7 Wood Paneling Decorating Ideas

Wood paneling can make a room feel darker and outdated. The obvious question is, why not remove the paneling? The answer is that you never know what the condition of the wall is underneath or the damage that might be done in removing it. The problem can be solved with some decorating ideas that will change the wall or distract the eye from it.

Paint the Paneling

To create a fresher and lighter feeling you can paint the wall. Clean it well with TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) diluted in water. Let it dry and apply a primer. Then paint over it.

Fill in the Grooves

If you want to fill in the grooves then use spackling or caulk to fill them in and remove any excess with a putty knife. Let the filler dry. Then sand lightly if needed. Once the walls are prepared apply primer and paint the color of your choice.

Stripe the Grooves

Use the grooves to your advantage. Create a striped wall by taping off the grooves and painting them in. This could be a good look for a child’s room if you use a colorful paint for the stripes.

Wallpaper

You can hang wallpaper over the paneling but it will need some preparation. First clean the walls and let dry. Then, either fill in the ridges or use a heavy wallpaper liner.

Cover It Up

If you can’t change the wall then cover it. Hang floor to ceiling fabric curtains across the paneled wall.  These fabric panels can actually give the illusion that you have a huge window there and the fabric can make an elegant decorating statement.  Another way to cover it up is to use a large piece of furniture on that wall like a bookshelf or entertainment systems. Even hanging a large piece of artwork or tapestry will take the attention off of the wall and direct it toward the art.

Brown Bagging

Brown bagging can be used to cover up wood paneling. This technique is similar to wallpaper but instead of hanging the paper in rolls decorative or plain paper is torn into irregular pieces and then applied to the wall. This was originally done with the paper from brown bags but you can choose any heavy paper. There are special products made that let you simply apply water to the paper otherwise use wallpaper paste of the back of the strips. Then place them on the wall layering them over each other. This gives a faux finish look with an old-world texture. The texture also hides the grooves in the paneling although you may need more layers than you would on a flat wall.

If You Can’t Beat ‘em Join ‘em

If you don’t have the budget or time to change the room then decorate in a retro way with the 1950’s in mind with a Mid-Century modern look with sleek furniture and atomic prints. Use the pink, turquoise and mint green pastel colors so popular during that decade. Work with the room instead of against it.