How to Care for Tongue & Groove Pine Walls

Tongue and groove pine walls are not only simple to care for, as they do not need paint or stain to be attractive, but they also lend a warm, cozy feeling to a home. The grooves give depth and interest to the wall. The tongue and groove style basically means that one board fits neatly into the edge of the next, keeping the boards from ever curling up. Although they don't need painting or staining, pine walls do benefit from regular cleaning and a finish coat of shellac or varnish.

Duster
Sponge
Furniture cleaner
Lemon oil
Wood filler
Sandpaper
Tack cloth
Varnish or shellac
Paintbrush

Instructions

- 1
  Dust off the wood with a high-quality duster, such as one made of wool, and then blow dust out of the grooves with compressed air in a can, such as the kind designed for cleaning computer keyboards.
- 2
  Dampen a sponge or cloth in a good-quality wood cleaner mixed with water, and wipe down the wood. Start at the top and work your way down.
- 3
  Wipe the wood down with a towel to dry it well, and then apply a coating of lemon oil if the cleaning restored the wood's luster. If the wood still needs work, you may need to apply a new coat of varnish or shellac.
- 4
  Fill scratches and nicks with wood filler. Small scratches can be filled with matching shoe polish or even iodine applied with a cotton swab.
- 5
  Sand the wood so the former finish comes off and the scratches and nicks are even with the rest of the wood.
- 6
  Use a tack cloth to remove any dust from the walls after sanding.
- 7
  Apply the new finish with a paintbrush or roller, according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- 8
  Allow the finish to dry, and then maintain the walls on a regular basis with cleaning as described in Steps 1 through 3.

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