If you have paneling instead of drywall.?
Question:...and it's too costly and too big of a job to put up drywall. What can one do to the paneling to make it more pleasant to the eye? Paint or wallpaper, anything? - (a friends new home)
Answers:
You can paint it. You'll get the look of painted barn boards. Use a god latex primer. Clean with TSP before painting. Also, if the panels are glossy, apply Savogran De-glosser to dull the finish. This will give the paint something to grab on to. Use a good paint. Watery paint runs and will make for a poor job. I like Pratt and Lambert. It is used by pros and in office settings and nicer homes. It costs more, but ease of use and coverage more than compensate.
Paneling looks nice painted. It's certainly the cheapest alternative. Make sure you put on a layer of primer first.
Wallpapering over paneling is tricky because the ridges often show through.
You can lightly sand it and paint. I had the same problem and it really turned out nice.
My in-laws had gray paneling. It made the living room kind of dark and dreary..so they sanded it and painted it like a cream color..it looks so much better!!! made the living room look brighter and bigger..good luck!
you want to clean it, primer it and then paint it. that would be the cheapest and best looking option. You could also re panel the room, but i recommend just painting.
I have a couple of rooms with paneling and I painted them. You really don't know they're paneled rooms, it looks just like a painted wall.
If she prepares the surface correctly, nobody will know it is paneling and not drywall under the paint. So, I agree, paint is best. It is possible to wallpaper, but it will cost more and has a higher risk of looking like wallpaper over paneling. She could paint and add a border is she is craving that type of look.
I have managed to do all of these things to paneling and have them look fine. I have also painted over wallpaper and nobody knows.
There is a lot of treatment you can do. As previous given, you need to prep the paneling first before doing anything. Clean it, if it glossy sand it or degloss it. If they do not like the grooves you can fill them with drywall compound, a couple thin coats leave a slight ridge and sand smooth. Seal with a good primer. You can use Kiltz water base, I prefer the oil base if using in a room where there is a lot of moisture. A couple coats of a good latex paint and it will look like nice smooth walls. Or they like the appearance of textured walls you can buy paintable textured wallpaper, fill the grooves like above, seal with a primer (allow at least 24-36 hours to cure)and roll a coat of wallpaper sizing, again allow time to dry well. Apply, wallpaper of choice and paint. Use a satin or eggshell finish, do not use semi-gloss or glossy finish paint as any repairs will flash, no matter how well you have prepared the walls.
You could also fill the grooves half way. Fill from the ceiling to a little more than halfway down the wall. Prep like above, sand and seal entire wall. Apply wallpaper on top half way down, at halfway mark place a moulding of your choice around room (like chair rail), paint bottom a complimentary color. The exposed grooves in the paneling add texture to the appearance of the walls. Good luck! Be creative!
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