I’m adamant for leaving some original details in a home, but I’m having a terrible time deciding whether to keep our knotty pine paneling or paint over it.
This is one of the few times I wished the previous owner painted over something so I could just throw up my arms and say oh well, stripping it would be a nightmare and involve chemicals, so I’ll just paint over it too.
And in theory, I could paint it knowing that it would be possible to restore it later by stripping it, but who would?
I could also preserve it by drywalling over it, but that would involve either renting a truck or having the drywall delivered, and that would cost more than a gallon of paint and primer (and I know, maybe two gallons of primer, the really heavy-duty kind).
I really hate early American decor, country style, rustic/primitive/PA Dutch stuff, and I’m not a fan of the cabin look unless I’m in a cabin. Since we’re in a place with lots of trees and birds, it does often feel that we’re in a cabin, but then when we go to cabins it would feel like we didn’t leave home, and I want to feel like I’m in a cabin when I’m actually in a cabin, and when I’m home I like light open spaces.
We’ve also got some cheap 1970s fake wood paneling that I’m miserably attempting to fill in with spackle (more on that later) and have no regret “ruining,” but the pine is giving me pause…
It also begs for questionable colors in the pea soup and snot families…
ASTITCHMATISM 
it sounds like you know what to do: paint it!
Yeah, I think it’s more of a motivation problem!
You could live with it for a while and decide later… Weirdly, painting wood is a very personal thing. Some love to, others are adamantly against it. And so I have been no help whatsoever. LOL.
And I agree about the living with it – I painted a wall next to it too to see how it would look, but I’m afraid it’s one of those things that you get used to seeing, but someone else would walk in off the street and say good god that’s hideous, how could anyone live with that? (Our almond bathroom is also breaking down my hatred and pushing me towards complacency too.) Dangerous and ugly territory… 🙂
Understood. Lol.
I love knotty pine but I live in a cabin. White wash the pine…it’s a nice look with dry wall.
Yeah, it does remind me of your cabin – which looks good that way and cozy!
We’ve got it in two rooms (which used to be one big room, but two are more useful) so I’m almost positive now I’m painting the one in the living room to open it up more, and the den/office might have a chance of survival or will be covered in bookcases…
bookcases…great idea!…..arranged with an artsy touch here and there.
And maybe a Petoskey stone or two…
I still have some from 30+ years ago!