How do you get rid of wood panelling? (paneling, paint, sink)

[Misty108]

Paper over it? Paint over it? Or do you need to rip it out, and then what do you put in its place?


Thanks.

[Electrician4you]

Pull it out. It's drywall underneath.

[Vectoris]

I've had good luck painting it white. I like the look of the white strips.

[thecooler]

i covered mine with wall liner-its a thick wall paper that's paintable, people cant tell at all that its paneling underneath.

[eddiehaskell]

If you're lucky there will be drywall under it...if not you'll have to add drywall once it's torn out.

[Brian_M]

Originally Posted by Electrician4you

Pull it out. It's drywall underneath.

LOL! Yeah, right. 3 houses where I've checked, 3 houses where it was just paneling.

People put that stuff up so they didn't NEED to go to the expense of drywall.

[Pitt Chick]

Originally Posted by Electrician4you

Pull it out. It's drywall underneath.

I wish! It would have made my remodeling MUCH easier.

Drywall under paneling is not the norm here.

We took all ours down, insulated the void, and drywalled.

[KittySkyfish]

I think painted-over paneling is beautiful in its own right. The wood plank look adds textural interest to the walls. But if you prefer smooth walls, then removal is the only way to go. Wallpaper isn't rigid and will sink into the grooves.

[Pitt Chick]

Originally Posted by KittySkyfish

But if you prefer smooth walls, then removal is the only way to go. Wallpaper isn't rigid and will sink into the grooves.

Removal is not the only way.
You CAN fill in the grooves...

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Brian_M

LOL! Yeah, right. 3 houses where I've checked, 3 houses where it was just paneling.

People put that stuff up so they didn't NEED to go to the expense of drywall.

In many nicer homes built in the classic "mid century modern" style of the late 50s - early 70s that were in areas where fire codes REQUIRE drywall (or even plaster) the paneling was done very much for STYLE.

In contrast, lower end homes where the standards for building inspections was more along the lines of "don't ask, don't tell" the paneling very likely is not backed by anything.
These sorts of things often vary according the history of local regulations...

The OP ought to be able to tell if there is drywall or plaster by simply removing a switch plate / outlet cover -- the distinctive layer of white gypsum should be visible.

If there is no drywall it may be smart to leave the paneling and then layer drywall over it. This works in situations where paneling was adhered to drywall or plaster with construction adhesive too -- the relative speed of installing drywall over paneling instead of laboriously ripping the stuff down is another plus.