I want to paint my oak paneled walls, any suggestions?

Cheryl P
by Cheryl P
I am planning on painting the oak paneling in our manufactured home to lighten up the dining room. What would be the best way to do that?
Dining room paint project. I plan on leaving the bottom as a wainscoting effect.
  24 answers
  • GrandmasHouseDIY GrandmasHouseDIY on Oct 08, 2015
    What a lovely idea! I would start with a coat of primer first and, honestly, if you were able to clear everything out and cover everything really well it would be a lot easier to spray it then hand painting it as I've heard those grooves in paneling can be a bit of a pain in the butt. On the left it looks like you have a chair rail and it all looks like all of your trim is the same color as the paneling. Have you thought about painting out the trim white and then the paneling a different color? You could also paint white beneath that chair rail and make it look like wainscoting :) Good luck! I know we would all love to see some after photos!
  • Z Z on Oct 08, 2015
    I love family dinner shots. The expressions always give one thought to what each was thinking or talking about. Though I normally don't agree with painting good wood, in your case I do think it is a good choice. Your first step is to clean the walls with a TSP substitute like Klean Strips that can be found at HoDe. It cleans, degreases, and removes any gloss that would keep the paint from adhering properly. Second, you have two choices. Either prime and paint or use a paint and primer mix. Though it's nice to do it all in one, I'd use a primer then paint simply because primer is less expensive than the mix and you're going to need to do more than one coat when painting over wood paneling. Use a roller made for textured walls. It will get into the grooves without any real effort.
  • HouseLogic.com HouseLogic.com on Oct 08, 2015
    Picking the best primer for the job will make painting your wood walls less of a hassle. You can learn more here: http://goo.gl/zCP4w1
  • Moxie Moxie on Oct 08, 2015
    Clean them with tsp before you start to get them squeeky clean then prime with zinsser teo coats the 3 coats paint. Before your last coat apply laytex calk to any dents seams nail holes etc that you dont want to show as when painted it will all show up. I would recommend adding flat 1x4 trum to windows and doors to. Good luck and enjoy!!!! P.S. - wear gloves, don't drink the tsp and don't dump it down the drain -- but truth be told if you live in the farm belt and have water well you are drinking the same phosphates that tsp naysayers freak out about.
  • Branka Clemens Branka Clemens on Oct 08, 2015
    What Moxie says.......it's going to look fabulous!
  • Vedez Vedez on Oct 08, 2015
    I painted my den...follow Moxie'S directions...clean with TSP after dusting. Repair any damage wood, fill any holes. Use Zinsser Cover Stain Blocker Bond Coat (2-3) coats, allow to dry between coats. I used Behr Premium Plus Ultra Stain Blocking Paint & Primer in one, Eggshell sheen.
  • Z Z on Oct 08, 2015
    Please DO NOT use TSP. There are substitutes available (I mention one above in my comment) that work every bit as well but are NOT toxic.
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Oct 08, 2015
    Clean them with a mild soap and water. Let totally dry. Behr paint has a paint and primer all in one,several colors to choose from available at Home Depot.
  • Cathy Jones Cathy Jones on Oct 08, 2015
    I had the same problem with my dining room. I painted the bottom half with a good washable paint- added chair rail at about 42" up from the floor. Purchased a very heavy wallpaper with a texture (didnt want the upper part to look like painted paneling)- painted the wall paper- and added crown moulding, new base mouldings, and new casing mouldings. Totally different room.
  • Nbs2064393 Nbs2064393 on Oct 09, 2015
    We did this a few years ago and I wonder what took us so long. We used a light beige paint and primer mix used 2 coats and love it.
  • Jacquie Jacquie on Oct 09, 2015
    I tried tsp-pf to clean grease and whatever from walls .....perfect for getting walls ready to paint...no primer needed.
  • Kayo Frazier Kayo Frazier on Oct 09, 2015
    Here's my 2 cents...I would clean the walls w/ Simply Green it's a non-toxic grease cleaner & should remove anything on the paneling. Let dry for 24 hrs. Carefully remove all the trim & match the baseboards to the trim at the top of the walls. I would use swiss coffee OC-45 by Benjamin Moore for doors, trim, wainscoting & windows.Then I would use Palladian Blue HC-144 also Benjamin Moore for the walls. Change the curtains to a darker blue & white sheers. Both colors will lighten the room.
  • Dorothy B. Kofoed Dorothy B. Kofoed on Oct 09, 2015
    Don't try to fill in the "cracks" in the paneling. Our painter tried to do that and as the kids went up the stairs they would lend against it and pop out the filler. Just paint and enjoy.
  • Pete Sakes Pete Sakes on Oct 09, 2015
    I painted my paneling. I started off by cleaning really well with a bit of dawn dish detergent and a splash of ammonia in a bucket of water. I cleaned until cloth came away with no trace of dirt and changed cleaning water often. I then primed. (I did not sand nor did I use a deglosser as my paneling is from the 1970s) I started out priming with Zinser 123 and ended up with Kilz but went back to the Zinser because it covered so much better. I then painted with Behr Stain Blocking interior eggshell. You don't want any high gloss but you don't want flat either. And remember lighter colors seem to look better on paneling. I painted my bedroom Behr Urban Nature and I believe that's as dark as I'd go but it really looks good.
  • Cheryl @ Artzzle Cheryl @ Artzzle on Oct 09, 2015
    We've done this. I just lightly sanded the walls and wiped them down with a damp cloth ... it really didn't take long. Then we simply painted with our favorite primer/paint combo (acrylic). We did this in a large, basement level room, and it worked miracles. Good luck with whatever process you choose, and be sure to post the B4 & afters!
  • The Redesign Habit The Redesign Habit on Oct 09, 2015
    I think no matter how well you clean it (and you should) you will probably need to sand it or use a product like Jasco LIquid Sand, which you put on like paint and it replaces sanding and helps the new finish bond to the paneling by de-glossing it. Then if you use a primer/paint combo, you should be in good shape. Good Luck!
  • Kathy Friston Collier Kathy Friston Collier on Oct 09, 2015
    Lightly sand the walls, prime and spray a texture of your liking on the walls. You canrent a texture hopper at a local home center. Then paint the walls in your favofavorite paint color choice. Good Luck and I hope you share your success with us.
  • Dannielle McNeill Dannielle McNeill on Oct 10, 2015
    Clean well, get off all dust and dirt. Prime first, use a bonding primer found at Lowe's or Paint store,( make sure it's a bonding primer not just any cheap primer) then paint. As long as you use bonding primer 1st no need to sand or scuff up. You WILL need to use a separate bonding primer, paint and primer in one will not work for this application, it could peel up if you don't use proper primer. Did this in my home and in several other places works great!!
  • Dannielle McNeill Dannielle McNeill on Oct 10, 2015
    You can attempt to fill the cracks between the planks with spackling and sand smooth, but that is a lot of work, I did it in one of my rooms, took a really long time, so the next time I just left the cracks between planks and painted them, it still looked really good painted so I opted out of filling in all those creases again.
  • Shirley Bragg Shirley Bragg on Oct 10, 2015
    Why on earth would you paint those walls? Looks to me everything in the room is the same boring color. Try changing out the curtains and tablecloth and accessorize in other colors. You'll be so surprised how good it'll look.
  • Pete Sakes Pete Sakes on Oct 11, 2015
    If you read on the back of the cans of Zinser and Kilz they both say do not clean with TSP. I do not know why but that's why I opted to use the water/dawn/ammonia solution to clean my walls. I also did not opt to fill in the grooves of the paneling before painting because I have been told by numerous people that anything you use to fill in the grooves of paneling will eventually come out and just the thought of that kept me from trying it. But I like the cottage look of the painted paneling, grooves and all.
  • Andeanna Farnes Andeanna Farnes on Oct 16, 2015
    Shirley has a point. My thoughts are leave the upper wood paneling in natural wood. Put a semi gloss Denim Blue (medium dark) paint on white window trim, midwall chair rail and lower wall panelling. Paint the white door to match the baby's teal / turquoise high chair. Buy or make fabric curtains and tablecloth that echos baby's chair color and denim blue paint. A colorful blue, turquoise, yellow and red madras plaid or striped fabric would look great. On window if not matching table cloth go for sheers in turquoise with denim blue/ white stripe side panels. Men love geometrics and color is a gals best friend.
  • Pat Croley Pat Croley on Oct 16, 2015
    We had a professional painter come to do our dark paneling in a creamy beige color. He first wiped down with acetone which dried quickly.....painted it with a great oil based primer and then put on 2 coats of Valspar semi gloss latex paint from Lowe's. We did not seal the lines or cracks and it is amazing. Since then we have had him do our office too and the same process was used. Beautiful.
  • Diane Edwards Diane Edwards on Oct 25, 2015
    use a primer first and then paint over it.. it will look amazing