Painting over wood paneling? HELP!

[MiaPia]

Our den is the ugliest room in the house. It is horrible 1970s wood paneling (and not the "nice" kind either - the ugly kind with the black stripes in it). The ceiling is a popcorn celing - with, I kid you not, glitter mixed into the popcorn medium. I know for now we can't tackle the celing, but I really want to do something about the walls. I've been bugging my husband for 2 years now, but there is always some other project that needs his attention. :

Well, I'm sick of looking at the ugly dark paneling. Can I tackle this myself? Would I be crazy to do it? Anyone have any tips or experience painting paneling? Thanks!

[sojourn]

I used to paint houses in college for extra money. I say GO FOR IT!

Now, as far as brands, I honestly don't remember. All I know about paint is that you want lead free. I have painted paneling before and you need a good primer-don't skimp there. Do two complete coats or at least one thick even coat of primer, let it set, then do your paint over the primer. You'll still see the paneling grooves, but at least your room will be a solid color, kwim? Painting isn't that hard and if you have big rollers and a couple of different sized brushes, & it doesn't take *that* long either. You probably already know to do sections at a time, use a drop cloth to protect flooring, use painter's tape to tape off border areas and remove or paint around plug outlet and lightswitch fixtures. (I think it is easier to unscrew them then paint and then put them back on).

[Red Sonja]

We have wood paneling in our family room too and it's definitely on my to-do list to repaint it! I like the top right picture in this article with the two different colors and want to try something like that.

[lightheart]

be sure to have a brush handy to get into the grooves where the roller doesn't. I say go for it, paint it! it will brighten things up and cheer you up ... maybe the glitter in the ceiling will really sparkle once the room is brighter!!

[superstella]

I really like that look with the two different colors! My "front" room (has our computers and a bunch of toys in it) is covered in dark, dark paneling and I hate it! It is good quality stuff here, but it doesn't help the feeling of being in a dungeon. Painting it is definitely on my to do list this summer.

[missi66]

Give it a light sanding.It will help the paint adhere to the surface.Also go talk to the paint people at the store.They will let you know what would be best for the primer coat. We did our 50's living room panelling and it turned out great!

[mommy2two babes]

I have painted similar panneling before. I would suggest the you prime the panneling before you paint it. It is easier than sanding. Also get a fluffy roller to allow it to get in the dark indents.

[sbgrace]

We had a dungeon family room. Dark, dark paneling. Orange carpet...complete with a yellow light lantern light fixture! (Oh and the popcorn ceiling with nice dark beams; and one wall is brick).

We got rid of the carpet and replaced the lighting fixtures, left the ceiling and brick, and painted the paneling white. Much, much better.

We didn't sand. We did do a really good primer, I think double coats as the paneling was so dark. Primer is key with paneling. I would do that rather than sand though. Paint should adhere well or has here for nearly 10 years. We did use good paint.

[Red Sonja]

Originally Posted by sbgrace

We had a dungeon family room. Dark, dark paneling. Orange carpet...complete with a yellow light lantern light fixture! (Oh and the popcorn ceiling with nice dark beams; and one wall is brick).

Our dungeon family room has brownish-orange shag carpet and a lovely beam across the lovely drop ceiling along with the paneling. I can't wait to get some primer and paint down here! And then down the road we'll replace the carpet too.

[katbomumof3]

our living room was the same, and i painted it, it was easy
i used prety good paint, but got it cheap (mistints) and mixed two colours together, so i was lucky i got a good shade
go for it, you'll be soo happy to get rid of the panelling look

[SugarAndSun]

We have actually painted this in two different house.

This is what we did and we had no problems. I would totally do it by myself, btw.

1. Lightly sand the walls, very quickly
2. Prime with BIN Primer. This stuff is totally toxic, but probably the only thing that will work in your situation. Do it while the kiddos are asleep and be sure to air out the room when it dries. You could even give it two coats if you want. I would suggest using a thick roller. It will get into the grooves without using a brush.
3. Paint in the color of your choice.

I would suggest that you paint the ceiling before the walls if you are going to do it. It will only take a few hours. You won't be able to get rid of the popcorn stuff, but at least you can nix the sparkles.

[quantumleap]

We painted the dark, hideous, wood panelling in our bedroom in our last appartment, and it turned out really nicely. I actually really like the stripy texture painted panelling gives.
Anyway, I'm sure this is totally toxic, and I may get my MDC membership revoked, but we washed the walls before priming with TSP (I think it's TSP, it's a powder that reminded me of borax, it's three letters, and the first is a T). No sanding required. We thought about sanding, but the paint store really recommended this TSP stuff instead, and I was game to avoid sanding (mess, labour, time, etc). It worked like a charm. We did one coat of (good!) primer and two coats of paint, and it felt like an entirely new room. A bigger new room, actually.

Have fun.

Katia

[Periwinkle]

This is an easy one. You have nowhere to go but UP.

Yes paint it, with a brush, making sure to thoroughly wash it (Spic N Span works GREAT), let it dry completely, and then prime it very well first. Plan on a minimum of 2 coats to cover the dark wood underneath.

I think a neutral color will work best - an off-white or beige will make it almost look like the grooves are intentional for a beadboard-type effect.

[honolula]

Originally Posted by lightheart

be sure to have a brush handy to get into the grooves where the roller doesn't.

NO.

For a few dollars more you can buy a quality plush roller cover (get the thickest one you can find). This will save you HOURS, maybe even days, depending on how much paneling you have.

I used a quality primer and Kilz paint when I renovated my little basement apartment from orange & brown 70's rec room HELL to the pretty living space it is, now.

[MiaPia]

:
Wow - lots of great info! Thanks you guys! I think I'm going to go get my supplies on Monday when the big kiddos are in school, and plunge in headfirst. I'm a bit intimidated because the room is pretty large - 20 x 12 and the ceiling is 12'. We're talking a lot of ugly paneling. But you all have definitely given me courage! I'll be sure to take before and after pics!

Any more info? Keep it coming!

[karne]

I am here to offer support! Dh and I are renovating a large, old farmhouse with plenty of 1960's upgrades including heinous paneling. Mostly we've done thoughtful, tasteful renovations, but I could not live one more day in my disgustinly brown panelled kitchen. So we painted it with great quality Ben Moore paint. No sanding and no primer, so I'm sure we fail the painting exam, but it just had to be done before I lost my mind. And, it looks OK-not the great re-do we hope for later, but it makes being in that room fine for now. Then we tackled the staircase wall to the basement apartment!

[lanamommyphd07]

ditto on the light sanding and primer. I'd even go two coats of primer. Also, to make the whole job wondrous, I'd use a paint sprayer (especially for the bumpy ceiling. oooooh, so fast and efficient--but noisy). We used a sprayer for cement block walls and it was so much faster than the roller. I suspect a fluffy roller on panelling might slide around a bit on you as well--nothing to grab onto.

[mightymoo]

We've covered paneling with a special type of paper I think it was called 'liner paper', its thick nonprinted paper which is designed to cover the grooves and make the wall smooth and accept paint. If you would rather have a smooth wall than one which looks like painted panelling I recommend this. We did it on very rough wood paneling and it helped a lot, but would look much better on the kind of paneling you have - probably just like a regular wall.