by Debra on Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Hi there, I have a question about painting or white washing real wood paneling.
We have a VINTAGE 1975 house that we have recently purchased. I love the BONES of the house, but it is in need of some serious updating.
The den has real wood knotty pine paneling in a walnut type color finish. It is BEAUTIFUL but way to dark.
How can I update it a bit and lighten it up too. Without completely stripping it and refinishing it….NOT AN OPTION!
Thanks, Heather Milan
Heather,
Most paneling has a glossy surface (varnish?) and before you can paint or whitewash to lighten it you’ll have to “de-gloss” it.
Years ago I painted some ugly paneling and skipped this step. Huge mistake! The paint peeled away in huge strips. Not good.
I have since learned that all I needed to do was give it a light scuff-sanding (steel wool works) or there are de-glossing chemicals available at professional paint stores that you can use as well.
Once “de-glossed’ you’ll need to apply a good primer/sealer if you are going to paint. Behr has a good one at Home Depot, but Kilz is another good one (a little pricey though) and can be found most anywhere (even Wal-Mart). After you’ve primed it you are ready to paint it your favorite color.
White Wash Over Paneling
If you’d rather just “whitewash” the paneling you can skip the “primer” part and simply take a thinned down coat of white/off white paint (or a color can be used, too) and using a sponge (a regular sponge will work but one that fits in your hand nicely/comfortably) “wash” the walls.
To avoid “streaks” you will need to either wash in one direction (down the wall with the grain of the wood paneling) or you’ll need to soften your wash streaks with a woolie as you go and before your “wash” dries.
Too, if your wood is “raw” it will absorb the paint unevenly like rubbing chalk with water.
You may want to put a sealant on it like MinWax Ploycrylic first, then “ruff it up” before whitewashing over real wood paneling. Work in small sections of the panel and in a continuous flow (one long wipe down the wall rather than across two or three sections).
When you are finished seal your work with MinWax Polycrylic in and finish you like (Matte, Semi-Gloss, etc). This will protect your pretty new walls and allows you to wipe them clean with a damp cloth if necessary.
That Painter Lady – TAWN
Spectacular Walls!
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by Debra on Thursday, June 12, 2008
If you live in a 1950’s or even a 1970’s ranch style home… you probably have some wood paneling. It might be just the look you want… but most of us want it to just go away.
If removing wood paneling is not an option… what are we to do?
photo credit: trekkyandyI
I had Tawn Gale… one of THAT Painter Lady Experts answer this question:
Hi there, I have a question about painting or white washing real wood paneling.
We have a VINTAGE 1975 house that we have recently purchased. I love the BONES of the house, but it is in need of some serious updating.
The den has real wood knotty pine paneling in a walnut type color finish. It is BEAUTIFUL but way to dark.
How can I update it a bit and lighten it up too. Without completly stripping it and refinishing it….NOT AN OPTION!
Thanks
Most paneling has a glossy surface (varnish?) and before you can paint or whitewash to lighten it you’ll have to “de-gloss” it.
Years ago I painted some ugly paneling and skipped this step. Huge mistake! The paint peeled away in huge strips. Not good.
I have since learned that all I needed to do was give it a light scuff-sanding (steel wool works) or there are de-glossing chemicals available at professional paint stores that you can use as well.
Once “de-glossed’ you’ll need to apply a good primer/sealer if you are going to paint. Behr has a good one at Home Depot, but Kilz is another good one (a little pricey though) and can be found most anywhere (even Wal-Mart). After you’ve primed it you are ready to paint it your favorite color.
If you’d rather just “whitewash” the paneling you can skip the “primer” part and simply take a thinned down coat of white/off white paint (or a color can be used, too) and using a sponge (a regular sponge will work but one that fits in your hand nicely/comfortably) “wash” the walls.
To avoid “streaks” you will need to either wash in one direction (down the wall with the grain of the wood paneling) or you’ll need to soften your wash streaks with a woolie as you go and before your “wash” dries.
Too, if your wood is “raw” it will absorb the paint unevely like rubbing chalk with water.
You may want to put a sealant on it like MinWax Ploycrylic first, then “ruff it up” before whitewashing.
Work in small sections of the panel and in a continuous flow (one long wipe down the wall rather than across two or three sections).
When you are finished seal your work with MinWax Polycrylic in and finish you like (Matte, Semi-Gloss, etc).
This will protect your pretty new walls and allows you to wipe them clean with a damp cloth if necessary.
I hope this was helpful in learning how to paint paneling… If you need more help, don’t hesitate to ask.
THAT Painter Lady – Tawn
http://www.thatpainterlady.com
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by Debra on Thursday, June 12, 2008
I think we all will agree that wood paneling is going to be a part of owning a ranch style home. It’s just a given that when you walk into a 1950’s ranch… you start looking for the wood paneling and if it’s something you could live with.
This question is from a gal who just can’t live with it and is looking for ways to cover wood paneling.
photo credit: hour
What options are available for refinishing/redecorating wall paneling, OTHER THAN painting or wallpapering?
For physical reasons, I cannot perform all the steps (cleaning, wiping, sanding, base coat and top coats) necessary for painting and do not have any help available.
The paneling is in our den,and is “floor to ceiling” on one wall, and “chair rail down” on the other walls. I’m not sure if it is solid wood or a veneer paneling.
Is there a relatively simple, 1 – or 2 – step “treatment” for the paneling – perhaps like a “white-washing”, stain, colored glaze, colorwash, etc.?
I really have no idea what to do, or how to do it, but I need to keep it very simple.
Have you ever heard of a product called “Paper Illusion” or “Wallpaper Illusions”? It is a wallpaper-type product that is torn into random shapes and sizes and pasted directly on the paneling – they claim it does not require any sanding or prep.
Any help or suggestions would be VERY much appreciated. Thanks soo much! Beth
Of course I went straight to the resident expert… she seems to have had more than her share of paneling and has learned a trick or three about covering it up!
THAT Painter Lady – Tawn spends a lot of time now over at ThatPainterLady.com answering questions… but I talked her into answering one more Paneling Question:
WOW! Well, this is a quandry.
Since the paneling has grooves and you can’t do the major steps to change this I only see one or maybe two “short” options.
Of course, the easiest and most cost-effective way to change the look of a paneled room is to add color by painting the paneling. But..it does involve all those steps that you can’t do. So…let’s move on… 
Paper Illusion looks like a good solution Paper Illusion but I’ve never used their product. While it says you don’t have to put down a paper liner to bridge the grooves (if they are 1/4″ or less) I would be concerned on how well they’d cover up the grooves.
Wallpaper Paper Illusion Multi Colored
You could buy a small amount and then I would certainly try it in an area that doesn’t show. See if it covers it up to your satisfaction and then go for it!
Or
#2 – Painting without the sanding. There are chemicals (like paint) out there that you can apply to the paneling to “de-gloss” the surface. This way, paint will stick, but withoutall that sanding and stuff!
Apply a de-glosser, then paint the walls with Kilz or any other primer/sealer and then paint the walls a solid color using a woolie. It’ll give you a faux finish look and is fairly easy to do.
Woolie #100607 Lambwool Faux Appl Tool
You will never go wrong with this simple inexpensive tool.
THAT Painter Lady has instructions for using a Woolie Pad here:
What sort of faux painting would you use on very rough textured walls?
I know you said “other than painting” but you can’t use any of these ways to cover wood paneling successfully without the basic steps of cleaning, sanding, etc.
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