Ugly paneled walls

Question

I am thinking about painting my paneled walls but I am afraid it will look even worse because of the big knots. I don't want to spend a ton of money, any tips or ideas??

Laura Askew · Answer

I painted somewhat rough and knotty dark wood--installed in a herringbone pattern, no less--in a basement rec room and turned it into an appealing den. Since the wood was unfinished, I used an exterior latex solid stain.

Fab and Pretty · Answer

I have no advice to give this is just too ugly! I'm joking! You know, so many people are posting this style of rough barn wood paneling being used as feature walls behind shelves, on a entry wall with hooks etc but I can see why you want to 'do something' to liven up the area. It may be less work to just remove it and fill the holes than paint over it, painting that panelling would be a bear. I do like @Laura Askew 's photo's. It has a definite look so it depends on if you want to still have that 'look'.

Laura Askew · Answer

Forgot to post 'before' pictures. Here are a couple.

Janey Daly Kearns · Answer

Wow !! i believe the answer as to what to do with the wooden panelled wall is right there staring you in the face within The Framed Picture :O Stain each panel a different shade of wood stain .. Then Thank your Picture Frame for the idea with a new upgrade of your choice :) ........ You can buy little pots of 'tester' stains so the whole make over wil cost you near to nothing xx

PainterNoni · Answer

How about white washing them........it would brighten the space, and make it easier to decorate around.

Debi53 · Answer

A couple of things to consider:
1. If your walls are stained, but not sealed, the stain & knots might bleed through your primer & paint. If this is the case, you will probably need to seal the walls first. Talk to your paint professional about your particular situation. Sealing the walls will also knock down the rough texture somewhat.
2. If you don't need to seal the walls, use a thick nap roller that is made for rough textures.
3. You will not get a smooth modern look with these walls, but painting them will completely change the look of your room and painted paneling-especially the type you have-gives a room a warm welcoming look. So I say go for it!
4. The prep is the key. Do not skip any step that needs to be done. The painting is the easy part, the prep is the work. 
5. The knots will look fine when painted, but even if you don't need to seal the whole wall, you might want to use a sealer over the knots. They are the most likely part to bleed through. Also, use the highest quality primer. It is even more important than the quality of your paint. But, do use good paint also.
6. Stay away from dark colors on the paneling. Soft, light colors will give you a cheerful cottage look. Think soft cream, gray, yellow, etc

Please post pics if you do paint. I would love to see them.

Ruth wallace · Answer

There is a primer/ paint for paneling. Do the groves first then paint the groves first then paint the walls. I did it and it brightens the room.

B. Enne · Answer

My fake paneling has been painted for over 15 years and still looks good. I took liquid sandpaper to it that used a good primer.
On my real pine beadboard, I did a whitewash effect about 7-8 years ago, and there are knots and sections bleeding through. I will shellac over them this summer...it is the old tried-and-true method. I don't know if I can still get white shellac, but that would be even better.

Marion Nesbitt · Answer

Shellac is a terrific sealer. Kilz is another good primer. If the surface is prepared, then I would paint. The different shapes of knots and texture in the wood, I think, would give you a unique appearance.

Judy Capone Mantell · Answer

You can apply drywall mud over paneling! After it is done, just seal and paint. Check these sites out for instructions: http://www.todayshomeowner.com/how-to-paint-or-resurface-wall-paneling/ and http://www.todayshomeowner.com/how-to-paint-or-resurface-wall-paneling/

Maria Sula Gonzales · Answer

I have the same type of paneling & I primed & painted it a light gray from Home Depot, it came out beautiful.  I should have done it years ago!

Patti McDoggy · Answer

Go for it!

Victoria Cross · Answer

If it's real wood or a wood faced paneling, you can seal the knotholes with a coat of shellac.  Very lightly sand the shellacked area before applying a primer to the paneling and then painting.

1776620 · Answer

I painted a paneled room in my first home and it looked great. I would encourage you to give it a try. If you are not sure, just paint a small section to see what it looks like. You could paint a small section behind your sofa or behind the picture on the wall so if you don’t like it no one will be able to see it when you put your furniture back.

Mama Rose · Answer

Is it possible to remove the paneling? Is there sheetrock underneath or is the paneling attached to beams.

Jim Schooler · Answer

We painted our mobile home with a good paint with the primer in it. We used a darker color and couldn't see any of the wood grains. When we used a nice light beige the imperfections looked awesome. Try it you'll like it.

Debbie motley · Answer

I had paneling similar to this I painted mine and it looked great. Be sure to use good paint with primer.

Jann Mitchell · Answer

Do it easy and cheap by watering down some white flat latex or even primer and *white wash* the wall - knots and wood grain will still show, but it will be pretty and lighten up the room. I've done it in our ancient log cabin summer home here in Sweden and it works!

White Oak Studio Designs · Answer

If I wanted to hide the knots, I would use BIM 123 primer/sealer. Hides anything. Although I personal think a light colored white washed/transparent stain would be beautiful....a bit of color but would let the interesting texture of the wood grain show through....

Dee · Answer

I agree with white oak studio designs. Use a good hiding primer, then you can paint whatever color you want to. I did this years ago and the paneling still looks great.

Marie Alesi Caruana · Answer

My original knotty pine tongue and groove walls started out natural, became black pine many years ago, then off white and now a soft, sunny yellow. My kitchen and bathroom ceilings were installed using pine boards that I whitewashed (half paint, half water) so that the knots would show through. Compliments galore and not too rustic--just the right touch. Try it, you'll love it!

Jeanne Creel · Answer

Ditto of Debbie Motley. We painted our paneling and it also looked great. Ours was dark making the room dark. Now the room is much brighter with lightly painted walls.

Connie · Answer

Hi. We painted the dark paneling in our cottage. We primed it first and then used the textured knock down finish. It looks great. Hope you find the courage to paint it. Try practicing on an extra piece of paneling first.

Sherri Taylor · Answer

If that is real wood you need a shellac based primer, like Kilz, to seal the knots.  If it's fake you can use Bin 123 primer.

Forshawtink · Answer

Go on the Pintrest app and see how cool this look is now, personally I would use a paint wash on random pieces use cool colours like white, grey and teal, leave some of the wood the natural colour that are. I would not put anything else on them. You can see what some people have done using the wood from pallets, they just need a wash of colour to make them more interesting the knots are all part of the look.

Forshawtink · Answer

I have just noticed you have the colours I've just mentioned in the frame on the wall, I'm not sure if you know what I mean when I say a wash, it just means you add more water to the paint so you don't need much paint and you can still see the wood underneath.
It will look fabtastic if you do that and it won't look so bland and boring.

Jen Tulgestke · Answer

Took awhile to actually go through with painting the paneling but I finally did it, and love the way it turned out!!

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