Paint Ideas

Are you looking to brighten your home? Many older homes have dark, stained wood paneling and trim.

Times and tastes change and today many people are looking for a bright, airy, open feeling in their house.  Too much dark paneling can make a place feel dark and dreary.

Without having to spend alot of money, why not consider painting the paneling?

Here are some tips and tricks on how to paint paneling:

• If you want to remove the “grooves” in the paneling first, you can use a plaster or drywall joint compound and try to skim over the grooves, making the wall look flat, like drywall.
• In some cases, you may be able to use drywall tape over the cracks, and then patch over that to make the job easier to hide the cracks.
• If you don’t want to go through the expense of filling the cracks, and don’t mind the look of paneling, you can go to the next step, which is deglossing the surface and getting it ready for primer.
• You can use sandpaper to scuff up the wall, or even better, you can use a liquid deglosser like “Krud Kutter’s Gloss Off” to make the surface ready for paint to stick to it.
• “Gloss-Off” is another good deglosser.  Because as a liquid, it is easier to get into some surfaces then sandpaper.
• We recommend using Zinnser 1-2-3 or even better yet Zinnser BIN Primer to prime the panelling before painting it.
• If you use either type of primer, be sure to ge some denatured alcohol to make sure the 1-2-3 or BIN is easy to clean up.
• Use a China Bristle Brush to cut in the paneling and the grooves.
• Be sure to use a thick napped roller to apply the primer so that it can get into any knots or cracks.
• After the primer has been applied and had time to dry, lightly sand the paneling again, and then paint the paneling with a nice quality acrylic top coat of paint.