Decorating and Design - Painting knotty pine wood with latex paint

Hello everyone,

I currently have knotty pine wood on the walls in our family room. They are currently stained, but are in all different shades. We would like a more uniformed look. I need some help regarding color to use. Does anybody have any pictures that I can see how the pine boards would look like. Also, what colors would like nice. We have hardwood floors stained in natural clear, a red brick fireplace and light brown leather furniture. We live in suburban fairfield county Ct.

Thank you for the help.

to quote Moderator marksr:

To paint the maple [or any varnished/polyed wood] it would need to be sanded, remove sanding dust, primed with an oil base or shellac primer and then 2 coats of finish paint.


i love painted paneling & woodwork - i'd go white or off-white, whichever blends best with your other furnishings & woodwork. for a more Colonial look, you could use a historically accurate color like wedgewood blue or a gold or the reddish color or the sagey green one.... with your red brick fireplace & neutral sofa & floors, you're options are pretty open. think about drapes or area rugs & that'll help you narrow down your options.

You will want to use a primer/sealer like Zinnser on the walls. Give the pine knots an extra cover of sealer so that they do not bleed through the paint. Any stains on walls will bleed through paint if walls are not sealed before painting.