Good Bye 1960. Shiplap Meets Art Deco -Update Wood Paneled Family Room

RevaBeth
by RevaBeth
6 Materials
$140
9 Days
Easy

I was so tired of the wood paneling even though I had taken good care of it and oiled it over the years. It was the affordable and popular paneling of the sixties. I don't have a single decorator's gene in my body but the look was so dated I hated to enter the room. A simple painting would look like I had painted it and I didn't want that. I did do that in a basement room, and that's a cheap look. I checked into wallpaper but that wasn't going to cut it either. I didn't have the money to remove the panels and sheetrock whatever is under it, or go to that expense. I've been thinking about and fussing about this for several years.


I love the shiplap look but my panels are vertical. Then when I thought about it I decided it would be a great look. I won't kid you, it was a lot of work; but I love the room and the new look. It was not a fast or easy fix but it is one that is beautiful as well as classy. It has lightened up the room. I will chalk paint the antique china hutch and the built-in cabinets soon.


Pride may go before the fall but I love this new room.

Before. So tired of this.
China hutch needing work. All is drab.
Dark and dreary.
Remove and smooth.

This always takes much longer than you want.

Primer ready.

Newspapers on the floor. Knee braces on the old knees.

After a good washing, apply the best primer.

I wanted to wash off all the oil I had put on the wood over the years.

I did not tape the last two walls at first.

By painting some of the stripes carefully, then masking with tape after they were dried, the last two walls were much easier. Also, I didn't need as much tape and I made fewer mistakes.

Make sure the colors join squarely.

Just use a business card to make sure it is square.

First wall. This is going to work.

You only need 5 different grays. I bought 3 and mixed them as I went.

In love.

It is random and some grays cover earlier mistakes. One of the two stripes that look alike were different, but I repainted one with a different gray.

It is a long, long road, I mean room.

A smaller room wouldn't have taken 9 days. I also had to move furniture around because we were still using this room. You can see the difference where new meets old.

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  • Sandy Sandy on Aug 10, 2019

    Great idea, but I must be missing something. I have used tape techniques for different projects so I am familiar. When was the tape removed? Did you put one tape down, then remove it and put another over the painted area to get the next color applied in a straight line? Just wondering as t doesn't show or tell that for novices.

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  • Thea Thea on Oct 08, 2020

    This is a fantastic alternative to the shiplap look.

  • Shelly Moore Shelly Moore on Oct 14, 2020

    I absolutely LOVE This!!! My dining room is paneling painted white. This would be great for it! I've been trying to decide on a color for the walls. I think shapes like this painted in light greys, light washed of a beachy light aqua a little pale yellow and some pale peach, maybe some brownish, all just kinda drybrushed on to look a little faded with some a little more solid, (translucent). This will brighten up the space and will bring in the wood from my brown china cabinet, dining table and the bookshelves. My desk/ hutch is bright white, so it will pop! Thanks for a Great Idea!!! You will LOVE having your space brighter! Especially in a basement (&as we and our eyes get older🤓) light in my opinion at least is So Important! Dark or moody is fine for watching tv, etc, but light helps if you're working from home or building on or crafting things. Can't wait to see the whole transformation! 😊

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