By Ellen Russell
A lot of people have dark wood paneling in their older homes. It darkens rooms and leaves homeowners feeling as if they have no decorative options save major remodeling to replace the paneling. Many people never consider painting dark wood paneling, but this inexpensive, quick decorating fix is a good way to go when remodeling with plasterboard or wall board is not an option.Painting wood paneling is fairly simple if the surface is properly prepared first. Paneling has a slick surface that doesn't readily accept paint. A good quality primer should be applied to wood paneling to give it a surface that can accept the paint, without peeling and blistering becoming a problem down the road. A light sanding before the primer coat will further encourage primer and paint adhesion.
The other benefit to priming is covering the dark color of the wood panels. Without a good primer coat, it may take three or more coats of paint to cover the dark paneling adequately so that trace of wood panel shows through. Primer can be tinted to closely match the color of the paint that will be applied as well. Tint primer in the same shade or a shade or two lighter, and only one or two coats of paint will be needed to cover dark paneled walls.
Grooves in paneling will not cover easily with a roller when applying primer or paint. Before the wall is rolled, the grooves in the wood paneling should be painted with a paintbrush. Fill in wood paneling grooves when the edges and corners of the walls are cut in. ("Cutting in" refers to painting about three inches along the edges and corners of the walls with a paintbrush before painting the wall surface with a roller. The distance should be wide enough to cover areas paint rollers cannot reach, or anywhere the roller might scrape and mark adjacent ceilings and floors.)
With cutting in complete and panel grooves painted, the paneled wall is ready to be rolled. Paint the paneled walls with a paint roller as you would any other wall surface.
As an alternative to simply covering wood paneling with paint, paneled walls can be skim coated with plaster, sanded and painted when the plaster is cured. Skim coating eliminates the need to hand paint grooves and provides a smooth, uniform wall surface that any visitor will take for drywall. Skim coating eliminates the need to rip down paneling and hang drywall, an extensive remodeling project to be sure. However, skim coating is a sizable project, much more involved than simply painting over paneled walls. It takes some practice to get the plaster even and fill smoothly over grooves, and some sanding is also involved. It is often worth hiring a contractor to skim coat the wall, then save the painting portion of the project for yourself.
Living with dark, outdated wood paneling is not a must. Even without a large remodeling and redecorating budget, paneled walls can be painted to create a brighter, better wall space in any living area for just a small investment of time and money. The difference created by simply painting paneled walls is dramatic, and an investment well worth the effort.
. Questions of a Do It Yourself nature should be submitted to our "
I had a question on how to remove the paint on paneling. The previous owner did not prime the paneling and now the paint is blistering and peeling off. I would want to repaint the paneling and understand that priming is a must first but just want to know the easiest way to remove the old paint first.