if it were mine, I would clean it all up, prep and prime, and paint the whole interior white, ceiling and all.

install a good quality LVP replace all the fixtures and appliances and get it rented.

^ agree, i love patina but I think it will be hard for the house to feel clean without a lot of fresh paint imo

Peel and stick wallpaper is very thin - the gaps in the paneling will show thru. Concur with clean and paint.

You cannot use peel and stick wallpaper. Too thin. The lines will telegraph through the paper. There is a liner that can be applied to wood BEFORE wallpaper is applied but it's more permanent. https://www.wallpaperstogo.com/c-1313-wallpapers-to-go-wall-liner.aspx?srsltid=AfmBOoqpJDfNdM9fRD8uUIXiw8hAyD78XLYHOKHc4P8-REp6pxUD8xRt

Honestly, the wood walls and ceiling don't appear to be of a top grade wood. I think that paint might be the best option for creating something charming.

Moderately priced rental and high end don’t go together. Is it a yearly rental or weekly?
When you say eastern NC and the wood is probably why the house is still standing, is it located in a hurricane prone area? (I live in such an area).

In a working class neighborhood, you get working class tenants who want affordable rent for a nice clean place. Formica. Hot Point appliances. LVP or sheet vinyl. Good basic quality, sturdy, low maintenance.

The last photo shows wood with water damage under the window. Does the house have insulation in the walls? In 1957, they may have skipped that during construction.

Will you have to bring the electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems up to current code?

If you have to do lots of work behind the wood walls, it may be cost effective to remove the old wood panelling (walls and ceilings) and put in new sheet rock. Sheet rock will be quicker to paint and to keep well painted through years of tenants. The old wood is not very good quality. You could try selling it, but I doubt it would be worth the labor cost of removing all the nails after taking extra time to remove it carefully from the walls. Sometimes things are just plain worn out and in need of replacing.

It’s 1x6 v groove yellow pine with old shellac or varnish. Nice stuff but not previous. Vaulting the ceiling will transform the space, as will a lot of paint. This is my cottage on the coast in Maine, it used to have <8’ ceilings which we vaulted up to the attic and covered the walls with new v groove.

You want tacky do peel and stick honestly not a choice . It is pine and IMO not a sin to paint it either . The next guy can stripit and do whatever if he wants to . BTW working class people like nice homes too

Clean it, sand it, prime it with BIN shellac, and paint it.

The walls look like pine. Sure, if you were going to live here and wanted a labor of love, then clean and repair the walls, and fix up the house. But, this is an investment property with different priorities. Just paint it.

Agree this a a white paint job.

Hey klem, what about a decorator who's also a CPA?

Thank you all for your 2 cents! The problem with painting… do you see the ceiling that was painted? All of those beautiful before and after examples of painted pine walls some of you posted are V groove or more decorative groove wood. That DOES look awesome pained, but that’s not what I have! If you see the painted ceiling that looks just awful because there are seams from the wood shrinking for 75 years, and no matter how carefully I prep and how bautiful the paint, it wood look awful. And the CPA guy, sure I agree with you. Most of my

Oops, to continue, most of my properties, Klem1 and apple pie, are more economical rentals, but this is a QOZB property, Klem1, so I have to spend money and it DOES need new electric, plumbing, and insulation, so removal is likely. Plus, this is an “up-and-coming” area, so today’s affordable basic rental is tomorrow’s yuppie heaven, and why do a renovation twice? My feeling about rentals (and I have several) is if I wouldn’t live there, what kind of tenant could I get? Yes, I could have made a fortune, as others do, renting squalid homes in as-is condition in hot areas, but it’s too much work when you have the kindsof tenants that have no choice about where they live tenants. I don’t want to work, I want to collect, so I buy dated, but really nice homes, and rent them to great families, and things are maintained well by good tenants. This one, as I said, is a QOZB property, so I have to double my cost basis in the building. The nicer it is when I’m finished the nicer tenants I’ll get, and the improvements will be cared for. Just MY 2 2 cents.

Back to pinting, as I said, it won’t look good which is why that is off the table. If I am going to remove it, I might as well do so carefully and perhaps refinish it and use as accents or as I said on a vaulted ceiling where a new install I can close up the seams a bit, hopefully. And have you seen the price of wood, lately? With tariffs it is going to go up a lot so I might as well save it for something or someone or a future project there or elsewhere. I bet I could build a whole shed and still have tons left over, too.

I have checked out the peel and stick, and it is pretty thick, but yes, I did think of lining the walls first, so thank you to that person. When you say it’s permanent, I am puzzled though. I have seen many a decorating show, especially the British ones, where wallpaper and liner is removed. I guess it;s all about the glue. Anyway, I look forward to other suggestions, but if it’s to paint it, no thanks. It just would look awful.

Please post an update when you are ready.

Will do, but now I am thinking either oxalic acid to bleach the wood, anaglypta up to a chair rail or on top of a chair ril and pinted a deep color, or….Laser cleaning!!!!

Sorry, having trouble with my “a”s!