Lighten up Knotty Pine basement walls?

First try a deep clean. You would be surprised how much dust and dirt accumulates over time and can cause wood to change colors. It is likely the wood doesn’t have any stain on it but probably shellac. That can cause a yellow or orange tint. Mineral spirits can be used to remove that. Congratulations

What a beautiful room, so glad you love it and want to preserve the natural beauty of the pine.

I agree on doing a deep clean first and foremost. As Kathy suggested, mineral spirits will do that to purge the yellowness. From there, you could look to Minwax for a new tint to the pine. I suggest you find an area that is unnoticeable and try it there.

Yes, you can remove the finish. Here's a link that tells you how to test and determine what finish is on your walls:

https://www.woodmagazine.com/materials-guide/finishes/what-finish-is-that-anyway

Thats a large area to strip. A belt sander will work but its a big job. perhaps use the new floor and ceiling to contrast with the walls to brighten things up. Good Luck

Deb,

Congratulations on the new home. When was it built? There is a chance your floor tiles contain asbestos. It's not an issue as long as they are not crumbling. You can get a piece tested to be sure. Use a recommended sealer/encapsulator and then install your new floor over them.

Hello Deb, you can strip it and coat it with a clear coat, hope these help you out,

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/strip-paint-off-knotty-pine-83470.html

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/strip-paint-off-knotty-pine-83470.html

https://dengarden.com/home-improvement/Tips-for-Painting-Knotty-Pine-Cabinets-White

I would white wash them. That would keep the beauty of the wood but lighten it at the same time.

painting them would be the best and cheapest thing to do and it brighten up the area too-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNxDYoo4eVw

Congrats on your 1st home!!!

I agree that this is an unbelievably HUGE area to attempt to strip! REPEAT - a HUGE area to ATTEMPT to strip!!! I don't think anyone would actually stick with stripping to complete so much work. If you want to learn how hard it will be, pick just 1 area/thing to strip like the bookshelves. You'll see for yourself how hard it is. Use citristrip to control fumes.

My suggestions: as someone previously mentioned you can whitewash the wood (still will take a LOT of prep work!), paint the walls (I doubt you'll miss that old color or the wood once it's done), or you could fill the grooves and put wallpaper over the walls. Even if you chose to paint, you still have a lot of prep work to do by scuff sanding the entire place!

Be very cautious with the floor and don't damage it whatsoever - I am 99% certain they will contain asbestos.

You could leave the beams the wood as is and redo the walls with paint. That way you get the best of both! 😎

I would whitewash them. It will be easy and inexpensive.

We kept ours after learning how much work it would be to strip. There are lots of grooves to get into. Ours didn't go all the way around, it was only two walls, the others are painted. That contrast lightens the room up a lot.

I agree that it would be easiest to whitewash the wood. I think stripping the wood would be a tremendous amount of work.

Hello. Paint can be an exciting upgrade. We live in a log cabin and the paneled bedroom walls were painted prior to our arrival.

Hello Deb,

Try using a Chalk Paint or Lime Wax maybe.

you could also just white wash the paneling for a brighter look and you could still see the wood

You could try to white wash them

Maybe live with it for a while and the ceiling and floor first. It might grow on you

If you decide to paint, clean with tsp then prime with Kilz original. Then paint with 2 coats of good interior paint. I did that in my daughter’s bedroom when she was 5 and it’s still great 25 years later.

You can lightly sand to remove gloss. Prime and paint solid. Or you can dilute paint with 50/50 water and white wash.

I would just send it and painted light color

Is it paneling or is it pieces of wood? If it’s the latter you can sand it (most strippers don’t remove stain) then go from there. If it’s paneling, that’s trickier as going lighter is harder.

I would prime and paint the paneling white. I think you will be happy with the light and bright new look of the room.