Q. Years ago, I opened an in-home child-care program. I had to treat my old knotty pine paneling with fire retardant. It used to be a beautiful accent in my beach cottage home. Now the finish on the ...

Old knotty pine paneling can be lightened and revitalized by removing the darkened varnish, but it’s a lot of work. Is it worth it? We think so, because once that nasty old varnish is gone, the wood’s ...