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Anyone have opinions on whether or not to paint this paneling? I've lived with it 30 years and I'm tired of it. It's dark and depressing. I want to paint it but not sure it's a good idea. What are the pros and cons? I can't afford to move and ripping it out sounds like too much work and mess. What do you think?
The biggest con is it's very difficult to un-paint wood once it's been painted, and in terms of resale value there are some people who feel very strongly that you shouldn't paint over wood. And knotty pine is considered a nice feature in some parts of the country at least, so you could potentially be hurting your resale value by painting over it. If you're planning to stay in your house for a long time still and don't care about resale, then do whatever makes you happy. But if you think you might move in the next 5 years or so, I'd consult with a local realtor or two and find out whether knotty pine in its natural condition would be considered an asset in your market, and if it is then leave it alone.
You could paint it, and obviously it would be brighter, and it might be fine... but sometimes it can be really hard to make it look really good. Some knots can show through even if they're primed and painted properly, because the wood shrinks and the knots don't.
A couple of other options are lightening the color by sanding and/or bleaching the wood. And it's easy to sheet rock over wood paneling. Or you might consider some dramatic new lighting to change the look in that room. Just a couple of ideas.
