Photo by Gerd Altmann via Pixabay
Forty years ago every house had some paneling. Some more than others. Paneling can bring the look of natural wood and the great outdoors into a home. But unless your home is a cabin in the woods, chances are that's not what you're going for. Just like many home trends, paneling has fallen out of favor. And you're ready to replace it.
Removing it is the easy part. What to do next is where many get stuck. We're here to help with how to prepare your wall in the four most common wall condition scenarios.
If you were lucky, when you removed the wood paneling, you found that you have drywall back there. And they nailed the paneling to it rather than gluing it, so you could quickly get it off.
If the drywall is in good shape, you're ready to:
And you're ready to paint.
*Note* If you find dark paint like black, hunter green or cranberry, you'll need a special primer to prime over it.
If the panels were glued, you have a little more to do here. The paper face of the drywall may have come off, sometimes in chunks.
You might be able to salvage it. But you'll probably be much happier if you just skin it. That means you'll hang a very thin (1/4") drywall over the existing drywall.
If you find nasty wallpaper or hard-to-peel paint back there, your best bet is to skin the wall just like we did for glued panels. Follow the instructions above.
In rare instances, you may have started pulling paneling and there's no drywall back there. In this case, you have a larger drywall project and may want to defer to professionals.
For more home projects you can DIY to improve the look and feel of your home, follow our blog.
Hi, I'm Anna Woods and I'd love to assist you. Whether you're in the research phase at the beginning of your real estate search or you know exactly what you're looking for, you'll benefit from having a real estate professional by your side. I'd be honored to put my real estate experience to work for you.
I am a full-service Realtor® since 2010. I serve the High Desert in Southern California.
Prior to earning my real estate license, I earned my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting at California State University, San Bernardino in 2002. I found myself not satisfied in my work life, so I sought out a new career. I found happiness in helping families obtain their dream homes. In 2019 I became an Associate Broker.
I moved to the High Desert in 2003, in search of peace and quiet away from the city lights. I found the rural lifestyle in the High Desert. I now have several farm animals and love to garden.