how would you go about painting wood paneling?

Question

The home I just bought has wood paneling, and I dont have the money to replace it, and it looks horrid. What I want to do is kind of a tuscin look. Any one have ne ideas?

Answer 1

If you're going for a Tuscan look, I say take the paneling off the wall. (You may then have to do some spackling where the screws held the paneling to the wall.) If there is raw plaster underneath, you're in luck! Prime it and paint it and you will have a rustic look. If there is just drywall underneath then you will have to have someone come in and texture coat it (doing this yourself is time consuming and frustrating!) If there's a small inconspicuous place where you can take a piece of the paneling off the wall to see what's underneath I would suggest doing that first.

If you can't afford to replaster, then sand the paneling and prime and paint it. It will give you more of a French country look than a Tuscan look but it will still be Old World.

Answer 2

If the paneling is shiny at all, you need to treat it with a deglosser first, or use fine-grit sandpaper on the surface before painting, or else the paint won't stick. If you go the sandpaper route, be sure all dust from the sanding process is thoroughly wiped off before painting. Then paint with a light-colored primer, and top with one or two coats of acrylic paint (eggshell or satin finish) in any color you wish. Primer is really important, because paneling is more porous than drywall, so you don't want it to absorb your expensive top layer if you had skipped the primer step!

There is a method of putting a sort of spackling over the paneling, so those panel lines don't show through the paint, but it sounds messy and expensive to me (although probably still cheaper and less complicated than taking the paneling down and putting up new drywall).

The site below has links to lots of other sites with more detailed instructions.

Answer 3

We bought a fixer-upper that was trapped in the seventies and had paneling. We were able to rip it off and expose the drywall underneath. We spackled and sanded the holes. We did have to replace all the woodwork: baseboards and door moldings.

In the livingroom we had to leave the paneling up. Sand/de-gloss the surface. Prime and paint.

There is a new primer out now that claims you do not have to sand first-that it sticks to even glossy surfaces. If Home Depot doesn't have it then specialty paint stores like Sherwin Williams will. (There is even paint out now that sticks to laminates. I find that amazing.) That product will save you a bundle of time if you don't have to sand.

If you use this wonder primer, you must still first clean the walls and fill any nail holes. Don't worry about the vertical lines in the paneling. It will look fine after it is painted.

The Tuscan look is sun-bleached, often in soft golds and ambers. To get this look you'll need a base color and at least two glaze colors. Dry brushing is one method to get the effect you want. I recommend the grandaddy of all faux finishing books:

'Paint Recipes: A Step by Step Guide' by Liz Wagstaff.

This details the materials, techniques, tools, processes and everything you can imagine in an easy-to-use format. If your Books-a-Million (or whomever) doesn't have it they can order it.

I have glazed and/or striped many walls in both that fixer-upper and in my new home. Paint is the magic bullet to decorating. You will love it the difference it makes in your space.

Good luck!

Answer 4

This doesn't really answer the question, but if you are putting in wood floors why not 86 the paneling? Painted paneling looks like cr-p especially when you have a nicely installed floor contrasting against it. Even if you paint it you still get those vertical lines. It's like having a nice looking '69 Chevelle with cheap discount tires - bald ones at that. If you decide you don't like the way the wall looks after the floor goes in and wanted to get rid of it you could damage the floor. Remember you will have to look at those walls for a long time.

Answer 5

About 10 years ago my husband and I wanted to cover up some paneling in a house we were trying to sell. He used a special kind of wallpaper that covers anything. I don't remember where he got it- just a paint store. You could buy it either with a design in it or plain. It was designed to cover up walls with a lot of damage. It wasn't hard to put up and then you can paint it. It worked perfectly. I don't know if it is still sold, but it would be worth looking into. It saved us a lot of money and work.

Answer 6

First and foremost use a good primer like Zinsser or Bear from The Home Depot. If you want a Tuscan look, go with a faux finish. If you go to Home Depot or Lowes the Paint Deapartment can help you with the different faux technics. It's all actually very simple, just a lot of work.

Answer 7

First I need to know What kind of wood paneling it is.
Is it light or dark or do you have both. If so what you need to do is very, very carefully remove all debris, (dirt, smoke, dust) with a mild solution of 3 parts Vinegar, 2 parts dish soap and warm water. Let dry completely. Then start removing section by section and send to my house e-mail me for my address cs' I've been searching all damn day to find wood paneling GIVE IT UP and go with drywall!!!! AM REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT SENDING IT TO ME!

Answer 8

I wouldn't try to paint it, cover it with half inch Sheetrock/wallboard do the mudding and sanding yourself and paint it. you could try to tear the paneling off but if it's glued that could be a real headache.

Answer 9

Kilz it first so it will look smooth and then paint it. Panelling is very poreous, so it may take about two coats of the kilz. Be sure and let it completely dry between coats!

Answer 10

Use a real good primer like "Kilz" and then you can paint it. I would use a good Latex paint "semi-gloss", don't use flat I've tried it and it sucks you can't hardly clean it and it shows everything.