PAINTING BARE ROUGH SAWN INTERNAL WOOD

[mrsbodgit]

The upper floor of our recently purchased house has internally exposed roof joist as a feature of the bedrooms. They are structural so have to stay!

At present they are finished in a brown porous stain, but I would like to make them less of a feature by staining painting them white/cream to blend in with the plaster ceiling.

I do not propose to sand them all down to smooth wood, that would be a horrendous task.

Can you recommend a method of painting them to acheive a reasonable finish? I have tried white emulsion on a portion inside a cupboard and that has given, after 3 coats an acceptable coverage. Is this the best method? Or would an eggshell bond better?

Opinions invited! Thanks for your help!

 

[emilybronte]

Personally, I'd seal them as best I could with something like Zinsser Gardz, then use eggshell. Otherwise, the stain does tend to seep through in the end and look scruffy. With them being high up, you don't want to be re-doing them every few months.