I live in a mobile home with dark paneled walls - help!

Jacquoline
by Jacquoline
I can't paint them - what can I do to brighten up the place?
  19 answers
  • Vicki Hough Vicki Hough on Feb 23, 2017

    cover them with fabric--you can use a spray glue or staple the fabric near the top and put a trim over it.. Why can't you paint the panel? You can also get wall sized murals from different places on line that look awesome

  • KatAych KatAych on Feb 23, 2017

    You can use a corn starch/water mix as a "glue" for fabric - it will peel right off when you want to change it or are ready to move. You can also put eye hooks across the ceiling and use a wire to hang fabric or curtains.


  • William William on Feb 23, 2017

    Use liquid starch to put up fabric like wallpaper. Soak the fabric in liquid starch, wring out the excess, Put up on the wall. It will peel off easily.

  • Hillela G. Hillela G. on Feb 23, 2017

    You can also paint the walls with a more cheerful, lighter color- like a butter yellow!

  • Melissa V Melissa V on Feb 24, 2017

    Yes, why can't you paint the paneling?

  • Pat Pat on Feb 24, 2017

    Light furniture, flooring\carpeting and lamps...airy sheers on the windows..a torchier lamp that thows light on the ceiling, which I presume is white...greenery and a colorful pillow and matching throw.

    • Bernice H Bernice H on Feb 27, 2017

      Had that..did that..no disguising the paneling for me,but a really good suggestion! Thanks...

  • prime and paint it...

    • Melissa V Melissa V on Feb 24, 2017

      Haha, I'm still waiting for the reason why she can't paint! I have lots of ideas beyond that, but for paneling, a picture of what she's got would be a HUGE help!

  • Cheryl Cheryl on Feb 25, 2017

    I lived in a mobile home for many years and I not only painted the panels, I wall papered the walls. What a change it made. She will have to prime to paint. The worked very well.

  • Pat Pat on Feb 26, 2017

    The only reason I can think of for her not being able to paint the paneling is she might be renting the place. If that's the case, then yes put up white sheets or a colored sheet of whatever color you like. Use the cornstarch/water solution to adhere it OR the liquid starch. Both will work. Good luck to you. And as far as painting the paneling I did that close to 50 yrs. ago.

  • Debbie Debbie on Feb 26, 2017

    I filled the lines in the dark old paneling I had in a previous mobile that I lived in. I go the kind that says "will not shrink" on the label. I filled the lines and then took a dampened finger to smooth it out and thereby avoided a lot of sanding before priming the walls, followed by painting. In an old closet I took down the doors and did the same thing but stenciled the walls. I made that area into my office....

  • Jacquoline Jacquoline on Feb 27, 2017

    Thank You All for the comments!!! I've thought about using fabric and the glue made from starch. And the home belongs to my brother-in-law and he said no painting the walls! I guess he likes dark damp caves. LOL! Me, if I'm going to live in a cave it would be to cheery for bats!!! How well can you clean the fabric on the wall? Do you just peel it off, wash it then put it back on? How does it work?

  • Jacquoline Jacquoline on Feb 27, 2017

    When I can I will send a pic.

  • Skrizzo Skrizzo on Feb 27, 2017

    got a good deal on some Wqverly fabric. We put it up with starch, used leftover fabric for cornices and a table runner. It pulls down easily with no damage to walls. Fabric can be washed and used again.

  • Bernice H Bernice H on Feb 27, 2017

    Another idea is to use something like bamboo blind-spray paint them and hang on walls. Or poster board...or staple fabric on the wall next to the ceiling,and bottom by the floor. I understand painters drop cloths are very large and inexpensive,you could staple them up,paint them..PLEASE let us know and see what you do,b cause I can't stand dark paneled walls. I covered a lot of them in my day! Want to know what you do! And Hometalk is the right place to come to for all sorts of ideas....

  • 2dogal 2dogal on Feb 27, 2017

    Yes, wallpaper with sheets and starch. I did this years ago in my child's room. Pealed off easily with no damage to the wall when she outgrew the pattern. As I remember, both the wall and sheet just needs to be washed.

  • Pat Pat on Feb 27, 2017

    How about a mirror to reflect the light from the window? Or colorful artwork. Too bad you can not paint the paneling . Are you allowed to wallpaper it?


  • Skshort Skshort on Feb 28, 2017

    There is also removable, paintable wallpaper. Engineeryourspace.com has a video on doing that in a kitchen.

  • Cathy Bailey Cathy Bailey on Feb 28, 2017

    If you want to go real cheap, use cardboard. You can get big boxes from appliance stores. Paint it, add fabric, contact paper, chalk paint. Then use thumb tacks to hold it up.

  • Lea13791376 Lea13791376 on Feb 28, 2017

    fabric wallpaper; corn starch paste cook corn starch in water til thick as pancake batter; cool completely if too thick add water slowly til right thickness; dip fabric into bucket with cornstarch "paste" squeeze out most of liquid put fabric onto paneling or wall smooth with brush or hands; smooth out bubbles'; lay next fabric "wallpaper "seam to seam smoothing out--- this will dry but the cornstarch wont leave any stains and it pulls right off when you need to take it down sooo pretty any fabric works and waaay cheaper than regular wallpaper