Got Wood Paneling? Thinking About Painting It? You Can DIY!

by Jennifer | CrazyDiyMom

2 Materials

Do you have wood paneling in your house that you are wanting to get rid of? It can be painted and look beautiful. It is definitely a project, but one you can DIY.

got wood paneling thinking about painting it you can diy , living room ideas, painting

Before and after. Look at how much brighter the room became!

After we painted the living room we also decided to white wash our fireplace and that totally pulled the entire room together.

Before.

The wood was beautiful wood, but with hardly any natural light coming in the house and the wood EVERYWHERE (ceiling, front entrance, closet doors, etc) it was very dark. That, and we were going for cheery cottage look and not a cabin in the woods.

First, wash down your walls and make sure they are dry before you start.

Putty in all of your nail holes first. You may not notice these holes with the wood, but once you get some paint on those walls you will notice every thing. If you miss a few it's fine, you can always putty them in and paint over them.

Give all your walls a good coat of primer first. I highly recommend Zinsser BIN primer. It says on the can that it is for painting wood and for covering up sap that leaks through. Sap is something you will not notice until you begin painting and you see the paint isn't covering in areas. Zinsser BIN was the only primer that was able to cover the sap.

Plan on using a lot of paint. While our walls were dark, we did apply coats of paint to cover it completely.

It was a lot of work and took us quite a few days from start to finish, but it was so worth it! If it's something you are thinking about it - go for it. My only regret was I didn't do it sooner.

Living room after

Front entrance. This room was incredible. All the walls were wood as well as the two huge closet doors opposite the front door. Plus the ceiling and only one small window. It was SO dark in that small space.

Need to see some more DIY ideas? Visit us at CrazyDiyMom to find more diy remodeling and decorating ideas.

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1 question

Hbr31333664 on Feb 12, 2018

I used a paint with primer combination and my walls are chipping/peeling in some places. They were washed but not sanded before painting. Could this be the cause of the chipping/peeling. Any recommendations, besides repainting, which I intend to do anyway? Should I sand the walls before repainting. The paneling is from the 1966 era. My kitchen-dining room is a very pale green.

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4 comments

Danielle Pike on Apr 14, 2016
I really like it white! Looks great!

Like Reply
- Jennifer | CrazyDiyMom on Apr 15, 2016
  Thank you!!
  
  Like
PeckDrywallPainting on Apr 20, 2016
Nice job! The white really brightens the room up a lot.

Like Reply
- Jennifer | CrazyDiyMom on Apr 21, 2016
  Thank so much!! We are so happy with how it turned out. Such a daunting project but worth every second ;)
  
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