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Readers' Rooms: Blackbird's Knotty Pine Paneling

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jump below to see the "after"
A few months ago Blackbird wrote to us about her knotty pine tongue and groove. This week she sent us some before and after pics...
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Blackbird writes,

I had to do A FREAKING BOATLOAD OF PAINTING. One room, plus ceiling (it was dark blue) - about 10 x 12 with all kinds of eaves and corners and trim and a built-in dresser... I primed with Killz Odorless and painted with Benjamin Moore White in Semigloss. (AT was the push I needed to do this job - it took ten days of 6-hour days to get it done.) Thanks to the AT readers for spurring me on!

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5-16-blackbird4.jpgThanks, Blackbird!


Related Posts:
SF Good Questions: Should We Paint Over Our Knotty Pine Tongue and Groove?
SF Good Questions: Knotty Pine Walls and White Woodwork?
Look!: Nice Wood Panelling
Look!: More Knotty Pine Paneling
Moormannberge Hotel
NY Good Questions: How Can We Lighten Up the Hallway?

Comments (27)

what a shame.
am i the only one who thinks knotty pine is cool?
why move somewhere and go through all that?

posted by tominbrooklyn on 2008-05-16 16:23:17
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i'm with you, tom! but i will admit that it is much brighter/less cave-like now... but i just so happen to like cave-like bedrooms!

posted by closertotheocean on 2008-05-16 16:26:11
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I really love the change -- a very Swedish vibe, light and bright yet still cozy

posted by monika1 on 2008-05-16 16:28:10
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I'm not opposed to knotty pine, but I do think for this room, it needed to be lighter. I think the white is an improvement in this particular case.

posted by swanygirl74 on 2008-05-16 16:28:29
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Eh. Choosing between 70's rec room (before) and country whitewash (after) is a lose-lose deal.

posted by matt in kc on 2008-05-16 16:34:01
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So much better! Knotty pine is horrible. The walls are much brighter and the room is more inviting now.

posted by arza on 2008-05-16 16:40:44
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Wow, this is perfect, I just asked a question about what to do with my knotty pine!

Thanks!!!

posted by tallguylehigh on 2008-05-16 16:43:11
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Wow - from a room with character to a room that's bland...

...shoulda just painted the ceiling and made the bed.

posted by bepsf on 2008-05-16 16:52:17
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So much brighter!

I love knotty pine, but only on floors where it belongs.

posted by Cassis on 2008-05-16 16:53:28
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Where is that bed from??

posted by spiralcma on 2008-05-16 17:04:52
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That was a really dark stain on the knotty pine. Stripping and pickling it might have been interesting, but painting it white is much simpler and looks much better than the 'before'.

posted by greer on 2008-05-16 17:06:03
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"Where is that bed from??"

IKEA - Where else?

posted by bepsf on 2008-05-16 17:16:33
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Am I the only one who sees only an unmade bed in the "before" photo? I don't see any paneling. I guess it's a good makeover - the bed is made.

posted by anne on 2008-05-16 17:22:04
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It's TRUE! I failed to make the bed for the before shot - I wanted to sway your opinions! (I kid, it was the only picture I could find.)
Of course the bed is from Ikea - chosen by my son, who requested the paint job.
We lived with the knotty pine for 13 years and the room is much nicer now.

posted by blackbird on 2008-05-16 17:29:37
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AH, much better! nice job, blackbird!

posted by sniplet on 2008-05-16 18:06:50
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nice job. maybe lilac paint on the celing would go nicely with the duvet and the little painting over the bed. i'm not allowed to paint my apt - i'm a little jealous
:-)

posted by little flower on 2008-05-16 18:51:24
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Not enough before pix to gage the change.
But I'm glad the owner got the result they desired. It sounds like a lot of effort went into it.

posted by MoJonson on 2008-05-16 19:42:37
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I was more put off by the messy bed and the fact they eat in it than I was the pine

posted by hdtex on 2008-05-16 20:05:22
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great job! I've lived with knotty pine--welcome to the other side.

posted by deneph on 2008-05-16 20:45:57
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I guess lilac wouldn't go with the son! But maybe after he moves out? :D Great job! Looks so much better.
And what's with the nasty commenting? Like no-one here ever leaves their bed unmade? OHMIGOD!

posted by Lilli K. on 2008-05-16 23:47:14
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Nice work! I can't stand knotty pine paneling. Every now and then I see a rental ad touting the stuff like it's god's gift. I mentally translate that to "hasn't been upgraded since 1976."
Yours looks much better now!

posted by Caitlin in Seattle on 2008-05-17 01:43:24
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Great job! I love the look of the space. Very Anne-of-Green-Gables. ;-)

posted by Stylebites on 2008-05-17 06:17:36
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10 6-hour days? Seriously?
I agree, pickling would've been the way to go.

posted by redcurlygirl on 2008-05-17 11:45:53
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It looks fine white, but I like wood, too.

With the wooden floor, maybe the knotty pine walls were too much of a good thing.

posted by Valerie on 2008-05-18 06:26:05
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Love it, blackbird! The wood floor looks great with the white. Dark paneling, wood floor, and blue ceiling would look like a cave, even if you had lots of windows. And I apologize for the snotty commenters--I think people sometimes forget that this is someone's HOME that they're commenting on, not some showroom somewhere. A home that you put a tremendous amount of work into and that you're proud of.

posted by STH on 2008-05-18 17:29:23
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10 x 6 hours? - what on earth did you do???

I painted our living room (which is much bigger than the size of the room in these photos) in one day! - did all the walls twice with a break for lunch to let the first coat dry - and I used a brush!!!!

posted by Violetsrose on 2008-05-19 07:58:17
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I love how painting the room resulted in the bed being made!

posted by chartreuse on 2008-05-19 18:45:17
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