What? As paneling? Take pics please. We use it on the side of the field shelters on my farm.

Post photos so we can see what you are seeing.

As paneling, yes.

(Sorry first time using this site.) the lighting will not be staying and there will be flooring installed.

T111 is a rough and ready exterior cladding. It is not meant to look finished so it’s cheap rotary cut veneer with a brushed finish. You will need to paint it or apply a solid color stain if you want it to look more consistent.

We use it because it’s rough and ready and holds up to livestock. We prime and paint it. It’s not cheap.

Why that material for this application IMO all wrong . So Ineed some info posted here in comments just like you have been doing.

The photo honestly makes it look worse than it is; again the lighting in the space will change once the ceiling is added. I like the idea of a solid stain to make it look more uniform. Most of our home has tongue and grove walls or ceilings, so it has a cabin/lodge feel. That’s what we are trying to achieve here, but on a smaller budget. These sheets weren’t cheap and we definitely were going for a more rough-cut feel. We just didn’t anticipate the huge variation in each piece when we opened the bundle. We’ll be putting in building shelving and cabinets as well so the walls won’t be totally bare.

Why not install gyp. board instead. Is gyp. board more expensive in your area than this siding?

If you are set on stained trim paint the t111. To be clear I said ‘cheap rotary cut veneer’ meaning the layers of the plywood are made of the least expensive cut of veneer which is what gives it the visual irregularity. I understand the finished product is not cheap but it’s also not considered an interior grade product. I would prime it (spray?) then sand it with 60 grit to knock off the fuzz then two coats of top coat. But that’s just me.

Thank you so much for the feedback!

It's not clear that T1-11 is good for interior air quality, because of off-gassing into enclosed spaces. If anyone in your family has allergies or asthma or issues like that, this could be a trigger. They do make sealers that will block the off gassing, SafeSeal or HardSeal.

^ is exactly what I was going to post.

Thank you; we have decided on painting and stain. Not sure why it looks muddled together on the pic, but there is spacing on the bottom for us to place the flooring about a 1/4”.

What primer would you recommend?

We didn’t use anything special, probably Behr since we use their products.

Being as that is Southern Yellow Pine I would use a good oil based stain and blocker (pigmented shellac), like a BIN 0r KILZ product.

Lomo, we’ve never had water in our basement- so that’s not an issue we’re trying to fix. The block walls were sealed and insulated properly per code. I didn’t ask for your personal opinion on aesthetics or cost, so unless you have suggestions to the questions I asked, please don’t feel the need to comment.