We are in the process of redoing our finished basement. The carpet has been ripped out and we'll be installing laminate. The problem is our walls - they are in rough shape and to try to cover it up the previous owners used a suede paint. I really am not looking forward to sanding, patching, etc. the walls. New sheet rock is out of the question according to my husband (been there, done that, no thanks). We really just want to make the room presentable. Our ceilings are low but not terribly low. Basement low.

Is covering up the walls with white planks a bad idea? I'd like to go with horizontal planks since vertical planks just remind me of the 60's/70's. But I'm afraid it might make the room look even more squat. One wall will have built-ins under the stairs so there are just three remaining walls.