What to do with this Barn wood/Brick wall

11 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

Just bought a new home with lots of potential but it is in need of some cosmetic work in particular this one wall. It is a barn wood/brick wall. I love the reclaimed barn wood however the brick is an ugly color. We are taking out the stove insert and bricking up the hole from that and the former owners TV. Question is what to do with this wall. Leave the brick and paint it (if so what color) or remove all the brick and do something else? We are installing hardwood floors (Armstrong: Tobacco stain) Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

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Carolyn Albert-Kincl, ASID

11 years ago

Plan A: If you want to keep the barn siding where it is, then I'd like to see the brick painted a dark taupey-gray, such as Sherwin-Williams SW7032 Warm Stone. Pick up some paint chips from SW in that color and some other dark taupes and grays to see which one best pulls the color from your barn siding. At the same time we want it to blend with your new flooring, so be sure to have a sample of that on hand too when you're making your paint decision.

Plan B: Remove the siding and the brick and start over with painted sheetrock. Put the siding to use elsewhere.

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Comments (35)

pamweston1
11 years ago
If you love that look I'd white wash the brick. if not re-purposes the lumber and cover all with dry wall.
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Lowe's of McMinnville Or
11 years ago
I like the idea of keeping the barnwood. Even if you painted the brick, the proper height of the wainscoting is way off. I would suggest removing the brick and lowering the beam to above or at 4'-0". relocate the barnwood to below it and sheetrock the upper portion. I would suggest a coordinating paint color to tie the barnwood and your new hardwood floors in.

I would also suggest painting your ceiling, including the beams a neutral color or white to brighten the space.

Good luck!
decoenthusiaste
11 years ago
Barnwood would make nice wainscot somewhere else.
parrotheadchic
11 years ago
Painting the brick would soften the room. I think that painting the brick white and then glazing it a soft grey would marry the two.
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Vicki Halliday
11 years ago
Paint the ceiling (beams included) and the brick the same color. That said, I had a house with barn wood like that, and I left it. I came to hate it. It collected dust so badly and always felt dirty. It's one of those things that seemed like a good idea by whoever put it up, but living with it is another thing.
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Sheila Rich Interiors, LLC
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
You are correct, this house has lots of potential. The wall has some very interesting textures but they need to be toned down because they don't work together. I would bleach the barn wood to soften it and paint the brick to blend with the newly bleached wood. Removing the stove is a great idea. Why don't you use the opening as a wine storage area? Purchase an interesting dark metal wine rack to fit the space. Make sure the the beams and the trim in the room match the newly bleached barnwood. The tobacco stain on the floor will create a beautiful contrast. This eyesore has now become a focal point.
Enjoy the house.
Barbara
11 years ago
I like the barn wood. Whitewashing or the newer "gray washing" would improve it. The bricks are okay, just a lot of them. What jumps out as not matching is the brick on the floor. If there is anyway to remove any of the materials to the side of the fireplace wall it would be an improvement.
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Sage Lane Realty
11 years ago
I guess I don't understand what the room is, but I like the brick. I know, I know, I'm in the minority on this one.
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Vikrant Sharma Homez
11 years ago
I Agree, this house has lots of potential,presently Its uninviting so lets tone it down as it does not Gel with your tastes right now , what I would do is paint it all a Decorators white and get rid of that Defunct Stove ,
why not have a fish tank there that will be interesting .
pamweston1
11 years ago
It's not that I don't like the brick,it's making it more appealing with the barn wood. Yes that barn wood will hold all the dust.
sacapuntaslapioz
11 years ago
if you are interested in covering the brick, there is a product that will make wood look silvery in a few days. it is called Lifetime http://www.valhalco.com/ all natural. I used it on a country house and it looks like it has been there for years.
User
11 years ago
I think more information is needed. Such as what is the purpose of this room. Mancave?, Recreation room, family room? What are your interests. It might make a good backdrop for a bar; but, some people are not into bars in their house (alhough an ice cream or soda bar would be ok for people with children and no alcohol) I Do you want a theme around it such as nautical or rustic. Do not know at this point whether you are going for eclectic, country, rustic, traditional?
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Mackenzie Austin Design
11 years ago
My vote would be to start fresh with that wall and to soften the ceiling too. Although knowing what your design style is and the purpose of this room would be helpful, as well as what is going on with the rest of the room / walls. Is there more barnboard or brick in there?
shirrab
11 years ago
I say keep the barn wood. It's beautiful and I'm jealous. Depending what the room is being used for and how far the barnwood comes down, you could put either a 2x6 bar rail or other decorative chair rail type molding. I believe it would be beautiful to cover the lower half (brick) with a rusted corrugated metal. I think this would maintain the old charm and feel, we rather easy, without having to remove the brick and rather inexpensive. Best of luck!
deepsouthdesign
11 years ago
The space looks dark, is it a basement? My approach would be to remove the barnwood and sheetrock the top. Cover the brick with the barn wood. The sheetrock is affordable and will brighten the space. I just built a home with rough-sawn pine walls. I was over sensative to the dust issue. I used a palm sander and agressively knocked the "roughness" down. Sand until the wood is smooth to the touch, but still retains it's texture. (This is easier to accomplish on saw horses rather than on the wall). Then apply a dull finish laquer with a sprayer. If you aren't handy with a spray gun, I highly recommend Faux Effects Aquathane, Dull. It brushes on white and dries clear so you can see your coverage. The Aquathane builds up beautifully with no sheen. The wood looks completely natural and can be dusted easily. I have gotten so many complements! Enjoy the project!
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Charmean Neithart Interiors
11 years ago
Paint the brick white. This would be a great contrast with the barnwood. I would also like to know what this room is, but would still advise painted brick. Try White Dove by Benjamin Moore. Hope that helps. Charmean Neithart
destinychantae
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks so much for the suggestions!! This room is a family room that is right off the kitchen which we are opening up to be one big room. I would have posted a picture of the entire space however, the kitchen is undergoing renovation. The kitchen cabinets are barn wood ehich we decided to keep and I think we have decided to do a stainless steel countertop to have contemporary/industrial and rustic combined. The room will be one big long room that leads outside to a deck. So this space will have a flat screen mounted on that wall, some seating, and also a table for eating which will all coincide with the kitchen.
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Solid Oaks
11 years ago
I would paint the brick, sand down the beam, and stain them a color a little lighter than the barnwood. Then install an industrial barn door to run along the wall. Maybe frame in white bookshelves and have the barn door installed to the shelving. Then add some lighting in the shelves to accent the barnwood and brick.
Amy Burke
11 years ago
Depending on your style the wood is really gorgeous and is being used more often these days. I did not read all the feedback but I have to agree with the Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design. Painting the brick to pull a taupe of other neutral color from the wood is a great idea. I also suggest to keep the Dark Brown color in your beams as trim in other areas. This is a great space and has lots of potential. Good Luck!
Barb
11 years ago
Corrugated steel/tin over the brickwork! Would bring in light, keep with the barn theme, and easy and cheap to install!!
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The Rusted Nail
11 years ago
I like the idea of keeping with the rustic theme. If you paint the brick you may need a table, or bar or something to tie to barn wood wall to the rest of the space. Perhaps you can do some built in pieces. Maybe the bottom becomes a wall of shelves and have dedicated areas for you television and what ever else you may want to put in there.
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Marie Hebson's interiorsBYDESIGN Inc.
11 years ago
Hello destinychantae, Marie here.

I am in agreement with Carolyn on one thing. Paint the brick a dark gray colour. But my gut instinct is telling me that the configuration and texture proportions of this wall are WRONG. You need to carefully remove the barn board and repurpose it on another wall somewhere else, where it can either fill the entire wall, or become something else entirely - like frame a large mirror , or use it as an art installation. I would professionally re-install it on the horizontal rather than the vertical. But if there isn't enough to fill another wall - then rethink where you can use it. And, you need to plan on the fly because you don't know how much of it will be reusable after demo.

Corrugated steel over the brick, is a good idea, if you want an "industrial look" - remember, you have to deal with the fact that the corrugation will sit out from the wall a couple of inches - what do you do with that, add a ledge? picture rail? - when you try to fix something with a half answer, you get half result. Plan it out, know what you want, and envision the end result. Make sure you are happy with it on paper before you commit.

I'd remove the barn board, paint out the brick a mid charcoal gray, paint the new wall soft white, accenting the faux beams you have on the ceiling. Good luck with your project.
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Paradise Restored Landscaping & Exterior Design
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Carolyn's vote for taupey-gray on brick side sounds right - destiny - as well as your ideas for room - love the tie-in with kitchen - barn wood cabinets and stainless steel - it seems like your ideas flow girl!
nasmijati
11 years ago
If you plan to mount a large flat-screen television on the barn wood part of the wall, you are covering up the feature you like the best. The barn wood itself is chopped up by the small horizontal wood strip. I would take the barn wood down and repurpose it. Doors? A floor to ceiling accent panel on another wall? The barn wood is too valuable an asset not to use, but it isn't being used to its best advantage in this space.
The proportion of brick to wood is out of balance, with too much brickwork. Others have given ideas for that.
Best wishes.
larryhinkle
11 years ago
The only thing I hate more than brick inside a house is painted brick! I say sheetrock over it and paint. That will make the barnwood pop and give the house a much cleaner, modern look
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Stover Tile and Design
11 years ago
I normally hate painted brick, but I think a slate grey or similar would look great with that barn wood.

Depending on how that looks, you may want to change the tile in front of that brick.
pivoines
11 years ago
too much texture, barn wood , beams with popcorn ceiling , brick, flooring, the ratio of barn board and brick is off, sorry to say , but I would get rid of all the barn board and the brick, cover the wall with sheet rock , keep the beams if you must, but get rid of popcorn ceiling, start fresh , otherwise I think there will always be an imbalance and the result will be awkward and off kilter , good luck.
Dawn Fetty
11 years ago
Good points. Where and what is the function of the room? I'd say that wall the way it is seems awkward (choppy) and cuts the room...I liked the first idea of using the wood another way. What about stucco below? Painting the brick white would only further accentuate the divide...not sure about that. Very interesting all the comments. Would love to see it all in context...the whole room and what it will be used for. Good luck!
nzdanovich
11 years ago
There are a lot of different textures going on here, and my instinct would be to make it more simple and easy on the eye. Especially if you are going to put a TV on that wall. The room looks a little bit dark, so I would definitely lighten it up. The simplest thing to do would be removing the barn boards, sheetrock the entire wall, paint it a light color, and use the barn boards as wainscoting. But, since the barn boards are obviously broken up, that might look a little chopped. Is it possible to repurpose them elsewhere? You might even reuse them as built-in bookcases to surround the TV. The only other thing I could think of is turning this in to an English Pub bar area - it kind of has that look.
thegriers
11 years ago
I love barnwood but the way they've installed yours with all the outlets and the wood strip that runs down the middle of it just doesn't use it to it's best advantage. I like the idea suggested above to either relocate it to the bottom of the wall or use it somewhere else in the room. If you're happy with the barnwood as it is then I'd paint the brick a similar color as the barnwood to tone it all down and that would make it not stand out as much but yet the texture of it would still make it interesting. I'd leave the side and middle beams as they are to keep that rustic feel. I hope you are planning on removing the brick on the floor and covering it up with the wood flooring too. I think it sounds like it'll turn out great.
snthomps
11 years ago
I love barnwood also, but it is not doing that wall any justice. I would remove it and the brick and just sheetrock. Make sure though to repurpose the barnwood somewhere else, if you have a powder room somewhere on this level you could consider putting it on a wall in there to keep the rustic theme going throughout your space. Definitely remove the tile from the floor and if removing the brick is not in scope then definitely paint it along with your ceiling beams. If you sheetrock above the painted stone I would leave the strip of barnwood that is there now as a type of wainscott. Good luck
Kim D
11 years ago
This wall looks like it is on the verge of being something really highend. I'm not really sure what to do with it but I feel like whatever happens to the wall should also happen to the ceiling. Another thought I had was to leave the wall, but get rid of the ceiling beams and that red brick hearth. Then work on marrying the colors of the remaing brick with the wood.
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Nat
11 years ago
Barn wood looks really good - keep it and play your new design around it , people pays thousand of dollars to get this wood ;-)
fabia
11 years ago
There sometimes comes a time when I say de-construct. Start with ceiling. Paint the beams white , same colour as ceiling. The barn board is not in the correct placement. Remove it all carefully. Use it on a wall that will allow it to run top to bottom. The lengths of the boards are short, so this gives a ship lapped look. Or shake look. use this on an interest wall .
Or, If there is enough I would use it to flank a central area of this wall. Remove all brick. I am tryng to create strong verticle lines. So divide the wall up into 3 sections. The outside sections will have the barn board floor to ceiling. If you are placing a TV use the centre section of drywalled wall space for this. Build shelving units for storage. They could be boards that have a similar colour to the barn board.

The centre section could be an entertainment area.

If you don't want to section off wall vertically. Then use the barn board in another area. I see it as running floor to ceiling. I don't like it broken up. This will give you a very contempary, pared down fresh, rustic use for this lovely wood.

What to do with this Barn wood/Brick wall

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