Wood paneling

House Repair Talk

Help Support House Repair Talk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
T

TxBuilder

Guest
We have some old wood paneling in the living room my wife wants to paint. Anyone here have some pictures of theirs or examples of painted wood paneling?

I am having a hard time visualizing it looking good. I think it might be better to tear it down but curious to see pictures of it painted.
 
I will try to send a picture later - do not have one handy yet but I can tell you what a difference it can make - My home I bought had paneling - I hate paneling - but it was painted a cream color. I have been able to live with it for 3 years, otherwise that would have been the first thing that came down in my remodel efforts. You have to look close to notice it is paneling. It does take alot to get into every grove however, and I would use a primer the first coat.
If you are creative here is another idea my friend did over her paneling - she did the "tuscan" look - used sheet rock mud and put on in random patterns with the putty knife. This made it look like old stucco - and you could not tell it was paneling she did this over - then she painted the walls.
Hope that helps some for you.
 
I painted all these walls over 10 years ago. The original paneling was dark walnut, circa 1978. Two coats of tinted Zinsser Bullseye 123(water based) and two coats of latex enamel---15 year warranty paint by Glidden.

Minefieldandwalls004.jpg


Minefieldandwalls005.jpg


Minefieldandwalls003.jpg


I purposely used a brush, as roller painted paneling looks fake.
 
Both look great! Now I can visualize what it's going to look like. Good tip on using a brush vs. a roller. I will post pictures of my project once I finish.
 
Dont forget to use a low gloss paint or you will see all the imperfections. Also it will show the wavy look if you are not propely fastened.

Good luck!
Brian:)
 
What do you mean properly fastened? <--- Edit: Looking at again nevermind. DUHHH!!!!

Tom can you outline what you did please. Did you just apply a coat of primer then a coat of paint? Take any special precautions or did any special techniques?
 
A coat of Kilz 2 stain-blocking latex primer with a short nap roller, 1/4". Then two coats of Porter 100 series Hi-hide interior latex also applied with a short nap roller. Make sure the roller spins freely on the frame or the roller will just slide on the slick paneling. Use wax on the frame or WD-40 before you start. Caulk everything right after you prime. The primer will make everything you need to caulk plainly visible. The short nap rollers will let the grain show through the paint as you can see in the second picture. If you don't want the grain to show or if you have patches or other imperfections, paint with a 3/8 nap roller and do 3 coats of paint. I barely did any prep at all. I drove down a few nails, added a nail in a couple of places, not much else.

I've done the same thing to many other homes and our local Farm Bureau Insurance office. The demonstration I did for them was; I painted a sample color on a scrap of paneling with a piece of scrap casing glued to it. I painted it in the manager's office. I went back the next day, pulled out a sharp 5 in 1 tool and I couldn't scrape it off. He asked (skeptically) how sharp it was so, I Planed off the edge of the paneling with it. He was impressed, Hey! I was impressed! That was 4 or 5 years ago, the office still looks great. My kitchen was painted this way 4 years ago and the only problem is where my son's chair rubs the wall.

Tom in KY, shhhhh, I told Sandy that I'd put up a chair rail 2 or 3 years ago. Heh-heh.
 
keep in mind if the carrier in your new finish is the same as the carrier i the original it may may re-activate it and cause lots of problems, it may not adhere it may bubble it may,,,etc... make sure to give it a good wash first with tsp no matter what (tri sodium phosphate)
 
Will someone post the pics of the painted paneling again? I would really like to see what it looks like. What do you mean by the "carrier" in the old finish? The finish on the top of the wood paneling?
 
Fixer-Upper said:
What do you mean by the "carrier" in the old finish? The finish on the top of the wood paneling?

In relation to finishes the term carrier refers to the solvent or base that carrys the finish, or solid materials.

A finish is basically a blend of solid materials suspended in liquid form usually by some type of solvent. when exposed to an open environment, open can, or rolled on wall, the solvents escape the solution and leave the solids behind. hence the varying toxic stench when you paint or finish, hope this helps.

if you desire more info on this, I'll go into detail or explain further. Their is a great deal of science involved in finishing, that's why most people end up with poor refinshes and don't know why.
 
So this tri sodium phosphate thing can be bought at a hardware store? How does one apply it?
 
i believe you can buy it at any home improvement store. directions on box. it's like a detergent. water plus tsp is all. it's just a good surface prep for this sort of thing.
 
Bought a Place for a rental which was owned by a two pack a day smoker for years. The panelling was actually tacky from tar. After a thorough cleaning two coats of white pigmented shellac (Bin or Kilz) and two oats of paint they looked like they could have been new walls. That was ten years ago and no bleed through yet. I'm not a panelling fan by any stretch but I have to say they looked pretty damn good. She wants them painted... go for it.
 
Tom can you take some more pictures of your paneling from a distance.
 
Looks great on those pics. Anyone have the pics of painted paneling?
 
Hi all,

We have the same problem and from this thread looks like painting is a reasonable and fast way to disguise the paneling.

I have a question though -- our paneling is not real boards, it's just a think wooden particle board with thin strips of wood on top. I call it (rightly or wrongly) faux paneling.

Do I approach this like I would a real wood paneling? Are there special steps required?

So far I have:

  • Clean paneling with TSP
  • Apply stain-blocking latex primer
  • Wax the frames
  • Caulk everything
  • 2 coats of low gloss paint

Also -- waxing the frames is to stop the paint from bleeding into the frames?
 
Back
Top