Stop Hating the Paneling: Paint It Instead

Two of the most important rooms in our home had paneling when we bought it: the bedroom and the dining area of the kitchen. The paneling in the kitchen had a scenic, country design. The bedroom paneling was more plain, but still hurt my eyes when I looked at. I decided to try painting the paneling because paneling is one of my least favorite wall coverings.

What’s Wrong With Paneling?

That answer might be “nothing” for some of you. For me it’s “a lot.” When my parents renovated the old house they bought they put up tan paneling in my bedroom. The paneling was decorated with what looked like black worm holes. It was supposed to look like wood. Except it looked like fake wood with black lines between the panels. I disliked it so much I covered every inch of my bedroom walls with magazine images and posters of Billy Idol.

What’s Right With Paneling?

When paneling is correctly applied the walls are flat. Older homes are not always so lucky, making the discovery of paneling in an older home a good find. The paneling provided a flat and smooth surface for the primer and the paint. Although the paneling had been there for decades it was in very good shape and only a few small nail holes.

How to Paint Paneling

1. Clean the paneling – Yes, you should clean before you paint. When I worked one summer repainting concrete walls in dorms at UMass we did not clean the walls first, thankfully. But in your own home, take the time to clean before applying your primer.

2. Fix any blemishes in the paneling. – Remove any nails or tacks and fill holes with putty.

3. To Sand or Not To Sand – You can sand the paneling if you want, however, because I was pressed for time to paint the paneled rooms, I skipped this step. I had no problems getting the primer and the paint to stick to the paneling. Unless I tell people, nobody realizes the walls used to be paneled.

If you’re unsure about sanding, choose an out of the way area to make two test squares marked with masking tape. Sand one and not the other and prime them both. Compare the results. Do the same with one and then two layers of paint and see if you tell the difference.

4. Paint the Ceiling – Before you do the walls, paint the ceiling. If you don’t do it first, you’ll wish you had when you’re done.

5. Prime the paneling – If you’re using a latex paint, use a water-based primer. Be sure to properly ventilate the room, using a fan or opening windows if you can.

6. Paint the paneling – Once the primer has dried you can paint the paneling in your chosen color. After it’s dried, evaluate if you need to apply a second coat. In the kitchen I used a kitchen paint on the walls and that worked just as well on the paneling as the regular latex paint did on the bedroom walls.

7. Get creative – If you want to add an easy design element to one or more walls consider alternating two or more colors with the panels. Because the paneled wall in our kitchen/dining area was visually separated with a strip of molding, I decided to use two colors on the upper panels. At first the entire wall except for the trim was the same color. It’s more interesting and surprising with alternating panels of color.