Asked on Apr 02, 2016

Can you paint over paneling on the walls?

Lori Murphy
by Lori Murphy
My basement is half drywall and half paneling, I would like to paint it, can I?
  11 answers
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Apr 03, 2016
    There is no reason that you cant paint the paneling. Make sure it is free of any dust etc. Use a good primer allow to dry and proceed to paint.
  • Rjack Rjack on Apr 03, 2016
    clean walls well. prepping is the key to a good finish.
  • Fre4082017 Fre4082017 on Apr 03, 2016
    Do a light sand on panels, clean , if panels are dark and painting light you a stain locker primer and paint
  • Nancy Duval Nancy Duval on Apr 03, 2016
    Prime first then you will have good coverage I've painted lots of paneling and find that if you take the time to prime your final coat of color will have a very nice finish
  • Chita.jing Chita.jing on Apr 03, 2016
    Clean the surfaces and apply Kilz primer. That will block migration of any old stains.
  • Jim L Jim L on Apr 03, 2016
    As Chita said, use a base coat of "Kilz" and then paint away. The look of the "grooves" in the panels looks "custom" and will look great.
  • Shellygilley Shellygilley on Apr 03, 2016
    YES you can! We even wallpapered over it. We used Kilz primer but I think you can get Kilz in different colors now. Happy painting!
  • Kristin Kristin on Apr 03, 2016
    if it has grooves in it, make sure to fill w/drywall putty and sand smooth 1st. Then paint as mentioned above....
    • Alice Shockley Alice Shockley on Apr 04, 2016
      @Kristin This isn't necessary if you don't mind the look of grooves. We had our entire basement skim coated and textured over the paneling. The problem is, now that it's dried, the drywall mud cracked between the panels and there's a line between each panel. It wouldn't show as bad if we hadn't done the joint compound.
  • Ann Baxter Ann Baxter on Apr 03, 2016
    I used a deglosser first then prime and paint. I really like the look of painted paneling
    • B. Enne B. Enne on Apr 06, 2016
      @Ann Baxter we did the same...liquid sandpaper knock off, Zinsser Bin 123 shellac-based primer and latex acrylic paint...it has lasted almost 20 years, and is still holding up. We had 2-3 chips that took 2 seconds to fix, on door that was closed before curing, and trim that gets hit all the time. BTW, we went from a very dark brown to off white.
  • Justfixit Justfixit on Apr 03, 2016
    Yes, you can paint it. But, is it really really old? I painted mine and it was too old and it warped and I had to replace the walls with drywall. If you fill the grooves in with putty, it can take a long time and it's very difficult to get it straight and then your walls might look terribly uneven. Believe me, I've been there! If the walls are not too old, wash them really really well, use kilz primer with a touch of the color you want to paint them with, and then paint. I hope it works out for you.
    • Justfixit Justfixit on Apr 03, 2016
      @Justfixit Whenever I see paneling now, I simply cringe with fear. :P
  • KatAych KatAych on Apr 04, 2016
    Yes you can. You can also cover it with paintable wallpaper made to cover paneling if you'd like something with a pattern, texture, or picture.