Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Varnished Pine Tongue and Groove Walls

I just purchased a house that was built in 1954 and all the walls on the inside are what appears to be varnished pine tongue and groove. It is very dark and my wife says it has to go so we are going to paint over it. So, what is the easiest ways to go about this. We would like to be able to move in asap, but this has to be done first. The house is approx. 2000 sf and all the walls are of this varnished pine. Are there any other ideas that i might can do with this.

Welcome to the forums

Assuming the walls haven't been refinished along the way I'm sure they are either coated with varnish or shellac. If the walls are dull, applying fresh varnish/poly will allow them to reflect more light giving them the illusion of being lighter.

The only other ways to lighten the wood is either stripping and refinishing or painting. To paint [after walls are cleaned and lightly sanded] you need to first prime with a solvent based primer which will bond to the varnish/shellac. The primer doesn't need to completetly cover the wood but all surfaces should be coated. You can then apply 2 coats of your choice of paint [latex or oil]

Personally I think it is a shame to paint old unmarred wood but then again I understand the wisdom of keeping the Mrs. happy.

Thank you for the ideas, i will try lightening it up on a small section to see if it is to our liking.