Make paneling look like wallboard!!!

I did that once. Worked great!! Only thing different I did was give the wall a texture then primed/painted. I felt like it gave it just a little more strength also.

Thanks derling.
Barbara

Derling,
The time, cost, and labor involved in doing all that would be about the same or even more than removing the paneling, and preparing your wallboard(drywall), for texture/paint. If you remove the paneling you can even skip a step- removing the gloss from the paneling.
If the paneling was put in place during the original construction then the drywall behind it could have things like a cable pull hole the elctrician left knowing it would be covered with paneling. So you would have to patch that and then any nail holes, a little sandiing after the wall mudd set. Then you apply the texture, install your new baseboard and paint.
A couple of weeks ago I did a small project of removing paneling from about 25' of wall. I only got it texture ready which took about 2 hours total work(not counting down time to let the mudd set up). A small bucket of mudd and some patch material cost me about $6.00(not counting the baseboard or texture which you would need either way you did it). I have someone else doing the texture and painting.
I must be missing something because it seems to me that preparing the paneling to texture/paint would be more work, costa bit more and take more time.

"What am I missing?"

Scott

-One Step Closer

The paneling would make the wall stronger.

It seems like if you look at drywall to hard it will get a hole. Maybe if you have teenage boys paneling the whole house then texturing/painting etc might be a good idea, and save time and money in the long run.
I can remember wresting with my brother and/or friends and then dad teaching us how to repair drywall holes and in some cases whole sheets. The cost of materials is cheap now but seemed quite expensive then when coming out of a teenagers lawn mowing income.

Scott

Scott,
If there is nothing behind the panelling, then I am sure you can see how this would be beneficial to save money. Obviously, if the wall board is already in place behind your paneling, this is not necessary.

I do a lot of repairs on mobile homes and older homes that have paneling only on the walls. If there are others like myself looking for a cheap way to get around this without all of the cost of buying new materials this is a great solution.

I am glad you did not have to face this in your past repairs....wall board it a lot nicer to work with!!!
Happy New Year,

Thanks for the extra tip Barbara!!!

Coach D,
I actually thought of that, having only paneling.
I have been in construction for a few years and have never even heard of the idea. I never even thought of mobile homes.
Well with that in mind would it be simpler and save time to flip the paneling around and put it on backwords? No gloss or groves to worry about and if you texture before you paint it might work and save some time and money. The one problem could be getting the paneling removed without damaging it.

Scott

This is a great tip. I will think of this if my partner and I buy any properties with paneling. Little things can make a big difference.

Jeremy

There are no groves on the other side.

Coach, Thanks for the great tips! Makes it look brand new without the headache of re-doing the whole wall! Also, in some older houses, there has been paneling put OVER old plaster and you sure don't want to start removing it or flipping it around, with the lead paint issue. So great tips! (btw, I just referred a DG member to you for some mobile home advice. Hope you don't mind. )
Sometimes I also just prime and paint the paneling the way it is. The grooves actually add a little something, even if just for an accent wall. Lots of options!

Thanks again!

Rina

Rina,
You are 100% right. The grooves can add "texture" to the walls, although I have found that sometimes if you use a lower quality paint the paint in the grooves will crack or not lay as easily as the smooth surfaces. I have spoken with them via PM. Thanks for the referral.
D

I have a property with warped paneling. Does anyone have any suggestions for dealing with the paneling to get a flat surface?

I did construction for a long time(nearly 20 years off and on). And on the backside of most paneling it has big holes as in knotholes, most of the time the size of quarters. So flipping it around would be as much if not more work. Changing to drywall would mean that you would have to build all windows out(what we always referred to as firring out) to be flush with the wall in order for the trim to be flat as it is supposed to be. As for warped paneling.....I think I may consider just going to drywall. You can add drywall right over top of paneling. But you would need to fir out the windows and doors. And also set the outlets and light switches out flush with the walls as well. Just trying to get my 2 cents worth in.

Billy

All above are good posts, the texture from the grooves, the good quality paint, the kilz to prevent color bleed. I have personally seen the knot holes on the back side of paneling in recovering projects as well. One question though: 'fir out', how much of the window wood work do you move out, or do you add a small piece? On the doors do you just move the outer frame ?

You would add a piece of wood to bring it out flush with the "wallboard". If you have the newer type doors then they may slide apart far enough to eliminate firring them. But if not then take the outer casing(molding) off and add a piece of wood there. Here we use 1/2 inch wallboard. So most of the firring would consist of adding a 1/2 inch piece of wood around the entire frame.

Billy

I have dealt with this before in my mobile home rehabs. It depends on the severity of the warping, but I have used wide thin strips called "battons" that I have placed in areas where it was warped and I have been able to straighten it out with that. If it is really severe, the battons might not be sufficient enough rectify the problem. I have added chair railings in addition to other pieces of wood that go vertical within a set distance apart. I have also, cut the paneling and replaced it with a replacement that matches the pattern currently on the wall and then use battons and chair rail pieces to hide the seems. It is a great inexpensive way to dress up the paneling and fix your warping problem.