Just purchased a 120year old farm house. Living room has the ugliest dark wood panelling-take out or stay????

Answer 1

If dark, out. You can't stain it.

Answer 2

That depends on a lot of things. I would say you need to consider your budget, your skill level when remodeling. If you take the paneling out and find old plaster walls behind there that need to be torn down and then you need to insulate (I'm guessing since it's that old) and then sheet rock the walls. If you are comfortable with that then that is what I would do. If not, I would paint the paneling and do maybe do a special painting technique over it. ie, rag rolling, a white washed or antiqued look. There are tons of possibilities. You just need to match your skills, budget and taste and then GIT ER DONE!

Answer 3

so happy you have this old house....it must have so much character to it. KEEP THE PANELLING..don't do anything right away...Clean it..and use something to condition it and most of all live with it for awhile before being too hasty....you can't put it back once you remove it....get some help from someone at your paint store about different washes you could use over it if you decide you cannot live with it...it would add interest. If you modernized it I think it would lose the wonderful farmhouse feeling you have already. Best of luck..

Answer 4

Tastes change through time and with individuals. I would suggest that, if the panelling is in good condition (although not to your taste), you keep it in situ but dry line over it. That way either you, or someone taking over the house at a future date, can restore it.

So many architectural features have been stripped from older houses with devastating consequences.

Answer 5

Depends. Is it the cheap tacky garbage that was popular in the 70's? Rip that stuff out.

Is it the real panelling, with frames and raised panels? Strip it, bleach it if necessary, refinish in a lighter tone, but above all keep it!

Answer 6

If you want to keep the farm house charm...I would sand the paneling and paint it white or antique white.

If you are dead set on modernizing everything and taking away the natural charm of the farm house then rip it out.

I recommend keeping the charm...why else would you buy an antique?

Answer 7

It depends. Are there laws about changing old buildings in your area? If not, then take it out if you don't like it. Or if you want to keep it because of the age of the property, panel over it with something more to your liking.

Answer 8

try painting it first, but if you find it warped or damaged in a high degree then remove it. Get a mold tester and check for mold or high spore counts, which cause health problems. Paneling wasn't created 120 years ago so it's up to you. Check for mold first before making final descision.

Answer 9

Hi,,,, i inherited my old house from my parents and have the same problem,,,, 1960 panneling everywhere...yuck.... i am going to take mine out.... and just re-paint the old tonge and groove wood behind it....i dont know about putting up drywall either.. sometimes that makes the room look weird.....

good luck

Answer 10

It's obvious you hate it so either take it out or paint it. Just make sure you know what's behind it or you might be making even more work for yourself than simply painting it. Good luck!

Answer 11

if you don't really like the look, paint it. I've seen paneling that has looked really nice painted, as long as it's done right. The ridges and extra texture makes it look unique.