Once a popular decor staple of the 1950s/60s, pine wood paneling doesn't have the cachet it once had. But there's no need to rip it all out and replace it with gypsum board--save money by painting over the pine walls to give a room a fresh new look. There are a number of techniques that can be used to update the room, depending on personal preference, and they are easy enough for almost anyone to do.
Preparation Is Key
There is a lot of preparation necessary to properly cover pine walls. This is mainly because of the knots throughout the pine, which tend to weep sap over time. If the walls are not correctly prepped, the sap will eventually show through the paint.
The walls need to be sanded first to remove any shellac or varnish so the paint will properly adhere to the surface. A coat or two of stain-blocking primer will help ensure the knots and resins do not show through the paint.
Whitewash or Paint?
After the wood has been sanded down, a simple way to cover up pine walls--skipping the primer--is to use one coat of whitewash paint, which contains lime and chalk. The idea is to let just a bit of the pine wood show through the white paint. For a similar effect, latex paints can be thinned with a small amount of water and applied with a paint sprayer.
Completely covering the wood takes a bit more work. One to two coats of primer followed by one to two coats of latex paint will cover up the wood, but the grain and knots will likely show through. Applying extra coats of primer directly on the knots can help lessen the effect.
Creativity With Color
The sky is the limit when it comes to paint colors. If the pine walls are constructed of interlocking panels, paint each one a different color to make stripes, alternating two complementary or contrasting hues, or create a rainbow effect with three, four or even five colors. Alternately, use a different color on one wall to make a statement.
Stencil or Freehand
Don't stop at putting a coat of paint on the walls. Liven up the look of pine walls by stenciling or freehand drawing on the surface with paint using smaller brushes. The embellishment could be abstract, floral or appropriate for the particular room, such as cartoon characters or animals for a nursery.
Sponging
Use faux finishes such as sponging sparingly, because pine walls are a strong decorative element by themselves. To create this type of textured finish, paint all of the pine walls with a base coat and then dab on a glaze in a complementary color using a porous natural sponge. See Resources for other faux paint techniques.
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