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We have decided our wood panel wall is too woody. It looks too old, and the dark color hides a lot of insects. My wife wants something brighter and a more modern feel. I will leave only the ceiling as wood panel.
Here are what I think are my options to achieve that:
1. Remove the wood panels and put up 1/2" thick sheet rock, then perhaps apply knock-down pattern, and finally paint. I can probably use the wood boards for something else.
2. Remove the molding strips, apply 1/4" thick sheet rock directly on to the wood panel, then perhaps apply knock-down pattern, and finally paint. I won't be able to reuse the wood boards, however 1/4" sheet rock is probably cheaper and this can save some labor to remove the wood panels.
3. Paint the wood boards. I kind of doubt this approach would look and feel good, but want to get some expert opinion.
4. Any other ideas?
Your views on the pros and cons of any approach is welcome. What my wall looks like now:
I'd vote to take it down and do the 1/2" sheetrock. That's a lot of decent material to just bury in the wall. Plus, sheetrocking over it will cause issues with your door and window trim.
I'd vote to take it down and do the 1/2" sheetrock. That's a lot of decent material to just bury in the wall. Plus, sheetrocking over it will cause issues with your door and window trim.
Agreed. Gotta remove the wood first. If it's in decent shape you can recycle it into some other project. If not...bonfire!
What is under the current wood paneling and what condition is it in? If it's going to need a lot of prep before you can put anything else over it that might make a difference. I read someplace that painting over wood paneling works best if you spray, not brush the primer and paint. However, if the paneling has significant "grain" or variation in surface texture (ie knots) paint won't hide that. You might have to spend a lot of prep time building a smooth surface.
Then there are lime, whitewash, milk paint type semi-transparent finishes.
Sorry, not an expert, but I have struggled with wood paneling before, couldn't make up my mind as I liked the wood itself, finally didn't change the walls, changed the colors in the furniture, rugs, drapes, instead.
How much wall space are we talking about? One room? Tear it out. The whole house? Well then, you didn't make a good choice. Live with it, or start from scratch. Personally I kinda like it, so there is that.
What is under the current wood paneling and what condition is it in? If it's going to need a lot of prep before you can put anything else over it that might make a difference. I read someplace that painting over wood paneling works best if you spray, not brush the primer and paint. However, if the paneling has significant "grain" or variation in surface texture (ie knots) paint won't hide that. You might have to spend a lot of prep time building a smooth surface.
Then there are lime, whitewash, milk paint type semi-transparent finishes.
Sorry, not an expert, but I have struggled with wood paneling before, couldn't make up my mind as I liked the wood itself, finally didn't change the walls, changed the colors in the furniture, rugs, drapes, instead.
I was referring to the fact that with the darker color, spiders and little bugs can more easily blend in to the back ground, so there are more of those in the house.
I have not opened the walls in this house yet; my guess is it's just hallow space behind the wood panels, with regular 16" centered studs. What prep might be needed in the worst case scenario?
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