Refinish Stained Redwood Walls

The rough-textured, unfinished, stained redwood walls in our family room are blemished with scratches, paint stains (from painting the ceiling) and other marks incurred over the 20 years the house has been lived in. I'd like and some advice on how to restore them. I like the walls and wish they didn't look so shabby. How do I go about improving them?


The goal here is to restore the appearance of the redwood wall without destroying the rough texture that adds to its natural beauty.

First, be aware that the work we are about to suggest will create a little dust. You will want to remove the contents of the room and seal off any openings to adjoining rooms with heavy plastic.

Start with a light wire brushing to the entire surface, followed by a thorough vacuuming. This will remove the existing paint splatters, scratches and other unsightly blemishes. If you are pleased with the current color, now is the time to apply a fresh coat of stain. If you are looking for something lighter, then the next step is the application of a wood bleach to lighten the surface. Once bleached-out, a new coat of stain can be applied. In either, case we believe a oil base stain would be appropriate. Oil stain penetrates deep into the wood and will restore its natural luster. Finally, since it's an interior finish, a nice coat of a polyurethane or varnish will fully seal the new surface. You probably will want to use a satin finish, to augment that new rich stain.