Finish for "Plytanium" Paneling

[Bob Borzelleri]

I guess this is sort of a "project finishing" question in that it is clearly a project and I have yet to finish it.

My shop walls are covered (almost finished) with Georgia-Pacific "Plytanium" ply bead which is essentially pine faced beaded paneling. The surface is southern pine with T&G bead look to it.

I had originally thought of applying a clear finish to protect and enhance the natural grain but G-P warns against any finish that is not acrylic latex, (they suggest satin gloss). The reason given by one of the G-P tech guys was that the final look is anybody's guess when you use a clear finish. Some folks have ended up with a large zebra look on their walls. Hmmm...

I guess I could go with a whitish, cover the grain completly, latex paint, but I am wondering about a white wash finish that allows some amount of grain to be highlighted, but doesn't bring out the zebra look. Anyone had experience with painting Plytanium bead paneling? Thanks.

...Bob

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I think the Zebra look would be cool! I do know that I couldn't bring myself to paint wood in my shop, unless I had to.

Do you have any scraps you can try on?

[Bob Borzelleri]

I think the Zebra look would be cool! I do know that I couldn't bring myself to paint wood in my shop, unless I had to.

Do you have any scraps you can try on?

I can certainly relate to not painting wood if I didn't have to. The natural look was a factor in selecting the pine bead paneling.

I now realize that I omitted the other reason I was considering a white-ish finish. While the pine is certainly not dark, it doesn't reflect as much light as white walls would. Maybe a trip to the paint store for a few quarts is in order.
I do have a lot of scrap material that I can experiment with.

Thanks Jeff.

[Jim Becker]

I didn't paint any of the T1-11 or beadboard in my shop...left it natural. If you put a clear finish on it and you don't like it...you can always paint over it!

[Bob Borzelleri]

Thanks Jim...

I'm off to the paint store.

...Bob