How to Paint Paneling

Have you ever wondered if you can paint paneling?

What once was a staple in homes from the 1960’s to the mid 1980’s paneling has now been limited in use for the last 10 plus years.

We are asked on occasion the feasibility of painting versus removing paneling.

Removing paneling often reveals the unknown behind it.

•  Was it installed to hide walls in need of repairs?
•  Did they glue the paneling to the walls and now the walls required hours of additional labor?
• on one of our last proposals for a paneling project we found the floor was installed against the baseboard and the baseboard was installed over the paneling which would require new baseboard installed and possibly disrupting the floor.

In most cases painting over the paneling in a room is quicker and less expensive than removing the installed paneling.

How to paint paneling:

1. Light sand or scuff all paneling to remove gloss and sheen
2. wipe down and wash all surfaces
3. apply one coat of oil based stain blocking primer, in most cases we use the Benjamin Moore low
   

   painting paneling Methuen, MA 01844 completed

   odor interior primer. * please note many primers can be tinted to match or come close to your finish color to provide a good base for starting your project.

4. Caulk all seams (where two pieces of paneling touch) with a quality latex caulking.
5. fill any nail holes now visible with quality wood putty and finish smooth. * we caulk and fill nails after priming as they are more visible than prior to priming.
6. Apply paint to cover and in most cases it requires two coats of paint.

You will still see the graining and lines in paneling but with a couple of days labor you can transform a room.

A couple of notes for the project:

• oil primer is prefered as you will have tannin bleed from the paneling which is a discolor on the paint as the tannin oils of the paneling bleeds thru primer and paint if you do not seal the paneling.
• please make sure you follow the directions of the drying time of the caulking.
• keep a good air flow in the room as the primer smell is sometimes strong to some people.

If this seems to much of a project or you have any other paint related questions, i would be more than answer them,  please contact me at https://ramsdenpainting.com or call us at 978-683-9119