SFGate

lovelylovelylovely I think it's beautiful. As an inexpensive fix, have you considered painting it ivory, including the brick? I know that's sacrilege to some, but I think it would brighten the space up. Another option would be to buy a fireplace moulding kit like the one found at this link: http://kdlhdesigns.com/tag/fireplace-mantel-kits/ and put in drywall instead of the wood paneling. I think either way would look nice.

Toni Sabatino Hi tstengel, I love the brick and the wood mantle but would paint the pine tongue and groove a brick red or poppy like the candles on the fireplace.(I would leave the back of the bookshelves the pine color to coordinate with the other wood trim and doors) All the other doors and trim apprear to be a beautfiul shade of natural wood. If a bold color does not appeal to you, leaving the brick and wood mantle but painting the tongue and groove the white color of the adjacent wall would add texture and really make the brick and wood mantle "pop". Good luck!

Carolina Photo To Go LLC If you don't like it, you could paint it first since that is not as expensive as replacing it. Use Kilz to prime the area first and then paint so you won't need so many coats. You might want new hinges for the door to the cabinet too; if that is not your style.

kennedytarheel I painted our knotty pine den a few years ago with : Benjamin Moore Fresh Start primer ( I like this much better than Kilz) tinted to the final color (one coat) and then put one top coat on of Benjamin Moore latex (same color as primer). That covered everything. I used a brush to cut in around doors and windows, ceiling and floor, and inside the panel grooves, and then rolled the walls. With 2 coats of paint: the room was transformed. It looks like you have white walls and natural color doors. You could go white like the walls (including the brick) OR you could use that wall as an "accent" wall and paint it in an accent color to stand out. If you don't want to paint the brick: I covered my brick with French tile. Since it is such a small space to cover, you can buy really nice tiles and the cost is affordable. Or you could tile it in glass! The sky is the limits! Good luck.

djyoung hi. i would contemplate painting the molding in the rest of the eyesight line as close to the same wood orange hue as possible to tie in the golden warmth and or white paint on the bricks or and white handle on doorknob or paint white the pine molding to converge the two looks together, add some pops of white to the mantle and shelves there by bringin in art pieces....love pine....personally appreciate the humble modesty, quaintness and not in your face vanity....also could pick up on the black rustic hinges in some rustic artwork and or pieces like black cast iron......and pops of blue to compliment the wood rocking horse...maybe go a little scandinavian or alpine or ???....add some evergreen tree sculptures.....????

Virgil Carter Fine Art You have a vaguely Colonial appearance to the fireplace and adjacent areas, including the flat-iron hammered hinges am thnd hardware. The only thing out of keeping are the three large brackets holding the mantel top. It would look much better if you had a large cove mounding, perhaps with a projecting horizontal tirm piece. To paint pine, one must prime and seal or else the knots will show through the paint. Painting everything a harmonious trim color will be a big improvement. For maximum effect, however, other trim that's visible from the fireplace area should also be painted to match. Good luck!

olldbobbi Paint, paint and more paint. I'm old and even I can't remember when that was in style. From your pictures I can see darker wood in your doorways and...china cabinet? I would try to find a paint to match that color as best as possible.

dcer I would paint it with an ivory color chalk paint and then distress it. I would actually leave the brick, because I love natural brick, and yours is very unique. It is longer and thinner than average bricks!

lefty47 HI --- Maybe before you paint or remove , just take everything off -- all the stuff on the shelves and the mantel and in front .... till it's bare . Live with it like that for one week . Study it , then add back just a few decor items a little at a time, keeping it very simple and unclutterd . After you do this then maybe you will know what you want to do, wether it's painting or you want to get rid of it ,or you like it now that it has less clutter.

yousaytomato Get rid of the mantle and brass and paint what's left a nice cream color, wooden wall included. Cheap and gorgeous.

yousaytomato How about a gas fireplace insert?

pauli12 How would it look to paint the wood white and leave the brick as is?

pauli12 Can someone tell me why we are painting everything? Every stitch of beautiful wood such as this?
This is really pretty. So why do we want to cover everything? Is wood out of date? If so, why since it is a natural product and really beautiful. If anyone has any answers, I would love to hear them. I am asking an honest question.
All my furniture went underwater in hurricane katrina and so the natural wood look, much of it looked like it had been through something bad (it had) Instead of refinishing it I painting a lot of it. But I wonder why wood has a bad name. Is this just a trend, and later we are all going to want to see some unpainted wood and there isn't going to be any?
Or is it because it is dark and heavy looking and we all are wanting to lightnen up? I am on the bandwagon too. I painted some USO chairs from WW2 and my mother wasn't happy about it. She had given them to me and just just wondered why I would paint an antique. SO any ideas of why this trend or why we do this?

fuzinav The pine makes a great statement as an accent wall. I would work on balancing the wall, can you eliminate that door, or match its color to the panelling, add or change hardware so it becomes part of the vignette. Rather than using mantel and shelves as storage, try using them for restrained display as lefty47 suggests. The current over mantel painting should be hung higher, if not possible, move it to a nearby wall and try something else there to complement the space. try to include a piece of pumpkin colored (older) pine in the room. A small dresser, armoire, table or even a small trunk would help tie the wall to the room. There is a lot of warmth to that wood, it would be a shame to paint it .

aliciafancher I had the same situation except the entire wall was knotty pine paneling. I filled in the cracks and groves and then papered over the wall with a beige on white stripe paper, painted the fireplace to match and installed brass and glass fireplace doors. It gave then entire room a lift and brightened everything up. Good luck!

Brush Park Studio I agree with Pauli12, why would you paint the great looking pine? How about starting with decluttering the bookcase, remove the horse, replace the brass doors and add interesting hardware along with art pieces in the open shelves....

Dytecture If it hasn't been mentioned I would paint over the wall panel while keeping the wood mantel.

Stefanie OLsen I would consider painting the pine white and the brick black (heat rated paint). The back of the bookcase shelves could be black also.

anitajoyce I agree with the first comment. Paint it all white or beige for an updated look and warm and bright feel. Even paint the brick white.

Rebecca Elkana Why paint this beautiful wood, when you can lighten it up by re-staining it? It takes longer than painting, because you'll have to sand it first to remove the old finish. Then apply an indoor wood stain. The look of whitewashed wood is very modern, and easy to achieve with a white-toned stain.

Whatever you do with the pine panels, make the molding on this wall match the molding on the other walls. You could paint all the rest of the molding in the room to match the new color/stain on the pine wall. But I would paint the molding on the pine wall to match the molding in the rest of the room.

Consider making the mantel match the warm, dark wood I see on the other woodwork in the room. Do this only if you finish the pine in a very light color, though.

The door seems to be a different kind of wood. If it matches the rest of the doors in the room, you could leave it as-is. But I think it could look better if it is re-finished to match the pine. Please replace the brass doorknob with something that complements the cast iron strap hinges on the cabinet door. An iron rim latch would look great, if it works for you, or a black porcelain doorknob. There are so many possibilities!

I agree that the mantel brackets are too bulky and heavy. Consider replacing them with cast iron shelf brackets, to match the iron strap hinges on the cabinet door. Cast iron shelf brackets are available online in an array of sizes and styles. Best of all, they are surprisingly inexpensive.

The fireplace brick is attractive. But if you want to give it a face-lift, you could tile right over it with stone, glass, or ceramic tiles.

This is beautiful wood. It just needs some TLC to be the showpiece of your house.

cyn222 Everyone always says paint. I happen to love wood tones and fine this one beautiful. How about creating some interest on the ceiling with beams in the same tone. It would anchor it to the room better and give you a house totally unique from others. Not everyone wants a modern home. Maybe you do, in that case go ahead and paint. If not, work up the vintage character of the room and have a totally amazing home!

Lena Kroupnik Interiors I would use liming technique to lighten the wood, but not paint it over. It's difficult to keep the sap not going throught the layers of paint ..

leneda While I love to see natural wood, Pine is really dated. It does not seem to fit with the rest of the house. I would first paint just the walls leaving the mantle and brick alone. If then you want to paint the rest you have the option. If you paint it all at once, it is more difficult to return.

Toni Sabatino This wall is from a kitchen that was knotty pine. We painted it with primer and Ben Moore paint and I think it looks great.

olldbobbi Paul12 - In my opinion.....Anything that is done, done and overdone needs change. In the 80's, we were inundated with oak. Seriously done and done. So the natural response would be to either paint it, or make less of it.

I don't find anything beautiful in knotty pine that has been over-varnished, and that's what this wall looks like to me. Unvarnished, clear pine or even birch is beautiful, more so than oak.

In the 70's, maple was done dark. Now it is light and beautiful.

Things have to change! And that may be why we are seeing so much painted wood. Don't dispair! Beautiful wood will be back!

suevasiliauskas I think it is nice, maybe just paint the surrounding walls a warmer colour to balance the pine and tile over the brick .

inkwitch Knotty pine was the hot thing about 50 years ago. Wood darkens over time. It's just not as appealing in this configuration as other wood choices.

Option 1: strip, bleach (or not) and stain to appear like another wood, seal. DO NOT paint this to look like another wood. It never works. It just looks cheap, and you will not be happy. Some things you can paint brown; some things just don't look right.

Option 2: Paint. It will have to be stripped or treated to keep the paint on. There are products specificlaly for paneling of various sorts. Consult someone who knows. Paint the same as the room's walls or a contrast color, or cream/white depending on what looks best.

Option 3: Replace. Not fond of the barn door hinges or the dinky shelves. Replace the whole face with a tile/stone/a different surface that appeals to you. Treat the area with the louvered door with drywall or, if you don't want to remove that area, paint wall and door to match the room's walls. Have floating shelves installed where the inset shelves are located.

Replace the fireplace with a more modern version that needs no venting, raised from the floor. Build up the hearth to match it's level.

Good luck. THis is not an easy project. Look for photos on houzz.com and in magazines. Find what you like, what you would like to live with, what will go with your current style.

Custom Home Planning Center Consider using the siding as a base for more trendy cedar shakes or clap boards

chrisosh Personally I hate painted T n G in an interior, I always think it looks like a garden shed, especially in this case with the way the carpentry has been done.
If it were my room I would strip the pine and replaster if required then paint the whole fireplace area in a light slatey grey to contrast the rest of the room. I would also restain the the mantle and fire surround to match the other doors.As an alternative think about an understated Regency style wallpaper instead of the paint, it would lend itself to the style of the room.
Just for the record I have been involve in painting, paperhanging and construction in the UK since the sixties, I'm a third generation builder and now work mostly in carpentry in Ibiza. Spain.
It doesn't mean anyone should listen to me but I have some experience.

susanne5 Treasure it, it is quality made - have you thought about changing the stone...perhaps facing it with river rock....

riconsd Nooo don't paint. skim it with 1/4 in Sheetrock and preserve the t&g. please for the next guy who might want the original look. I know there is a special place in hell for those that paint perfectly good wood especially pine paneling and mahogany furniture. I think its in the 8th ring.

Vikrant Sharma Homez Even I believe Treasure it , its beautiful , de clutter it , As Less is More .

tinetine keep the fire place. have the brick tiled over to modernize the area, paint the mantle if you are keeping it. the mantle should come of easily with right person and right tool. if you want you can bring the tile up the entire area to the ceiling. if you want the mantle to go back in place make sure you have that discussion with the tile expert and make sure it is remounted without damaging any tile. I would paint the mantle in a color to give it the look of limestone. what are you doing with the rest of the room?

chrisosh Looking at the T n G in more detail, it is not original the work is not the same as that of the doors and frames, it also looks as though the pine under the mantle shelf was added and not an original part of the fireplace. New tiles are not a bad idea, something like riven slate on the fireplace and hearth.

Mad Hatter I am attaching one photo of a white painted FP with panel moulding and the other with T&G and panel and corbels. Previously the fireplaces were 1970's dark stone. We used MDF to cover the fireplaces, added mantels made of MDF. One FP we used T&G as it helped to hide the uneven wall and the other we made columns out of MDF and added panel moulding. You can purchase wood corbels but your fireplace corbels look great. The red brick surround and hearth looks great too. You can give the fireplace a little gingerbread by adding a piece of molding at the top. A 45 degree crown moulding works well. You can purchase a simple piece at your home supply store or find something a little more fancy at moulding company. A moulding company can also purchase corbels for you if you wanted to change them or you can purchase them online. A pair of corbels would cost approximately $45.00 for your size of fireplace. We used gray slate and black slate on the fireplaces in the photos but the red brick will look nice when you update your fireplace. As always with paint, make sure you spend the time to properly prep the surface and fill any holes. Happy fall!

Mad Hatter Attached is the fireplace with the small panel moulding and columns. Changing the FP grate is another way to update, I bought the wrought iron weathered piece at an antique store.

lefty47 HI -- pauli12 & others -- It does kind of seem like a war on woods when we are asked about a feature like this , doesn't ? Some of us older Houzzer's will remember " Pecky Cypress " , it was very popular in the late 40's to about the early 70's .More in a higher end of design , because it was pricey. I thought it was beautiful ,but most of it was all torn out of homes in the late 60's and 70's or so. I guess everyone was tired of it .And guess what , now you can NOT get it anymore. Gone forever ! Other woods have had their era -- 50's it was" knotty pine" and "ribbon mahogany"paneling . The knotty pine was over used and you have to agree some of it is very ugly the way it was used. Then in the 60's and into the 80's it was "Ash "with the shaded stain and that grooved wood (?) paneling , which was used to excess because it was cheap and a fast fix. Then came the 80's and into the 90's , the time of "OAK" , and use we did on everything but mostly kitchens and furniture .Now the late 90's to today it's the beadboard and wainscotting paneling. And finally today the finer woods are being used like "Walnut and the exotics" . So people who have lived with something for a long time just want a change and if it's "Knotty Pine " which turns orange over time , then I think if they want to take it out or paint , then fine ,paint or remove . I always think the cheap grooved paneling should be removed . It's a fire hazard - 40 % higher infact . So if you know for sure the wood you have is rare and expensive then keep it or reuse it . And as for painting ... it's only paint , the wood is still there . So, I don't think there is a war on wood today, NO - it's just come to a time for change for that person, or that room, or home .

Interiors By Holly I would love to know what is on the other side- that would affect your options as far as the built in on the right, and some options that you may have over the fireplace.

clairefromthecolonies Looks very much like our fireplace in our 1969 colonial in CT. We painted the knotty wood a dark forest green: Boreal Forest, I think from Ben Moore in Aura Paint. An amazing eggshell finish. Now, in our new house we have 100 year old tiger oak and we would not DREAM of painting that original wood! It comes down to the Quality of the material. Nuff said! Btw we changed that home's existing mantel shelf corbels and added the very simple supports, but I think yours are adequately simple. As you can see, we created a whole wall of color including the door and built ins - very similar to yours. Good luck with your decisions.

crowinghen I would start with de-cluttering- I love the brick on the fireplace- would not get rid of or pain tthat!

provenzano I am also not a fan of knotty pine. Looks very similar to our old fireplace & wall. Then we painted it and now we just finished a stacked stone/ drywall look, that we love.
Good Luck

anitajoyce LovelyLovelyLovely sent in a nice picture of a painted fireplace. Yours can look this nice too!

Kathleen Vickers I wouldn't paint. I would embrace the cozy colonial look , especially if the rest of your home is consistently colonial. Remove the corbels and mantel and replace with a more substantial mantel that has 'period' profile. I'd install a more substantial ceiling crown moulding as well. I'd strip the wood if it is covered in layers of varnish. Vintage wood is nice, shiny vintage wood, not so much. Take everything off the shelves and replace with colonial-style knickknacks (think pewter). Add rustic iron fireplace tools. If the budget permits, replace the carpet with a brick or stone flooring and add rustic beaming to the ceiling. I found an inspiration room online and attached it.

judyg


Paint everything white and the bricks black. Knotty pine is a relatively inexpensive wood. There is nothing really special about a knotty pine wall except the tongue and groove detail which looks great painted. It is a challenge, however, to get good coverage. If you decide not to tackle the whole thing, take down the mantel, hang a mirror, paint the ceiling molding white, the bricks and the brass screen black and remove all the odds and ends on the shelves.

Gladstone Studios This may sound counter-intuitive, but it is the knotty pine color that is out-of-date. The wood is beautiful, and I would keep it, but needs updating because that old 1950s varnish has continued to yellow over time. I suggest that you strip the varnish off all wood surfaces and then stain the wood a dark rich walnut with a rubbed matte finish. I would reface the brick surround and the hearth in White Carrera Marble or White Fantasy Granite. The iron hinges on the doors should be replaced with less rustic and more modern nickel plated hardware.

kennedytarheel Don't know if you have ever stripped varnish or shellac...but it is a very sloppy , messy job. Looks like you have carpet underneath....even taping and plastic around the base, you will have a hard time not getting any mess on the carpet. I washed mine with TSP and then very lightly sanded to rough up the surface so that the Ben. Moore Fresh Start primer would adhere well. If you do change out the hinges, take them off before you do anything. It's easier to sand/prime/paint with the doors and shelves on a flat surface. It is not difficult to get good coverage using 1 coat of Fresh Start primer tinted to the final color (I used Ben. Moore 941...a color that changes with the light) and then 1 top coat. ....that's all i used and I had very dark 1948 knotty pine. I've refinished many furniture pieces with shellac or varnish...but i do that outside.....you don't have that luxury. And, it smells bad.

lindah I like your fireplace, How about clearing the whole thing including the artwork and use the shelves for a simple collection. It's the clutter that has you stumped. I'm in total agreement with Lefty47.

capride Personal preference. IF you paint, as I finally did, use KILZ primer then eggshell paint. If you are not able to spray consider a sponge roller to get a smooth finish. You will need a brush to reach the grooves. I used a soft organic green and love it. I have the same pine in the kitchen and white washed/glazed it. My friend went to the extreme effort of sanding and refinishing the natural color. It too is beautiful and preserves the authenticity of the era of the home.

Southeast Interior Design, Inc. #IB000180 Wonderful comments and many options. My first question to you.... Do you like the knotty pine and natural color? If so then keep it and stain the mantle & corbels the warm mahogany blending with the furniture in the background. Yes, you can paint the whole thing so the wood grain shows thru. But if you are tired of the wood then drywall over keeping the wood under.

What is your budget? Are you a DIY?

Are you keeping the traditional pieces in the rest of the home? Do you want to give a more contemporary clean look to this fireplace and room? This is relevent to what you finally decide to do with this wall.

You can change the brick surround and hearth to a stone veneer or paint.

Declutter a must...Mantle- one special photo beautifully framed, nothing under the artwork,only two taller candlesticks on the left (candle color change seasonally). on the right a tall vase or sculpture. The shelves- 3-5 books vertically &/or 3-5 books stacked with accessory on top. you want to see the back of the cabinet so fewer special collectables. Not too many small items as they get lost. Small collectables should be together in like groupings, but not all groupings in the same area.

If you are thinking of changing the carpet then you can blend the change in hearth to the floor stone or porcelain tile.

Lots of options and this requires a consultation to your goals, needs and budget and to find out your preferences and share options.
JoAnn Munro,ASID, Southeast Interior Design, Inc. 561-745-6919

erpanaqash For the fire place in wood,i consider the existing knots are its beauty.Please never think these are ugly.The grains & the knots if permanent add beauty to wood texture and as such need hardly to be covered.

RCI Restoration Services I think it looks good. They did a great job. Beauty's in the eyes of the beholder tho.

pauli12 Bobbie..... this weird we just spoke to one another in your 'perfect room" thread.
What I said in my reply above was that I was painting everything to and I was asking why are we painting everything..... to find out and you gave a great answer.
But now I don't want it to go back to wood look because now I have painted everything!
I was just asking because all of a sudden I wanted to paint everything and as I mentioned I painted those WW2 chairs . Thanks for your reply.

pauli12 Lefty, Thank you for your reply about the war on wood. I agree with what you are saying. I love the painted finish these days. It just seems cleaner, fresher and brighter.
I would definitely paint this knotty pine fireplace.

KILZ Brands Hello!

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!