Exterior wood siding used inside as paneling

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Topic: Exterior wood siding used inside as paneling

April

Thu, 05/31/2007 - 8:20pm

Exterior wood siding used inside as paneling

I have exterior wood siding that was used in my living room as paneling when the home was built. It is stained a dark brown color. The home is now 25 years old and needs to be redone. Can I stain it a lighter color or paint over it? What do I need to do to prep the walls? Any suggestions? My husband is concerned that painting it will make it look like the outside of a barn--any ideas???

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To refinish the walls and

redjollymolly writes:

Fri, 06/01/2007 - 3:29pm

To refinish the walls and stain them a lighter color will require a good amount of work. You will need to strip off ALL the old stain and sealers. This will require you to use a chemical stripper. Once all the old stain is removed you could select a lighter color stain for the wood. If the natural color of the wood is too dark you can add a wood bleach to the wood to lighten it. If you are interested in going this route post that here and I can give you more detailed information. It is a good deal of work, but the results are often stunning.

Painting over the stain is much easier. If you choose a light paint color I don't think it will give you a "barn" effect. You will need to thoroughly clean the wood prior to painting. I recommend using a TSP (trisodium phosphate) solution to clean your siding. Next apply a good quality primer over the wood. Look for a primer that will seal the wood and prevent the natural wood resins from bleeding through. It will state on the back of the primer can if it stops wood from bleeding (this usually occurs around knots in the wood). You should apply 2 coats of primer, maybe even three.

Once the primer has dried go ahead and paint your wood with at least 2 coats of paint.

Good luck!

Thanks so much for the

April writes:

Fri, 06/01/2007 - 5:58pm

Thanks so much for the advice. The area is pretty large (actually two rooms which join each other--living room and dining room). Thus, the paint idea sounds a little less labor intensive than trying to strip and restain. So I will give that a try. I really appreciate your suggestions. Will use the TSP, primer, and then paint. Thanks again for your good advice.