[kittyfaye]

So my boyfriend and I are fixing up and moving into an old house his parents own. It is literally about 50 years old. It does have a brand new roof on it though. It needs new flooring and new cabinets but one thing its walls are wood paneling from like the '70s. I'm not sure if I should just decorate the walls or paint them. I'm open for any and all suggestions.

[Raindropvampire]

What's under the paneling? My dad's house had up wood paneling but it was real easy to take down and then we sanded and painted. I do know not all wood paneling is that easy to get rid of and some you can't but if you have the easy to remove type maybe that's an option too.

[kittyfaye]

Originally Posted by Raindropvampire

What's under the paneling? My dad's house had up wood paneling but it was real easy to take down and then we sanded and painted. I do know not all wood paneling is that easy to get rid of and some you can't but if you have the easy to remove type maybe that's an option too.

I am actually not sure if it's easy to remove. I'll ask in the morning. I am open to leaving it, but I'd like a lighter color to make the rooms look brighter and bigger.

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[Raindropvampire]

I can honestly say I've never painted wood paneling so I don't know how it would work out. The good news is that since it's your space you can experiment and see what works for you

[Fresia]

Congrats on the new place.

It is very simple to paint wood paneling; it just needs a primer first, like KILZ or Zinsser, to be applied then painted, and can be a very easy and much more budget friendly and less taxing man power solution to change and brighten a room. It can also be a nice look too.

[PoorPrincess]

As Fresia stated, it is easily painted and readily transforms the room/area from dark to light with not a lot of work.

This coast house was also built in the 1960s-70s. The homeowner would like to remove the single wall of paneling. As she is not much of a home maintenance homeowner, I suggested that we together some weekend that she is in town, simply prime and paint the paneling.
It will certainly lighten the space considerably and inexpensively.

Good luck with your creative project. Let us know how it turns out.

[BeaFlower]

You could also decorate them with stencils

[kittyfaye]

Originally Posted by BeaFlower

You could also decorate them with stencils

I did not think of that, that's a really cool idea.

Thank you guys for suggestions! It'll be a while before we can do anything to the walls, but I'll let tall know how it goes! :P

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[Abe Froman]

I'm not sure if you can paint it or not. I had a guy do mine at my old house. He went over the entire walls with sheetrock mud and then painted. Didn't work out great. The lines in the paneling eventually started to show through.

But you can put 1/4 inch sheetrock over it without having to take it down. Little bit of work but then you'd have just normal walls to paint any color you want.

[kittyfaye]

I don't mind the lines so I'd probably paint straight on the walls.

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[Yoda]

I have tongue and groove wood paneling in my living room and I love it. It isn't dark at all; not sure which wood it is.

Another option if you want change is wallpaper.