repeat sand, vacuum, wipe with tack cloth - to cut off the wood fibers that swelled from the first coat. Proceed to apply the 2nd and maybe 3rd coat.

The room should be atleast 65 degrees.

There are also gel wipe on varnishes - still have to sand and tack.

There are rubbing oils like Watco.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rockler wood finishes

Thanks Geoffrey, that is another way to go and I'll have to look into that, not knowing anything about that product.

Shellac is a 19th century wood finish. It is made from the resin secreted by the lac bug. The solvent in shellac is methanol - commonly called denatured or wood alcohol. Each coat of shellac melts into the previous. Shellac is very thin so you will need to apply thin coats - so it doesn't run.

Ok, so regardless of what product I use, according to the local Sherwin Williams store, it's not ideal painting weather. He explained that an overnight of 35F followed by 4 days of rain forecast, has a risk of not allowing the paint to dry and cure properly which could lead to peeling or blistering down the road. When asked what he would do, he said he would wait for spring.

So. that's that. We're waiting for spring. I waited too long to start this and that's all there is too it.

Thanks for all your input, it did help. :-)