Knotty pine walls - - blending age spots ?

Re: Knotty pine walls - - blending age spots ?

Dick Coers

Try orange or garnet shellac, depending on the color shift. Easier to add 2 lighter colored coats to darken compared to trying to lighten if too dark. You'll likely chase the color again latter, but shellac is easy to dissolve and remove.

Re: Knotty pine walls - - blending age spots ?

John K Jordan

Yikes, that's a hard one.

I'd consider putting up new pictures in the same places.

JKJ

question

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Eventually they are going to darken just like the rest if exposed to light. So, if you shade them to match now, won't you have a darker spot there after they age?

Re: question

Kneale Brownson

That's my experience.

I'd find pictures of something else to hang over the spots.

Re: Knotty pine walls - - blending age spots ?

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

Are you sure it's varnish? Get some denatured alcohol and try an out of the way spot; if the finish dissolves under a soaking wet rag, it's probably shellac, in which case, you could keep going, softening and blending all the finish. You'd probably wind up with a lighter coat of shellac, but still some finish on the wall, if you don't get carried away and scrub too hard. If this turns out to be the solution, use major ventilation - not just an open window, but multiple open windows and a fan by one of them - and a good fumes mask, if you do this; alcohol is a very volatile solvent, and the cabin will be filled with fumes. The good news is that it should dissipate quickly, too.

Check For "Dirty" first

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

Before solvents etc. I'd take a rag an detergent to the wall next to a light spot to see if the extra color will wash off. Cabin walls pick up lots of fumes from cooking, the fireplace, cigar nights, etc. You might be surprised what comes off on the rag with some Simple Green and water.

Re: Check For "Dirty" first

Don Stephan

Great point Mr. Mandell!

Re: Knotty pine walls - - blending age spots ?

Pete in Holland MI

Thanx for the replies thus far.

1) The "log cabin" I am referring to is something built in the past 20 or so years. Not a 100 year old thing. Thus I suspect wall grime to be far less than something the settlers would have created.

2) Not sure really what is on the walls, regarding a sealer. Would think some form of polyurethane though.

3) It's probably a combination of the finsh, AND the wood, darkening with time.

If we go down the road of a log cabin (which could be true log construction, half logs, or even T&G pine), as one person suggested........hang larger pictures over the bright spots. Not really sure if we didn't hang any pictures for several years, if the bright spots would start to merge colors with the surroundings, or if both bright spots and surroundings will continue to darken out of sync with one another, making the problem long lasting.

In this case, there sure is a benefit of being the first person into a natural wood interior home, or living there your whole lives.

Thanx all !

Re: Check For "Dirty" first

William Duffield

After you've cleaned it, per Mark's suggestion, tape off the patinated (oxidized) areas with poster board, cardboard boxes or pizza boxes, and put strong flood lights on the light squares. check every few hours, and depending on how fast it is darkening, to determine how long to leave them in place. Of course, if cleaning removes all the patina, you're done before you even get here, but then you might investigate rebuilding, or at least cleaning, the fireplace and flue.