Wood paneling
While wood paneling was once a very popular wall-building material, it is no longer desired for contemporary home owners. Luckily, you don't have to live with the outdated look of wood paneling; with just a little bit of work and some inexpensive supplies, you can turn that paneled nightmare into a solid, painted surface that looks just like real drywall.
Prep
Prep is important if you want to make the old paneling look like a standard drywall surface. If you just slap up some paint, you'll be left with the telltale grooves of a paneled surface, and DoItYourself.com explains that improper prep also can lead to peeling and blistering later on.
Skim coat the paneling with plaster to begin the transformation from drab paneling to a contemporary drywall aesthetic. A skim coat is nothing more than a very thin coat of plaster applied with a putty knife and sanded smooth with medium-grade sandpaper. This layer of plaster will fill in the grooves on the paneling, erasing the obvious texture-based signs of paneling cover-up.
Once the surface has been lightly coated and smoothed with plaster, apply primer to the paneling. This is especially important if your plaster only covers the grooves and does not fully cover the paneling itself---without primer, your paint will not cover as well and it will not last as long.
Painting
After you've prepped the entire surface, you're ready to start painting. At this point, the wood paneling should be virtually indistinguishable from freshly primed drywall, and you can treat the old paneling just as if it were drywall.
Use painter's tape to protect any trim, crown molding or other fine detailing from accidental drips or brushstrokes. Begin painting with a regular brush first, working on edges and corners inaccessible via a roller. Once you've finished with the detail painting, you can apply your first coat of paint to the main surfaces of the room. Roll on the paint lightly, remembering that two thin coats will look much better than one thick coat.
Following your main roller coats, use your brush for any small touch ups. Let the paint dry for at least 24 hours before returning wall decorations to the space. At this point, your room is finished, and nobody will ever know you had wood paneling. The best part of this solution to outdated wood paneling is the money you will save on drywall for the room, yet you'll have achieved the same modern effect.
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