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rena1580

Painting Notty Pine Paneling White

rena1580
14 years ago

I would like to paint the notty pine paneling in our family room white. The pine is on the vaulted ceilings and the lower half of the wall. I think it would make the room much brighter.

Comments (6)

  • bobismyuncle
    14 years ago

    Do you have a question in there somewhere?

    I recommend a shellac barrier coat or shellac-based primer such as B-I-N by Zinsser. This is the best thing for keeping the resins in the knots from bleeding through the paint and making brown circles everywhere.

    Be sure to also clean and scuff the existing finish, if any.

  • mjsee
    14 years ago

    Clean and prime as bobsmyuncle suggests...and I'll add a potential further step. You may find, once you've primed, that the grooves between the individual paneling boards bother you. If it REALLY bugs you...you can seal them with a good quality latex caulk. Be certain to buy PAINTABLE latex caulk!

    I helped a friend do just this 15-20 years ago...and the paneling still looks great. We sanded the paneling lightly, washed with TSP, and then primed with two coats of B-I-N (her choice...she was afraid the knots would show through one...I think it one would have been fine.) Once the white primer was up she disliked the dark gaps between the boards, so we caulked with a latex caulk that would stay flexible. (That old knotty pine shifts with the house...)

    She painted with a nice eggshell finish...I think paint with a little sheen holds better to paneling.

    Good luck!

  • rena1580
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks. You answered my question (which I failed to ask). This is great advice.

  • msbatt
    14 years ago

    I've been painting some knotty pine myself. I consulted my local paint store, applied 3 coats of primer, and then two coats of finish paint. The walls look great, and MUCH brighter!

  • brickeyee
    14 years ago

    When the paneling shrinks and swells with humidity you may find that unpainted surface is exposed in the grooves.

    If you paint when the wood is at minimum width (usually heating season) the grooves may look OK, but sometimes the paint is actually scraped off when the boards swell, only to show when they shrink.

  • WendyB 5A/MA
    14 years ago

    what a bummer... I had re-started this thread yesterday with related stuff and pics and questions... and today the conversation and good advice is GONE! Can't these iv folks even run a website? too busy cooking up ads.

    Ironically, when I posted my question I thought I was starting a new topic, but in actually I hadn't. Now because this was initally an "old" topic, the new part didn't stick. I don't know if new answers got posted that I never even saw.