How can I disguise old paneling on the walls?

I once covered some old tongue and groove panelling in the kitchen with a thin sheet of MDF, 3 or 4mm thick. This thickness is light and easy to work with, so liquid nails to glue it on and I didn't have to mess about with screws or nails. Then filled any joins to ceiling and walls and sanded filler joins, primed and painted - had a nice smooth surface which blended with the rest of the modern kitchen. Cheap way to cover and you wouldn't know old paneling was underneath.

You can fill-in the grooves with wood putty, sand, and paint it.

You could embrace it and paint it! That's a popular option these days!

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-paint-wood-paneling

Old paneling can be painted which will give it a bright new look.

Sand it down Untill smooth,spackle in the cracks/ lines of paneling&sand gently until smooth,prime the wall&paint. I worked in a paint department for years. Hope this helps. You could also use adhesives made for tile&wood&tile a pretty pattern that flatters&goes with your existing room colors. Lastly,use a removable peel&stick wallpapaper on a very cleaned&dried surface. Good luck.

We painted all the paneling in our mobile home and it looks fabulous!

Helen: I painted mine and love it! (See paneled wall to left of fireplace)

Paint looks really nice on old paneling. You may be pleasantly surprised to see the difference paint looks. The other thing is to fill the lines with spackling but that is time consuming.

Paint them and it will feel like shiplap.

We painted ours and we love it. It adds real charm to the home. You can peek at it here: https://www.exquisitelyunremarkable.com/2016/09/wooden-swan-planter.html

The whole room is shown at the end.

Easiest way is just to paint it a nice light color - and give it a makeover that way.

I have one room done with paint and unfortunately it still looks like paneling so I was hoping someone had a unique solution but that’s for your response.

Make sure the paneling is clean and dry. Prime with a good stain blocking primer like Kilz. Then paint like painting regular walls. Acrylic latex paint will work. If the paneling has grooves you can fill them with non shrink drywall patching compound. Just put on enough to fill the grooves. Let it dry overnight. Next day use a damp sponge to smooth the patch. Then prime and paint.