Is there a way to strip paint in the groove of wood paneling?

I have a family room that has natural wood beam ceiling, but the walls have wood paneling that has been painted a dark brown.

formatting link
am trying to decide whether I should strip the paint off the panels then see what I can do with the paneling, versus ripping them all out and do drywalls. Seems it's pretty easy to strip the paint off the surface of the wood panels but the groove in between the panel is a challenge. Is the an easy way or should I just rip them out and put them out of their misery?

Thanks!

MC

Reply to
MiamiCuse
Loading thread data ...

formatting link
> I am trying to decide whether I should strip the paint off the panels then

I'd look at running a router in the groove rather than try to strip it. I'd rip them down rather than try to strip that much surface of paint. Looks like a rather big project.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Replacing the wood paneling with drywall is preferable from a fire safety consideration. However, it is more work than is immediately obvious. All the door, window and baseboard trim must be removed, not that big a job and can be reused if done carefully (utility knife to break paint seal, if any, putty knife to open joint, thin pry bar to loosen molding; pull finish nails though back face with vise grip pliers and pry bar). Since the drywall (1/2") will be thicker than the paneling (3/16"), all of the door and window casings must be extended out by nailing and gluing wood strips (1/2 - 3/16 =

5/16" thick)to the face of the casings. Smooth the face joint as needed with drywall compound or wood putty and sand smooth. Similarly, after the drywall is installed, extend all of the electrical outlet and switch boxes with plastic or metal 'extenders' made for the purpose. Re-apply the door, window and baseboard trim moldings and prep: fill nail holes with wood filler, blend miter joints with paintable caulk and a damp rag then sand smooth and paint. Finally, paint or paper walls. Bathrooms are a special problem if the toilet tank is closer than 3/8" to the original paneling.

An alternative is to use a drywall knife and fill all of the paneling joints with drywall compound or, better, wood filler (I like Elmer's Carpenter's interior/exterior); sand smooth and paint -- several coats and sand with intense glancing light or joints will show through final finish. Another alternative is to paint the paneling, joints included, with one color, then, carefully, paint every other vertical strip with a slightly darker shade. A third alternative is to simply paint the damn paneling one solid color, joints and all (women sometimes like it, men sometimes hate it, SWMBO rules). The feasibility of re-painting paneling hinges on whether the original paint passes the thumbnail scratch test. Unpainted wood paneling must be primed first and before that sanded if it is shiny with wax or whatever.

Our 1970ish all-paneled house has had every one of these alternatives applied to various rooms depending on circumstances and objectives. Oh, one room, a library, was left paneled.

David Merrill

formatting link
> I am trying to decide whether I should strip the paint off the panels then

Reply to
David Merrill

Oh, and DAGS:

formatting link
Merrill

Reply to
David Merrill

"MiamiCuse" wrote in news:sL2dnXrKqb29zH_YnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@dsli.com:

If you want to keep the paneling, you're best off replacing it. If you want to get rid of those annoying grooves, you can get a paper (think wall paper) that will go over the paneling and provide a smooth, paintable surface. My mother's used this several times in her house, so if you need more information post back and I'll ask her what she used exactly.

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper

We've had success painting v -grooved paneling with KILZ or ZINSER pigmented shellac and then floating, sanding, texturing, and painting ala drywall.

Reply to
NuWaveDave

formatting link

Is that beadboard? If so, it would be a nightmare to strip, and probably more expensive than replacing it. How about lighter paint and a fake woodgrain?

Reply to
Norminn

If by "wood," you mean Masonite, it's cheaper at $20 a sheet to tear it down and replace it. If it's old, it's probably breeding mildew. It'll also give you a chance to reinsulate.

Reply to
Father Haskell

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.