Repainting wood paneling

Hello, DIYers. I just round this forum in a Google search and thought I would see if anyone can help me figure this out....

The previous owner of my home painted over the wood paneling in the den, but she did it without priming or doing anything else to treat the surface first. Miraculously, the paint has pretty much stayed on and doesn't look half bad -- only one of two little dings where the wood shows through. The paneling is not "glossy."

The color, however, is not good, and we want to change it. My husband says painting over the existing paint would be a waste of time because we'd be painting over other paint that isn't well adhered. He says we will have to sand the whole room (it's rather big). I'm hoping there's an easier way. Can I prime over the existing paint and then paint over that? Kilz? Anything?

Thanks for any tips!

 

Welcome to the forums!

Your husband is right, if the existing paint isn't bonded to the paneling, the new paint won't be either. It's hard to say if a new coat of paint will be ok or cause the old paint to start lifting

I'd sand the paneling with 100 or 120 grit sandpaper. Be sure to sand up and down and not sideways. Cross sanding might show up as scratches in the paint. Primers can't magically lock down the old paint although Zinnser does make a primer called Peel Stop that is supposed to penetrate the old paint to keep it from peeling. I've never used it so I can't say if it's effective or not.

link for peel stop - RustOleum.com

 

Marksr, thanks so much for your feedback and the info on Peel Stop! I'll check into that further and see if it's worth trying or if I need to hire someone to come in and do the sanding.