One of the bedrooms in our new apt has some charming wood panelling on the walls . Our LL said we can paint, do whatever we want and I'd love to paint over it. I think taking it down would be too much work and $$$.
Has anyone ever attempted to paint over wood panelling? I assume I'd have to use a special primer? Do I need to sand it first (cause if I do, I'm not even going to bother)?
Yikes, I hate wood panelling! My parent house was covered in it...every singe wall. They successfully painted over it but they did have to put a primer on it first. I don't think it was any special primer, just the regular one. And they didn't sand it either by the way.
ETA: I found this online
"
Painting directly over the paneling is your easiest option follow these steps. If necessary, use finish nails to tack down uneven seams.
Wash it down with a grease-cutting detergent or TSP.
Prime with a good bonding primer.
Caulk gaps and seams, and fill and sand holes. If the paneling has a grain texture, use your finger to fill little holes so you dont create big flat spots.
Finish with two coats of good latex paint. I suggest flat paint, because the flatter the finish, the less irregularities will show. Most good paint companies now carry excellent washable flat paint.
If you have any further questions, dont hesitate to jump over to the forums and ask away! "
-- Edited by needsfashionadvice at 15:49, 2007-09-12
You will probably have to do both. Go to the a good paint store like Sherwin Williams or Pratt & Lambert and look at labels on the primers (and ask personnel at the counter). You should follow the instructions on the primer label. Doing both will probably be more important in your case because those knots in the knotty pine can seep through paint.
How attractive! You might have to sand some to get the primer to "stick" to the walls and not just soak into the wood but at the very least I'm betting on a couple coats of primer and paint. You could just wait till L pisses you off about something and make him do it all!
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I don't think you'll have to sand - we painted our varnished wood door jambs with a high-adhesion primer and painted, and it looks great and is very durable. You can go to a home improvement center and ask what they recommend for your situation (which is what we did). We used Zinser primer, which I much prefer to Kilz FWIW - less stinky and better coverage that dries white instead of yellow-ish like the Kilz. They also make a liquid sander (clear, paint-on) that you could use before the primer if you think you'd need it.
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I have nothing to add, I just have to say--holy crap! Who thought it would be a good idea to do such a thing to those poor walls? It looks like the room has some really exotic skin disease.
I would have suggested Kilz, but Elle says Zinser's better, so, what SHE said. I'd usually never say this, but stick to a white or off-white paint just to keep it as clean as possible since you won't be able to hide all the texture.