Reader Alicia and her husband bought their 1955 mountain cabin just 12 hours after seeing it — even though they knew they had work to do. The cabin itself was in great shape, but the previous owners had painted nearly all of the original knotty pine walls, ceilings, woodwork, doors and windows white. Virtually every wall and ceiling surface of the 1,800 s.f. cabin was whitewashed — ouch! Undeterred, the knotty-pine-loving couple started up their sanders and broke out the amber shellac — restoring all the gorgeous, original knotty pine back to warm, woodsy and wonderful!
Alicia writes:
I just wanted to say Hi and thank you for such a great site! My family and I purchased a WONDERFUL 1955 cabin in the mountains of Montana. The cabin was built in 1955 on an old, very small ski mountain which closed for business in the 60’s. My husband and I saw the real estate listing for it about a year ago, and purchased it twelve hours later. Typically we do not make crazy decisions on impulse, but we knew we just had to buy it (of course, we hadn’t sold the current house we were living in, but that’s another story!)
Many of its wonderful, original features were intact, but sadly many were “updated”. Every single wood surface, except the beams (which were thankfully left alone) was painted white over the original knotty pine interior….the ceiling, the windows, the doors, EVERYTHING!! I will add a pic of a “before” wall, just so you can see. My husband and I sanded down EVERY SINGLE SURFACE in the entire 1,800 sq. ft. cabin. We then used amber shellac to create an original feel…it came out so beautifully!!
Precautionary Pam jumps in here to remind: Remember, readers, that the surfaces and layers of the materials in our old houses may contain vintage nastiness like lead and asbestos. Be sure to consult with a properly licensed professional to assess/test what you have before getting out those sanders! Renovate Safe!
We worked SO HARD on the paneling and it is fun to share the results!
We have made only cosmetic restorations that we could complete ourselves because of a very limited budget. Our next project is to expand the kitchen and try to recreate a knotty pine kitchen. Eventually we plan to remodel the kitchen and expand it into the dining room a bit (the dining room is larger than it needs to be and the kitchen is super small). The kitchen still has half of its original white, metal cabinetry, and the original GE freezer ( which we now use as a refrigerator, thanks to a new thermostat to convert it). The hardwood floors are original throughout, as are the beams, windows, and fireplaces in the dining room and master bedroom.
We just love our cabin and are thankful that we could purchase it and restore it….most of the time in our area, old cabins like this are torn down to make room for a large “trophy house”.
I am just glad to share our labor of love with you….it is so nice to visit your site and see posts from others who appreciate pine paneling and don’t want to paint over it!
Alicia — what an inviting home!
I’ve never understood why people buy a house like this — which likely attracts them in the first place with its woodsy feel — and then completely neutralize it with paint. Isn’t the whole point of buying a cabin in the woods, to feel like you are in a cabin in the woods?
We can only imagine the hours of backbreaking work it must have taken to remove all of that white paint. The final results look amazing — so inspiring!
Mary Elizabeth says
I just realized something I wanted to share. When we first saw the knotty pine kitchen in the ranch house we eventually bought, I noticed that it was no way as dark as those in other homes of the same vintage that we had looked at. When conferring about other matters, the daughter of the original owner/builder told me that every five years or so her father had stripped the shellac off the cabinets and refinished them. I think that is why so many people painted over paneling and cabinets–the shellac had darkened with age and lost that soft, glowy look. I wonder if there is a way to keep that from happening without having to strip the finish off every so many years? The new drawer fronts my DH built to match the cabinets have some shellac on them, but they are also covered with a clear coat of polyurethane for better water protection. Only time will tell if that helps.
Kristy says
THAT is the most impressive thing I have seen today! What a great job.
Laurie Louise says
Oh my word, this is lovely! When I first saw it, I hoped it was a rental so I could go there. Such a labor of love, and so beautifully done. Thank you for providing rehab for shabby chic gone terribly wrong.
lynda says
I bet the sanded and sealed wood looks way better than the original. You may have not been motivated to refresh the paneling if it had not been painted. Enjoy the cozy cabin! And, I think you have a trophy house–display it proudly.
Kristin says
Just beautiful- so warm and inviting. Thank you – yes actually THANK you, a heartfelt thanks from “me” to you, for going back to wood. It is so lovely. Nice job.
oh Holland says
Knotty but nice!
Gretchen in Greenwood says
Last month’s issue of a national decorating magazine had a makeover feature in which a new owner “remuddeled” his adorable pine paneled cabin in the woods to look like a white painted, industrial chic Manhattan loft, complete with Ikea cabinets and black accessories. I could have wept. If you want a Manhattan loft, move to Manhattan. Why would you want your mountain getaway to look like the city you are getting away from? And why would a magazine applaud such a foolish desecration of architectural integrity? Grrrrr…..
pam kueber says
Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh
Paula Webb says
This gives me hope! The previous owner of our 1957 daylight ranch painted all the molding in 2008. It is the only thing left to restore. I tried scraping but that was a lot of effort for very little payoff. We are considering removing it all and then having it professionally stripped. Sanding? hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Mary Elizabeth says
One way to go, if it doesn’t sand or strip easily and you are handy, is to replace all the molding. Most “mid-century modest” homes have very simple, standard molding. You can stain it yourself before putting it up.
pam kueber says
See this story on classic scalloped moldings, perfect for a knotty pine room: https://retrorenovation.com/2012/03/26/scallop-wood-molding-5-ready-made-designs-for-retro-cornices-valances/
tammyCA says
Wow..I stand and applaud you both for that undertaking and it is gorgeous! It’s a warm, glowy honey, cozy hug of a vintage cabin…ah, one of my dream houses is a little woodsy cabin (by a lake or stream, too), reminding me of those happy childhood vacations.
pam kueber says
I know! This makes me wonder: Why don’t I live in a woodsy little cabin next to a lake!
Janice says
Pam and Kate, I think this is a definite contender for the “Hard Way” award! Wow….and you’ve only owned it for a year?? What an amazing job and the finished results are wonderful! I can imagine curling up in that easy chair and reading a good book on a cold winter day. Well done!
pam kueber says
I agree!