How to Update Old Paneling with Paint

Wood paneling might have been popular in the seventies, and while it still has the possibility of looking modern today, most homeowners find that they prefer to paint over it and update the look of their rooms, rather than just living with what usually looks like a very dated wall covering. If you are interested in updating your old paneling with paint, ye be warned. It is not as easy as painting over a plaster wall. That is not to say that it is impossible or even that it is difficult—just that it takes a few more steps and a little bit more care than your standard painting job. Here’s how to update old paneling with paint:

1. Gather your supplies. You are going to need a putty knife, painter’s tape, primer, a paint roller, your interior paint color, and a paint tray. In addition you might want wood filler and a drop cloth. Making sure that you have all of the supplies that you need is the best way to ensure that you do not have to stop in the middle of this process and go find or buy something. This could kill your momentum, which might mean that you give up on your painting project when you are only halfway done.

2. Take a look at your paneling. Before you start doing anything else, you need to inspect the paneling to make sure that you have a clear idea of what you want to do and what you should do. In some cases, it might actually be less labor intensive to just remove paneling from the walls and paint the walls underneath. If your paneling was adhered to the wall with adhesive and nails, however, it likely will actually damage the walls to take it down. It is also important to determine what your paneling is made out of, so that you can determine how much prep work you need to do.

3. Start preparing your paneling. What you do during this phase will depend on whether or not you want the texture of the paneling to be visible through your paint. If you want to retain the texture of the wood, you probably will not need to do very much prep work. If, however, you want to create a smooth layer to receive the paint, you might want to actually fill the seams and any other holes, giving yourself a perfectly flat layer to paint over.

4. Prepare your area. The very first thing you should do, even before cleaning your paneling, is put down your drop cloth. Put it around every surface that you are going to painting and over anything that you do not want to get paint on, especially if you are going to be moving around the room and painting many different areas. You do not want to accidentally step on a drip of paint and then transfer that trip onto your carpet as you walk to the other side of the room to paint a different wall.

5. Wash your walls. Whether you have filled and sanded your walls to give you a smooth surface or whether you want to retain the texture of the wood, the next step of your project is to wash the walls. You can use a cleaning product that will cut through the grease, but make sure that no residue is left behind when you are done cleaning the area you are about to paint.

6. Mask anything you do not want painted. Even if you already know exactly what you do and do not want to paint, masking can be a great way to prevent errant brush strokes or drips from getting paint on parts of the wall that you absolutely do not want to paint.

7. Prime and then paint! Your last step is to actually prime and paint your walls. While you might skip primer or use a combination paint and primer if you were just painting normal walls, it is important to use at least one coat of primer when painting over wood paneling. Wood is very absorbent and will suck up paint very quickly. Priming prevents the expensive paint you have paid for from being sucked up into the wood, requiring you to add many different coats of paint in order to achieve a consistent layer of your desired color.

Painting over paneling can give your rooms a very fresh, renewed appearance. Follow these steps and you’ll be sure to get a beautiful, well-painted room with minimal work and trouble!