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This Low-Lift Wall Treatment Makes Dated Wood Paneling Look Of-the-Moment

This article details a home renovation project undertaken by interior stylist and photographer Carley Page Summers and her husband, Jon, to update the dated wood paneling in their North Carolina home's den. The house, approximately 100 years old, featured orange-toned wood paneling that Summers initially saw potential in, despite its 1950s aesthetic. Rather than undertaking a complete removal, she opted for a 'pickling' technique, inspired by her mother's past sunroom renovation. Pickling is a design method involving the application of thinned white or light-colored paint over untreated, darker wood. The process requires wiping away the mixture as it's applied, allowing the wood grain to remain visible. However, Summers faced a challenge because her knotty pine walls had been previously sealed, and she desired a sage green finish instead of a standard white. Her painter suggested a modified approach: mixing paint with water. Summers developed her own system, combining two parts Sherwin-Williams’s Sage Green Light paint with one part water in a bucket. She then applied this thinned mixture to the walls using a brush. This innovative technique significantly reduced the time commitment, as it took only five hours to cover all four walls, much less than a typical paint job. The couple only needed to apply a single coat because the objective was to maintain the visible wood grain beneath the new color. To further enhance the room's atmosphere, they extended the sage green hue to the ceiling, this time using undiluted paint. Summers noted that this transformation created a moody and distinct ambiance within the space. The couple’s goal was to embrace the existing character of their old home rather than eradicating it, effectively refreshing the den while preserving its historical essence. This project serves as an example of a low-effort, high-impact renovation that can modernize a space without stripping away its original charm. The successful outcome demonstrates how a creative approach to painting can redefine the aesthetic of traditional wood paneling, turning a potentially outdated feature into a stylish and cozy element of the home. #HomeRenovation #DIY #InteriorDesign #WoodPaneling #PicklingTechnique #SageGreen #HomeDecor #LowLiftRenovation #VintageHome #HomeRenovation #DIY #InteriorDesign #WoodPaneling #PicklingTechnique #SageGreen #HomeDecor #LowLiftRenovation #VintageHome
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