Can I Paint My Log Walls?

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From dark and rugged to light and fresh, painting log walls is one way to completely change up your cabin's personality. Photo source: unknown

It's true that most people love wood in the mountains.  Everyone seems to want wood walls, wood floors, wood ceilings and as much log trim as possible. 

Most of us love wood and can't get enough, but some of us don't.  Is your cabin a little too heavy on the wood for your taste and the way you want to live? 
 
What are some of the reasons why you might consider painting over your log walls? 

• Wood everywhere can tend to make interiors dark and gloomy.  Painting with a fresh light color can fill your rooms with light.
• Wood walls, floors and ceilings can make smaller rooms feel like they are closing in on you.  Using lighter colors, especially white can give your rooms a little breathing room. 
• Lots of logs and wood are definitely a traditional cabin look and if you're going for fresh and modern, it's just not going to happen if you leave the logs natural.
• Funky, dirty and just plain old woodwork can be cleaned up with paint.  

See for yourself.  Below are a series of photos of log cabins owned by courageous buck-the-norm folks who painted their walls (and often ceilings too), creating beautiful, bright and unique mountain interiors.  Do you have the style chutzpah to follow their lead?

Paint it white for a clean contemporary look... 

High gloss white paint.  Modern quirky furnishings and accessories add to the look.

                 Image source unknown — used here for design inspiration and educational discussion.

Black and white for a statement-making look.  Image source unknown — used here for design inspiration and educational discussion.

A dark room goes light and airy with white paint, white curtains, and an all-white bed treatment.  

White stained logs contrast with beautiful dark wood trim and ceiling beams creating a light interior with a traditional feel.  Image source unknown — used here for design inspiration and educational discussion.

Soaring white walls and ceilings mix with soft, pale, comfortable furnishings to create a cozy and welcoming interior. 

This works with color too....

Soft warm grays are popular everywhere right now and work beautifully on log walls.

Wood walls painted green while beams and floors are left natural creating a sophisticated mix.

Stain works for interiors, too.  A soft grey stain serves as a appropriate backdrop to edgy contemporary furnishings and colorful artwork.

Having trouble deciding on exterior paint colors? Let us do the work for you. We've put together paint color recommendations for cabins and mountain homes.  $39.99

Want more cabin design inspiration? 

Explore two of our most-loved posts:   

Can I Paint My Log Walls? 

8 of the Most Charming Cabin Kitchens Ever

See hundreds of wallpaper and fabrics curated especially for cabins, lodges, and mountain homes.  Tahoedreaminteriors.com    

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Let your mountain home reflect the beauty, comfort, and creativity you love. — Sue Pipal

What to do About Dark Painted Beams

The Lake Tahoe area, where I am a designer, experienced a building boom in the 1970's.  Unfortunately, many of the styles that were popular in the 70's have not stood the test of time well.  Because so many of the houses in Tahoe are second homes and are not kept up as well as primary residences, I often am called into a 70's interior which has been left perfectly intact--down to the orange shag carpeting, olive appliances and black or deep chocolate painted beams.  

Dark Painted Ugly 70's Beams

The perennial question is, "What can we do about these beams?"  Clients have tried sandblasting or scraping them, but my experience is that these are expensive and not necessarily satisfying solutions.  I've found that paint works best.

If the budget is ample, there are faux artists that can make the beams look like natural wood beams.  My favorite local artist is George Zaffle of Truckee, California (and he does travel around the country).  The photo below is a before pic of one of my projects, a 70's Tahoe house where the black beams had been painted over in an even worse pale mauve paint.

Before--Pale Mauve Beams

And below, the same house with beams that have been painted to look like natural wood.

After faux painting.

Here are some close-up shots of those same beams:

Faux Painted Beam Detail

I am currently working on this master suite, below.  As you can see the dark beams are heavy, oppressive and very dated looking in this room.  

Master Suite Before Beams

Below you see beam painting in progress.  The new lighter color will lift the ceiling and allow the new furnishings to be the show.  Before, the room was all beams.

New Beam Painting in Progress

If the budget is tight, I often simply recommend painting the beams a better color.  In the photo below, the beams have been painted white.  This works really well with walls that have some substantial color depth as do these cocoa colored walls.  

White Painted Beams

I particularly like beams that are painted a mushroom or taupe color.  If the beams were previously stained, you can select a stain and simply stain right over the top.  However, if the beams were painted, you will need to use paint.  The photos below shows a light mushroom paint color.  For mountain homes, I would recommend a somewhat deeper color.  

Mushroom Colored Paint--Go Deeper for Mountain Homes

The deeper mushroom color below works really well for me.  It looks modern and attractive and completely goes with the updated interior.  This would be appropriate in most mountain homes.

There are also some lovely grey colors that will work for beams.  For mountain homes, try to keep the greys warm and slightly woodsey or taupey.  This way they will look a bit more like natural beams.