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katsesler Absolutely paint the wood and I would also "limewash" the brick. Everyone is hesitant to paint real wood paneling but it is beautiful painted and unpainted it just really dates a space and closes it in. Also be sure to paint the moldings around the windows, don't leave them stained.

katsesler Don't remove the wood, it will look really nice when it's painted. It adds a lot of texture to a room.

susan315 Haven't thought of lime wash. Are there any before and after photos of applying it to this type of brick.

hav1moore I have the same wood in 4 rooms of my house, two of which are the kitchen and dining room. We were hesitant about painting the wood, but now we're amazed at how good it looks. I sanded and refinished the wood on the backside of the kitchen cabinets, so that's an option, but on walls I recommend painting.

hav1moore Here's a before pic on the wood. Hope it helps.

houssaon If this were my home, I would think about keeping the knotty pine, but refinish the shinny top coat. See this finish on wood very similar to yours: Massachusetts Oceanfront Home - Family Room Detail

I also like this brown stain treatment on the knotty pine walls combined with the lighter finish hardwood floor: Manor Home Remodel

I didn’t think I liked the stark white trim but I found this fresh style example that might inspire you. See: Beach Cottage Living Room Even though your style might not be beachy, the color and textures work. In this case, I’d paint the casing around the window white.

Whether or not you change the knotty pine, I would paint the brick. Also, changing the layout of the room will go a long way. I can’t imagine sitting in that couch and being comfortable about the opening above my head. It doesn’t look like a useful pass-through, but a table beneath it would help to visually ground it.

This room looks like a conversion of an outdoor space or an addition. If you've found hardwood floors under the carpeting, they were put in place when the space was built. Either the wall to wall carpeting was added on top because it was the style or because the floor felt cold.

One last thought: I have a pecky cypress paneled basement in my 1935 home. When I added insulation behind the paneling I found, much to my surprise, that the vertical boards were attached to horizontal framing. That might be the case in your house, which would be a consideration if you decide to remove the paneling.

Lynnette Grant Here are a couple of photos that I found with whitewashed fireplaces. I think the idea to paint the paneling and whitewash is perfect for that space, especially since you will be restoring the hardwood flooring. That will be all the wood you need, and a good coat of paint will brighten and modernize the space. When you lighten the paneling you will realize how badly the brick contrasts in the room. Toning it down with some paint that has been watered down will pull it together. Post pics when you finish.

Debbie I would lightly sand the "sheen" off the wood paneling, and paint it in the mellow yellow as the kitchen (I love Jersey Cream by Sherwin Williams), also paint the ceiling the same color as walls...leaving the brick w/just a good cleaning w/a stiff brush, to see what it looks like w/the fresh lighter walls! *trim everything in white...and add white simple crown moulding (not just at the far end of the room, as it is now) I LOVE the brick wall. (*I really hate the white-washed brick)

Debbie *What's outside the window? Is there a purpose to this room?

SHERWIN Contracting Inc. | Client ADVOCATES Paint all materials WHITE--great texture!

basicmouth We've lived in two houses that had rooms with TONS of paneling. In the first house, it was an office and we painted it a nice grey/green color with lots of white trim. It had a bank of windows, so it kept the room light. In our current house, the entire kitchen was a honey wood paneling. I painted it a sunny yellow, again with white trim. It took six days to do it (one day to sand and dust, three layers of Killz to keep the wood finish/color bleeding through, paint each crease of the paneling individually with a brush before you roll on the color, the lower and upper edges of the paneling creases can be tricky against the trim). It's not hard, it's just time-consuming.
Also, definitely move the couch. Cafe curtains at the windows?

pholen Had a paneled GR and finally had it painted as I prepared house for market. No regrets! World of difference. Wish I had done it sooner! Have attached the after. The before was a brown box with a white lid...dark and dreary. This really helped make the stone wall/fireplace pop, too!

smorgenstern Just finished painting a whole room with wood panels. Now, it looks great. If you add your choosen paint color to the primer, you will get a great coverage when you start painting. This might save you a 2nd coat of paint.

lefty47 HI --- This is a time I say it should be removed . There are too many textures in the room with the brick and the paneling togetther. Even painting the wood it is not going to solve that problem so I think it will look a lot better with new drywall. Maybe you could use the wood somewhere else or see if someone else can use it. Removing it gives you the chance to add insulation if needed. Also check the eletrical wiring.

susan315 Thank you for these great comments. Decisions will be hard! This room will be emptied of all of this college rental furniture! The room was added to the house in 1955 and the carpet added in the 70s. The wood floor is in good shape and can be restored. The back and side windows look out onto the yard. The window over the couch may be made longer with a granite counter top for seating. On the other side of that opening is a sink. Here is a photo of what is on the other side of that window.

Debbie aha! Just as I thought-a kitchen--maybe on the "other side", against the brick, would be a great place to have a "dropped bar" surface for eating/sitting...thus the brick will not get shoes scuff marks on it...Easy to put the dirty dishes/glasses to be washed (I see no dishwasher). Another idea...if this is to be the great-room, maybe make a "box" where the window is, (on wood paneling wall) deep enough to hold a big screen tv, the wiring, closed shelving for all the cable boxes-dvr-head-sets, etc...add a couple ribbon windows across that other outside wall,(w/the white blinds), high up, for privacy, after completly dry-walling in that window. And maybe a solar-tube above the bar for natural light. (hate hate hate sky-lights! LOVE solar tubes)
Don't know what's to the far left of the picture of great room. same as the large window to the far right? Maybe it could be french doors to the outside? or swap from the opposite end, and maybe that's where the garage is?

lizoregon The last home we owned had different paneling ranging from blonde to dark walnut in each room! I painted every inch of it, as removing it would have been too big a project. I even painted the smooth gold-toned fireplace bricks to match. Basicmouth gave good instructions. I used Z-Prime for my base coats, but Kilz is probably similar. It is time-consuming, but well worth the effort.

See how you like the brick after the wood is painted and decide then. It will probably be much better looking at that point.

SHERWIN Contracting Inc. | Client ADVOCATES I love it! great job

jmoye Just finished painting the same, dreary knotty pine panelling in my very large basement. It was a big job-primer and 2 coats of Ben. Moore Marscapone but well worth it. Wish I had done it 5 years ago.

ikwewe Knotty pine is coming back, so if you like it, why not keep it? Here is a blog dedicated to knotty pine. http://knottyisnice.com/

That round basket chair is among the sought after mid-mod shapes, so keep it if you can. You can easily change the fabric to something that goes with your new look.

Jake I definitely vote for painting the wall. We did and it looks fantastic! I love the groove and look & feel of the old wall panelling but the colour makes it look even better. Don't mind the mess and the ugly everythignelse just note the walls. They used to be like yours!

Jake I definitely vote for painting the wall. We did and it looks fantastic! I love the groove and look & feel of the old wall panelling but the colour makes it look even better. Don't mind the mess and the ugly everythignelse just note the walls. They used to be like yours!

lizoregon Hmmm...after going to the knottyisnice website ikwewe suggested, I'm not so sure I'd paint it. Take a look before you decide. If my old house had been paneled with knotty pine instead of cheap, ugly stuff, I might not have painted it. My neighbors had knotty pine in their living room and it was charming and cozy.

denverglamgal Leave the wood and paint the brick all black or red.

Alejandro Estrada have you considerate to apply a white wash color to the wood? it will make more soft how the wood looks but without lose the synergy of the wood.

karen paul interiors Before you think in terms of what to do with the walls and ceiling, have you yet decided on the furnishings. You might want to put together a plan of what goes in the room and that will most certainly dictate what you do with the rest.

dowbright TEST the paneling with paint before you commit to the whole job. I have an entire basement painted and it stinks! The grooves in the paneling don't handle paint well, but instead of being interesting, it looks like mildew! Something about this particular paneling just didn't do the "usual" thing.

becks420 We just painted our knotty pine wood panelling all white with a black trim round the windows - looks amazing and we love it. No more dark ugly wood! We also had a brick wall which our plasterer covered for us with a thin sort of concrete mixture it is a flat treatment but has a fair bit of sand in it for texture - also looks really good. Pine is really beautiful when painted - you won't look back. Ps. use the correct primer for the job so that the pine doesn't bleed through - it is easy to apply and does not smell at all if you get the right one.

Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC. I would remove the knotty pine and keep the brick. The textures of the brick and knotty pine are fighting each other. Paint your brick white and put a fresh color on the new drywall. Hope that helps. Charmean Neithart

Modern Country Lady So agree with the painting of the wood and the brick.The size of this room makes it perfect for a nice home office- thought to send you this picture from Centsational Gril as inspiration, coulor-wise.

cmcleod5 We just finished renovating a 1940 bungalow that had two rooms, an enclosed florida type room and an addition, with this knotty pine paneling - I think it probably was lighter in its early days but the oils and varnishes of old tend to darken as time moves forward. For the size of the rooms and home, we decided to paint the paneling - it was a great decision as the rooms look light and airy, with the cottage style we hoped to achieve. Light grey whites were painted on the wall with Sherwin Williams' cashmere - trimmed in bright white gloss VERY SPECIAL NOTE: - You will only require one coat of primer if you use Pigmented Shellac sold by Sherwin Williams. It blocks out all stains and bleed through knots. It's an amazing product-costy but well worth the money-provides a great surface for latex; dries incredibly fast; very liquid-thin, watery but once you master it's application you'll be so glad. You'll also need to run some paintable caulk in the grooves and smooth out with a wet finger-I did wear gloves. This will ease your painting effort-This primer and the caulking are the two most important prep steps - after these you will be home free. If you are painting, using the shellac, you will NEED ONLY TO LIGHTLY SAND; then wipe the surface down - this shellac covers anything! Don't waste your time or money on the other primers..and don't add the paint color to this. Good luck - painting is the answer

ikwewe If you decide the paneling must go, please consider passing it on to someone who will appreciate it. Wood that was cut in the 40s is higher quality than what we can get these days, and as knottyisnice.com shows, there are people who want knotty pine. Habitat for Humanity's ReStore is a good place to take it, and you can get a nice tax deduction.

If you decide to keep it, a friend just acquired a house with several rooms of knotty pine that she thought was dark and dingy. She went to town cleaning it with Totally Awesome and hot water, followed up with Liquid Gold and it looks much brighter.

I love the idea of plastering the brick, that would look great.

susan315 If paneling goes, we will definitely find a place for it. Habitat is a great idea.

betsyweisberg

Paint everything, lighten up the space it will be amazing. The pix is inspiration for a color scheme for your room.

karen paul interiors If getting rid of the panelling is an option (and it appears it is), then I would agree that brick and panelling are not good companions Also, love the thought of white-washing the bricks.

Studio NOO Design Definitely paint the wood a light shade of cream, grey or white. Then put accent colors with furniture.

stevieshirley i say paint it! the texture would be great..if it were my room, i would do a light grey on the wood and white on the brick. I would also add some white tall baseboards to give the room a more finished look. and paint the paneling around the windows white to add contrast...and ditch the carpet for dark wood.

chadmims We painted our knotty pine wall and cabinets in our den and kitchen- it looks amazing!! (use oil-based paint!)

fabia I agree the bricks should be washed, what a great look. In this case I would remove panelling. There have been times I have painted panelling, and painted bricks. But it usually was in seperate situations. The combination of the brick and panelling will definatley compete and no one will win.

To address staining the panelling. This also will compete with bricks. Great idea in many instances, but not here.

Remove panelling, drywall and paint. I love the colour in Betsies' picture. It will make the washed bricks a feature . The large windows will lend this room to be a relaxing place. I do love the coffee table. Stain the top dark and paint the bottom white. It reminds me of folkart furniture.

You are so lucky there is hardwood, room will look Fab!!

Good luck .

brendabolton310 Some thoughts: 1) if you keep the knotty pine look, AND you limewash the brick, that is a lot of "texture" and mottling in a fairly narrow room....texture, though beautiful, closes in a room. I would paint either the brick or the paneling to eliminate one of those over-textured areas. My preference would be to limewash the brick (just because it is such an interesting look) and paint the wood a very soft buttery cream...or a nice pale grey-blue or grey-sage...or drywall it (were you serious about going all the way back to real plaster or did you mean sheetrock? Of course, plaster would be gorgeous, but maybe an expense you don't need. The color the brick turns out will determine the paint color that will look best since limewashing allows the brick to retain some color. I prefer white painted window/door trim, not stark white, but white enough to freshen up the look. Is this a sunny space? Lots of sunlight affects color, too. If it's too sunny, you may want to cool it down with a soft grey-sage or silvery mushroom, but if it's a dark room, you may want to warm it with creamy-buttery color.

brendabolton310 Will you keep the windows, and is the big window a style similar to the end window? If budget allows, a wood window with separated lights would fit the era of the house better.

naomifrash Paint the wood and brick walls the colour that is on the wall in the adjoining room (in the pic), and the window trims white. I would also rearrange that furniture.

bwenk Depends on the look u r trying to achieve. I have seen it with paint, no paint and paneling on bottom level as chair rail. I say paint it a lighter color to complement the color of stain u do flooring and what about adding curtains to the opening...just to soften up the room.

Vikrant Sharma Homez Painting sounds a inexpensive Makeover .

KILZ Brands Hello Susan!

Before you start any paint project, you want to ensure that the surface is clean, dry, and dull. When painting over finished paneling, prep is a very important first step. First, rough up the surface of the paneling with a pole sander that has been fitted with a sanding screen (rather than paper). Next, apply an interior oil-based undercoat primer like KILZ Original. It is important not to use a latex base because it would allow moisture to get underneath the paint, causing the paneling to swell and mildew to grow. For the grooves in the paneling, use spackle to fill in gaps and allow it to dry about two hours before sanding. Finish the wall with another coat of oil-based sealer and allow it to dry.
Now the surface can be treated like drywall so you can proceed with applying your preferred top coat.

If you live in an area where products that contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as solvents and alkyds, are banned you will have to find a substitute. We would recommend our newest product KILZ MAX as a substitute to an oil-based primer. It is a water-based primer, sealer and stainblocker developed with new technology that’s formulated to perform like an oil-based product. Currently, KILZ MAX Primer can be found at The Home Depot and Lowe’s stores in California and The Home Depot in Philadelphia, PA.

We hope this helps. Please let us know how it goes, we always love to see before and after photos!