The ONE outdated thing in our house is paneling in our family room. Granted, out of all the paneling that it could be, I like it better than others, but it still looks outdated. It is original to the house and we know that underneath it has never been drywalled, it's just wood. We don't want the time or energy to drywall it underneath, so it's either leave it we've been here 6 years) or paint it.
Have any of you ever painted paneling? Did you like the way it turned out? What kind of paint did you use (satin, semi gloss, flat...) and did you have to prep the paneling in any way?
My neighbor had the same issue, covered hers in textured wallpaper, and then painted it, but I'm not interested in wallpaper. My in-laws have a small painted paneling section, and it doesn't look bad, but it's also not a wall, just a lower section under cabinets. It's also off-white, and I would want to paint ours a color, not neutral.
If any of you have pictures of painted paneling I'd love to see them! TIA

By Kate on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 12:09 pm:

Scuff it with sandpaper. Don't SAND it, just SCUFF it to rough it slightly so the paint adheres better. Then visit your paint store and get a primer that works on paneling (the paint guys can tell you) and then paint! Mine were not personally done by me, but the finish on them is a gloss. I, personally, would go flatter than a gloss. You don't want flat, of course, as it shows every imperfection, but maybe an eggshell or pearl (those are two Benjamin Moore finishes). In case someone suggests this to you, I would NOT try and caulk the spaces between the paneling to try and make the wall flat. It's extremely hard to do that perfectly and your wall will just look bumpy. My family room is painted paneling but I don't have a pic. It's a VERY creamy color, WAY too yellow for me (buttery!!!), but more of a 'color' than a neutral. It's certainly not an ideal fix, but it will definitely brighten up your room and make it look larger than wood paneling.

By Karen~moderator on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 01:26 pm:

Ditto Kate! I'd use eggshell finish paint, in a neutral color such as, by coincidence, eggshell, or one of those earthy, taupy colors. That way you can decorate with bolder colors with accents in your furnishings and decor and wall decor. I've seen some painted-over paneling that really looks great - one that comes to mind in particular, in a beach setting (naturally! LOL) that I loved.

By Reds9298 on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 03:14 pm:

The only reason I don't want to go neutral is because my carpet is cream colored and my furniture is very neutral (browns, creams). I'm afraid there wouldn't be a contrast and there's just no color right now.

By Pamt on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 03:26 pm:

Is it real wood paneling or the fake 70s stuff? We have painted over both with good results. You need to lightly sand--we used an orbital sander. Then wipe down the paneling really well to get rid of all of the residue. You will then need to prime with Kilz and then paint. In our former house we painted over old knotty pine paneling with flat paint. I always thought it looked too chalky. Also, if you have real wood with knotholes, put extra primer on them so they don't start to bleed through paint. In our current house we had the cheap fake paneling, but just below the chairrail so we ripped it off and put up beadboard and then painted that.

I am all for color and not a big fan of neutrals myself. Every room in our house is a different color. With the color palette you described in the room (carpet, furniture) a mossy green or a light terra cotta might be really pretty.

Have fun and be sure to post before and after pics!

By Jann on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 03:27 pm:

Most of the houses in my neighborhood have painted paneling in the den. My neighbor did a wonderful dark sage in hers another did sort of a goldish mustard color. If you prime it really well, it will look great. You can even have your primer tinted the same color as your paint. It won't look like a smooth wall, but it looks fine.

By Karen~moderator on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 05:48 pm:

Based on the neutral furniture, I'd go with something like Pamt or Jann suggested then. Either of those colors would probably look great!

By Reds9298 on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 08:42 pm:

I agree about the colors. I had thought of those. It IS real wood paneling. You guys have given me a lot of good suggestions on how to go about painting it! Thanks a lot and I'll let you know how it goes!

By Feona on Monday, July 25, 2005 - 07:15 am:

We had cherry paneling that was stained green (yuck) We just primed it with primer and painted it white.

By Breann on Friday, July 29, 2005 - 05:28 pm:

My MIL painted the paneling in their house. She wouldn't recommend scuffing it up first. Paneling is so old that that could cause a big mess. She primed it real well and then painted it. It looks so much lighter and brighter in their house now without that dark wood paneling.