How To Paint Over Paneling

Paneled walls are staging a bit of a retro comeback. However, chances are if you have 30 year old wood paneling, it doesn’t look cool or retro, but dark and dated. How can you update the look?

You have several options here.

• Removing it. Sometimes paneling has been attached directly to the studs. If this is the case, removing it will be easy. You’ll have to hang new sheetrock, and remove and affiliate the trim - but you'll essentially have a brand new room.
  
  If the paneling has been glued to the underlying walls, the damage caused by removal may require extensive wall repair. Similarly, if your home is older with plaster walls, the paneling may have been hung to hide crumbling plaster. Figure out what’s behind the paneling and decide how much work you want to invest.
   

• If it is securely attached and you don’t want it to look like painted paneling but rather like regular walls, it can be top coated with drywall mud.
  
  You will need to clean and prime the walls with a good bonding primer. Caulk gaps. Skim coat to hide seams, grooves and irregularities. I do not recommend trying to achieve a perfect, smooth finish. Apply a texture - it's quite easy and you can be creative! Take extra care along baseboards and around trim, for a clean look. Prime and paint with two coats of desired finish. Check out my painting over wallpaper article for more detailed instructions.
   

• Wallpaper it! Clean and prime the paneling. Using a wallpaper liner is key to your success. You can buy this at any wallcovering store - make sure to hang it horizontally, as directed. Hang the wallpaper as directed. Consider textured or paintable wallpaper.
   

• Painting directly over the paneling is your easiest option – follow these steps.
  If necessary, use finish nails to tack down uneven seams.
  
  Wash it down with a grease-cutting detergent or TSP.
  
  Prime with a good bonding primer.
  
  Caulk gaps and seams, and fill and sand holes. If the paneling has a grain texture, use your finger to fill little holes so you don’t create big flat spots.
  
  Finish with two coats of good latex paint. I suggest flat paint, because the flatter the finish, the less irregularities will show. Most good paint companies now carry excellent washable flat paint.
  
  If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to jump over to the forums and ask away!

-Carina MacDonald

Carina MacDonald has been a painting contractor since
1979 and has tackled everything from large commercial buildings and Victorian homes to faux painting a child s room and wallpapering a bathroom. If it stands still long enough, she can figure out a way to paint it correctly!