Re-Painting Painted Wood Paneling?

Question

My husband and I just bought our first home. It is a fixer-uper in need of a lot of "little" things. I will have many questions - but this one applies to wood paneling covering most of the walls of the house.
The upstairs has wood paneling painted a glossy white. We initally wanted to pull it all off - but after removing one panel and seeing the horrid condition of the walls beneath it - we have decided we must try something different.

Ideally I would like to find away to smooth out the walls so they no longer appear to be wood panels. I would like to paint the rooms and apply some borders I have picked for my daughters.

The dining room also has unpainted wod paneling in a smooth greeninsh color. Yuck.

What is the best way to deal with these panels? The painted ones? The un-painted? Can anyone recommend methods and/or books to guide us?

Answer 1

After adding the cost of covering up the paneling and prepping it you could tear out the paneling and what is behind it. In doing this you can add insulation and hang drywall. It will look much better and help with heating and cooling bills.

Answer 2

My house was and is a fixer upper. In one of the bedrooms we had floor to ceiling wood paneling. I roughed up the surface of the glossy paneling first, then applied sheet rock mud to the grooves. After the mud dried I washed off any excess with a damp cloth, primed with Kilz paint and then painted the walls. 15 years and lots of remodling later you still can't tell that they ever were the "fake" paneling. Good luck and have fun. Older houses have charm and they are a lot of fun to have.

Answer 3

I am a pro. painter for a living.
You can paint out the paneling/remove it.If you want to smooth out the walls...........tear it out.......put up new drywall...have a good day!!!!