Perhaps no other way is as effective to change the looks of a room as painting its walls in a suitable color scheme. But homes that have wood paneling pose the question of how to apply paint over the existing paneling.
Many DIY enthusiasts keen to renew the dark wood paneling often like to know how to paint such paneling. Many old homes have walls covered with wood paneling that poses its own limitation while redesigning homes. Nevertheless, painting of paneling is a workable proposition provided you could spare enough time.
On comparing the cost of panel painting to other options, like installing wallboard or plasterboard, or ripping apart the paneling and executing sheetrock, you will realize that it is the least expensive. Moreover, painting is quicker and easier that other options.
There are a couple of things that you need to check before really getting started with painting of panels. It’s important to have an even surface devoid of any nicks and grooves, which can be taken care of by use of spackle. Sanding of the wood is another activity that you may have to undertake before application of paint. Get rid of all dust with the help of a moist sponge. Having so cleaned an even surface, you need to apply a primer on paneling as it’s not very receptive to paints. You are going to need tools like sandpaper, pre-mix plaster or speckle, sponge and putty knife.
Painting is a slow time consuming process but always proves to be worthwhile at the end. Often, one is required to apply a couple of coats, depending on how dark and old the paneling is. Always use paints of good quality and make sure that the first coat has completely dried before applying the next one. The drying time for the paint is often mentioned on the container.
When painting panels, you need to take care of grooves that get formed over every panel. It’s quite difficult to cover these using primer or paint and some measures need to be taken before hand. The best way to cover these is to fill them up with caulk, pre-mix plaster or spackle and then apply a few coats of paint on the covered area, keeping them as even as possible with the surrounding surface.
The best tool for applying paint over paneling is a paint roller. Rollers cover the surface evenly and quickly. The final finish is very smooth and the wall looks perfect. It’s important to ensure adequate ventilation while painting.
When considering panel painting, bear in mind that it’s going to take many days before the job is over. However, you can do it in any of the rooms including living room, family room or the bedroom. It’s one of the not so expensive projects to enhance the decor of any room
