Painting over paneling...does it look good?

[Mommie2MadLyn]

Marisa, I think I remember you saying you painted some paneling in your new house. Did it come out nice?

We are moving into an older house, that has A LOT of paneling!!! We are planning to paint right over most of it because it just seems easier than tearing it all down. BUT...does anyone have pics that you could share of a finished project? I just want to get an idea of what it will look like.

Also, any recommendations on what type of paint/primer works best on paneling?

Thanks so much!

[psophia17]

When my parents bought their farm, it came with a tenant house chock full of panelling, which my mother painted over in one room. I was only a baby at the time, but the one room where the panelling was painted is really nice-looking 25 years later, whereas the rooms with the panelling unpainted are dark and uninviting as they always have.

I'm sure she used whatever was cheapest at the time...wash the panelling first, let it dry completely (at least a day or two), prime and paint. Depending on the panelling, you might want to give the walls a once-over with sandpaper, but I doubt you'd need to. If in doubt, take a small piece of panelling to a neighborhood hardware store, and they should be able to tell you - goodness knows the teenager working at Home Depot won't know :)

[babymama]

I'll comb thru some pics in my shutterfly account tonight. My mom painted over paneling in her living room. It's not the loveliest thing in the world, but it's a billion times better than the brown wood paneling. She painted her's white.

I don;t think my mom used primer. I think she went with straight up white wall paint - multiple coats, obviously.

Lydia
Mama to Santiago, born 11/16/03 and
One on the way, due 01/03/06

[dowlinal]

Tracey,

We painted over paneling in the basement of our new house for Madeline's playroom. I'll post a picture tonight when I get home. I really love it and it's soooo much better than the scary 1970s blacn & white fake wood that was there.

I think you do need to use a special primer or the paint can peel. I will ask DH the details and post them with the pictures.

A

ETA - For some reason I cna't get my pics to upload. I asked DH and we used Kilz odorless oil based primer and a latex paint.

[pritchettzoo]

Our house was built in 1980, and it had beautiful country-style paneling on the bottom half of the walls in the living/family room. We painted over ours in an off-white color and painted the top half a different color (a sage-y green). It looks MUCH better (IMO).
Before:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/27654.jpg

After:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/27655.jpg

You'll need to scrub the wood down with something to get the dust and gunk off, then prime. I think we used Kilz or something that would go over oil-based stain (just in case!). They make special wood primer too. Then topped with regular latex.

Anna
Mama to Gracie (Sept '03)
and a BOY! (coming July '05)

[Marisa6826]

Yup. It was me. It looks beautiful. I'll have to take some pics - the room still isn't finished so I don't have any on hand. I can show you some before and afters, as well. We did a kind of khaki with creamy white moulding.

Use Kilz primer (it's white and STINKS but works) and then two or three coats of latex depending on the colour and coverage.

It's a lot of work but totally worth it.

-m

[alkagift]

We've done it. It depends on how nice the detail is on your wood--is it real wood or some type of paneling sheets? The reason I ask is that it might determine how much work it will be.

We had dark knotty pine paneling, 1" thick with heavy grooves. We painted it a faint off white and it looks really good. We used Kilz Premium. Knotty pine has a lot of tannins in the knotty part so it took, and I'm not kidding, six coats of primer and two coats of color. It looks pretty good, though, I have to say, even though it's my den and it's a casual room.

I'll see if I can post a cropped piece of the wall (it's small in relation to the rest of the pic)


Allison
Mommy to Matthew Clayton, who is TWO!

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/27663.jpg

[aim]

I don't have a picture but, I helped a friend paint over paneling in her basement rec room. We used Kilz primer (stinky, take precautions, another friend got really lightheaded after working for too long) and three coats of latex paint. Looks great. Not as good as if there were not grooved paneling under the paint, but totally acceptable

Amy
Bennett 1-14-04

[Nooknookmom]

we have painted over LOTS of paneling. The outcome will definately depend on the current condition of the paneling (if it is chipped, warped,etc.). All of the paneling we have painted has come out great, sure brightens up a room!

Very important question:

Is it a stained paneling or painted paneling?

If it is painted and you are moving into a house built before 1978 test for lead first. If it is stained I highly recommend using an *oil-based* primer such as Zinsser Cover Stain. On stubborn paneling, even Kilz won't seal the stain.

You can also use caulk to fill in any cracks in the paneling that look nasty. If you have any other questions, please ask!

HTH :)

[proggoddess]

We painted over our paneling in DD's room. We used an alkyd primer that was tinted to match our paint, then we used latex paint over it. The web pages I read all recommended the primer to seal in the oil-based stains that were probably used on the paneling. It prevents any bleeding of the dark color from coming through. Her room looks so much better and brighter than it used to be, and the grooves are an interesting detail and don't look bad at all.

Here is a before and after picture:


http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/27665.jpg


http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/27666.jpg

[aliceinwonderland]

wow, that looks very good: the paneling does not even look like wood anymore!
e.

[mimieliza]

We are renting a house that has paneling in the living room that has been painted over. It's not the most beautiful look, but it is WAY better than if the paneling wasn't painted. The main problem in this house is that the landlord uses gloss paint for EVERYTHING, so all the detail and imperfections really show up.

So I guess from my limited knowledge, I would suggest using a matte paint.

I think painting over the paneling in your new house would be good to just get it covered up. Then, if you want to tackling removing the paneling you can do that later.

[amp]

My parents did it, and it made a WORLD of difference. Sorry I don't have pics or tips for you, but just wanted to chime in that it does work well.

[Mommie2MadLyn]

Thanks for all the responses! The before/after pics really do look great!

The paneling is definitely stained sheets, not thick pieces of wood. We had heard about using the Kilz first to prime the walls, so we will do that.

I'm glad to see that it will make a big difference, although I am NOT looking forward to all the work!!! :) Like I said there is a LOT of paneling...just about every room! UGH!

[babystuffbuff]

I'm coming a little late to the party here, but wanted to let you know that DH's family beach house had awful paneling that got painted over, and it looks great! Really, it's a world of difference from the dark fake wood to the new, light cream color of the paint. The rooms aren't very big, but it has really opened up a lot after the paint job.

I don't know specifically about which paint they used, but I have been using Kilz paint for my house, and it is super. It covers very well with one coat, and the paint still goes a long way. When my mom was visiting, she told me to buy 5 gallons to do the living room, the stairwell, and the upstairs hallway. Well, we did all that, plus the kitchen, and still have more than 2 gallons left! And we didn't have to put a second coat on anything. Guess which color our bedroom is going to be now. :)

HTH,

Sarah