Is there an easy way to paint wood paneling ?

is it real wood panelling, or just board with a paper "wood" layer on the top of it? real wood panelling, you can just roll paint on with a roller, (or use a sprayer.. sooo much easier)... the type of panelling that has a paper surface, you have to be a bit more careful and only put THIN coats of paint on at a time (to prevent the paper from bubbling up).. let the first coat dry.. then do another coat

I used a brush to paint into each of the grooves first and then just painted it the same way as a normal wall. Try to find a paint with high adhesion if your panelling has a shiny finish or you will need to prime it first. There are also paints with paint/primer together which save a step. I painted a 20/26 foot family room which had pine board panelling 6 years ago a pale gray and the fireplace white and it has held up very well. My original goal was to use it as a temporary fix till I could afford to redo the whole room over, but it made such a dramatic change that I have

put it way down on the to do list.

Prime it first. Taking that step makes the rest easier.

If you want a smoother wall, remove the entire sheets carefully. Turn them over and reapply to the wall. Apply spackle to the seams, let dry, and sand till smooth with the wall panels. Prime and paint. I have painted paneling before by cleaning it, sanding it, priming followed by two coats of paint. Lots of work that way and because of the varied spacing of the grooves it still looks paneled. *Important: this will only work with flat ceilings and you will have to patch holes and electric outlet boxes.

Another idea: I wanted to update panelling with a richer country rustic look. I bought 10yds of tooled look decorator suede fabric at Hobby Lobby, using 40%off one item. you want to keep it all on the roll like it came to the store! Otherwise it's not one item and also because you and a helper can roll the fabric along the top of the wall and staple with a heavy duty stapler. Go right over windows and light switches...cut those out after you have tacked the corners and bottom of the fabric. You'll have about 30" of paneling still showing on the bottom part of the wall. Install wainscoting of your choice. I used 99 cent unfinished fence boards that I stained and sanded as cheap trim board and tin roofing in long horizontal applications so I could hide seams behind curtain panels. My husband and I did this in three days! Two walls about 20 feet by standard ceiling height and it cost about $300-400. Depending on how many coats of stain you use. I had 2.5 yard of fabric left where I cut out windows and made throw pillows out of it. See pic below.