# Wood paneling



## TxBuilder

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.


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## smalllake

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.


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## Square Eye

Painted paneling.
View attachment 13


View attachment 14


View attachment 15


Not so bad, not so good. Looks better than it did.

Tom in KY, hot, fast and cheap.


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## HandyMac

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.

















I purposely used a brush, as roller painted paneling looks fake.


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## TxBuilder

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.


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## inspectorD

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


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## TxBuilder

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?


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## Square Eye

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.


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## milehigh_woodcrafter

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)


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## Fixer-Upper

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?


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## Square Eye

Pics


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## Fixer-Upper

Thanks a lot!


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## milehigh_woodcrafter

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.


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## Fixer-Upper

So this tri sodium phosphate thing can be bought at a hardware store? How does one apply it?


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## milehigh_woodcrafter

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.


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## Porter418

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.


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## TxBuilder

Tom can you take some more pictures of your paneling from a distance.


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## Square Eye

TxBuilder said:
			
		

> Tom can you take some more pictures of your paneling from a distance.



Yep, I have one.

View attachment 51


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## Sauna

Looks great on those pics. Anyone have the pics of painted paneling?


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## JamesPatre

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?


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## Square Eye

When I say wax the frame, I mean the paint roller frame. This is so the roller will move freely on the frame. The frame without wax or WD-40 may stick occasionally and the roller may drag and not roll. 

The pictures are a semi-gloss paint.

With particle board, i'd use a damp rag with the TSP solution to prevent soaking. You want to just wash the smooth surfaces. If TSP gets in the wood it could cause problems later.

You can do this. It has worked for lots of people before.

Good luck, and post some pics when you finish!

Tom in KY


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## JamesPatre

Thanks for the advice Square Eye.

We ripped the paneling off one wall because it was in a bad condition. As expected behind it is a thinly painted concrete wall with a grid of dried glue. We tried chipping the glue (slow work) and sanding away the bumps (more slow work), then applying primer then paint, but still the imperfections showed.

Any ideas on how to hide this wall without resorting to drywall installation? Maybe a textured paint? Darker color?


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## Square Eye

Maybe you could use a block filler.
I know you said it's concrete, but block filler goes on fairly easy and expands slightly to fill the imperfections in blocks. 
Maybe, it will work for you in this situation.

Other than that, the only way I know of to get a perfect finish on a wall like that is to glue drywall right over the concrete. Do a test to see if there is a moisture problem first, duct tape a piece of plastic to the wall (it needs to be the size of a plate or bigger), then after a day or 4, or a week, peel it off and look for moisture or dampness, discoloration, etc. on the wall.
If no trace of moisture, your options are wide open.
Slight moisture, try a sealer like UGL.
If the plastic is wet, find the problem.

The reason I suspect moisture is the fact that this wall was worse than the rest. Try the test, it may affect your decision of what to do.


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## ahmed ragab

Goooooood tip on using a brush


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