Painting over wood paneling.

[CTyankee]

I have something referred to as "peckerwood" paneling in my basement finished room (can't find information on it on google). It's wood with little holes in it. I was told it's real wood, not fake. I want a quick fix on the walls to brighten up the room when we eventually sell our house. I'm using oatmeal colored but sturdy carpeting and putting in recessed lighting for an update of this "family room" or whatever they called it (the house was built in 1941, don't know when the basement room was finished).

Can you paint over wood that has holes in it (naturally)?

Any other ideas on how to lighten up a basement room (it could make a pretty nice playroom for kids)?

[Warpy]

1. First, don't paint that stuff

It was incredibly expensive when it was installed, but that's not the reason. The reason is that it will always look like a cheap, quick fix, a coat of paint slapped over ugly paneling. You'll never get rid of the holes.

What you can try is whitewash. That wouldn't fight with the paneling the way paint would. Brightening the room can be accomplished by cheap fabric wall art, choose sunny colors in yellows, oranges, and reds.

Or you can pry up a piece of it to see if a previous owner did a cheap and dirty job and just installed it over sheetrock. That's not very likely, but there's one chance in a hundred that you could get lucky.

Paint over wood paneling can work out, but not that pecky cedar stuff.

[CTyankee]

4. Is there still such a thing as whitewash? I inquired about that at a Sherwin Williams store

and was told it was no longer something people used. Maybe the guy I talked to didn't know what he was talking about. Is there a brand name of whitewash you can recommend?

My daughter had a similar room in her basement. I was amazed at how nice it looked as a playroom for her 3 daughters with a mid grade Berber in a light shade, white walls and recessed lighting. The kids liked it a lot...it's now a guest BR (with a Murphy bed) and they had put in a BR with a stall shower. I stay there when I visit and it's nice. I want something as useful (altho there is no bathroom in my basement). It showed me that even with a basement room with very few windows it can be comfortable and even inviting...

[Warpy]

9. What you're going to want to do is keep the purpose

as open ended as possible, keeping the decor neutral enough to work as either a football/game room or play room, or possibly just a second living area.

I'm thinking you just want to lighten paneling that has darkened in order to lighten an otherwise too dark room.

Everything you want to know about whitewash as a technique: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/831949/tips_for_whitewashing_walls_and_paint.html

You can thin your own paint down until it gives you the translucent finish I'm thinking will work best on rustic walls. I'd suggest sticking to white just for accuracy. You really don't have to go to the trouble of making your own calcimine paint. In addition, if the new homeowners ever do want to try to paint over it, they can paint over thinned white paint but not calcimine. Painting over pecky cedar will look like hell, but that'll be their worry.

[CTyankee]

11. Wow! That's a great link. I went on to watch the little video about "frescoing" which

involves more steps to get an "antique" look. However, I think the textured lime wash is best for this room. I think it'll be inviting without being over the top.

This is a great idea, Warpy! I had no idea this was "out there." Thanks so much!

[Warpy]

14. You learn a lot moving from slum apartment to slum apartment

and poring over books in the library to try to make the best of what little the dump had going for it. I especially learned how to work with stuff instead of against it, including which surfaces would tend to spit the spackle out and ruin any paint job, which is why I didn't suggest going that route.

That pecky cedar stuff was the highest class paneling you could get back in the day, a favorite for the 50s-early 60s "rec room" crowd. My own ten thumbed dad used knotty pine, which was more standard for the time. If you were in a room with paneling, it was time to grab a drink and cigarette and party down. I've had one accent wall of the miserable stuff, and that's how I know what to do with it.

[CTyankee]

15. Yeah, this room has a "bar" which is a joke and I plan to have taken out.

I can't believe that people used to go down to a dark basement room with inadequate lighting and a tiny window to relax and enjoy themselves.

BTW, what do you recommend be done with that tiny window? I'm tempted to put a brightly patterned curtain over the damn thing...it opens to a window well in front of the house, so it's not like you have much of a "view."

[Warpy]

16. What I've done is hang a short curtain under the window

and drapes that can be closed on either side. It fools the eye into thinking there's a much larger window there.

The rec room was used mostly after dark. My parents used it one night a year, the Holiday Brawl. Windows didn't matter--good thing since it had 2 typical basement windows on the side and a glass paned door on the back. Bad lighting and dark paneling was ambience in the 50s and early 60s, think of bar decor in the home.

[CTyankee]

17. Like a double curtain that we used to have in kitchens?

I'm a bit confused. Drapes on the window itself and a curtain hung from a rod below that? Sorry to be so dense...

[Warpy]

18. Yes, pretty much. The top curtain rod should extend a foot

beyond the sides of the window so that the window can be completely exposed between the drapes. The cafe curtain on the bottom fools the eye into thinking the window extends down, too. It all has to be hemmed to the same length or it looks awful, but done right, it can really fool the eye and make a poky room feel quite airy.

[CTyankee]

20. Great idea. So how far down do you start the bottom curtain?

[Warpy]

21. Edge of the glass, usually

covering up whatever serves as the bottom sill, if there is one.

[CTyankee]

22. Thank you so much for helping me out! I appreciate your patience

in answering my questions. I've made a note of your ideas so when the time comes, I'll be able to get this room looking halfway decent...:yourock:

[CTyankee]

12. Can this be done successfully on cheap, thin faux paneling?

The stairs leading down to my basement room is paneled in very cheap looking fake "wood" paneling, not the pecky wood. Would you recommend the lime wash there, too, to blend with the room? Or is it better to paint it with white paint? Its surface is totally flat.

[Warpy]

13. Nah, I'd go ahead and paint that stuff, it's not going to get any worse

What you really need to do is find out if it's over sheetrock. A lot of really cheap ass paneling went over sheetrock to try to give it some strength.

I only suggested the whitewash because of the nature of pecky cedar. It's best to go with a good, lightened wood surface than a bad painted one.

[Paper Roses]

2. I'd brush up on my plastering skills if it was my house.

Plastering with joint compound is easy. If your intent is to sell, I'd do a coat over that lovely stuff, sand it down and then do a prime and paint. You could possible find a plasterer who could do the job reasonably. In my area now, there are many ads on Craigslist for small jobs placed by people who are unemployed. I'd get an estimate and talk to some of those Craigslist folks. You buy the compound, they do the work.

Who ever thought that stuff was good looking anyway?

[CTyankee]

6. So the compound makes it look just like a normal wall surface when you're all done sanding, etc.?

Might not be a bad way to go. I prefer a warm, not stark, white on the walls because I want it to be bright and inviting, not dark and gloomy like it is now (what were people thinking back in the day when they had these awful "rumpus rooms"?)

[Paper Roses]

10. We did many patch-ups with the compound and they look great.

This is an old house and although we do not have that horrid wood stuff, we did have some very rough plaster on the walls. Chunks missing, cracks, gouges in the surface. On the advice of a contractor friend, my husband joint compounded over the old stuff (walls)after removing wallpaper that was in some of the rooms. It was time consuming and the sanding was messy but the results look great. Prime, paint, you'd never know.

When we first bought our house, we had to do some real plaster work. The old had become loose and had to be removed. That was a different story. The work required stronger plaster repair.

Disguising that wood is cosmetic and I'd try the joint compound. Cheap in 5 gallon buckets.

I like the idea from WsDJ about renting the machine to spray on a finish. I would never take the wood off, you never know what lurks behind. I'm not fond of textured finishes but maybe that application could be sanded too.

You are right to brighten up the room.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

3. You can put up paneling over the to[ of whats there

You can buy 4ft. by 8 ft. sheets or you can put ceder panels up. On the 4by 8's you can but white paneling, on the ceder captains cabin stuff you paint it. Otherwise Primer paint those panels with kills or seals all primer ,than texture the walls ,you might want to pay somebody to do that ,texture heave than paint those walls. No more holes that way! OK so, primer ,texture ,paint!

You can rent a air compressor and texture gun. You can buy a texture gun with hooper for about fifty bucks than rent a compressor and hose. Texturing is easy. When you texture heavy, the paint sticks to the texture and the texture sticks to the walls! So when you primer and texture the color of the paneling will not bleed through.

It's a pretty simple equation really!And texture looks great.,what the heck texture the entire room,give it a face lift!

Good Luck!

[CTyankee]

5. Thanks! Oh, the things you learn...

[Warpy]

19. I'd advise against trying to fill the holes in pecky cedar

even if you use Kilz first. Wood tends to swell and contract and the joint compound/spackle will get spit out sooner rather than later. You just can't get a smooth surface on that stuff unless you do cover it up with something else.

I suggested the whitewash as a way of going with the inherent flaw of the pecky surface, keeping the rustic sort of feel, but lightening the room the cheapest and easiest way possible.

[LiberalEsto]

7. There is some type of wallpaper

that is designed specifically to hang on top of paneling to make it smooth and paintable. I haven't done it myself, but I've read about it.

Link to an article about using it. http://www.ehow.com/about_5064216_wallpaper-liner.html

Here's a link to one company. http://www.wallliner.com/

[CTyankee]

8. Wonderful! Thanks, I'll look it up! nt

[Stinky The Clown]

23. Consider a product called "wallpaper liner" ......

You get it at any well stocked wallpaper store. It comes in smooth and several textures. It goes up like wallpaper, but is thicker than normal and will bridge gaps like the holes in your paneling and the grooves in it, too. It will also cover cement block and brick. In fact, we just used some to cover badly scarred drywall in a kitchen that we're redoing. We put it up, skim coated it with joint compound to cover the seams and give an overall even texture (very thin coat, such that it needed almost no sanding), gave it a light sanding, and painted it. You can't tell it from virgin drywall.

I've used this for all manner of cover up in various houses over the years. We did a cracked plaster/lath ceiling that was starting to fall down. It held the plaster up for years. We did cracked plaster walls, basement walls, paneling, etc.

If you can hang walpaper you can do this stuff. The only tip is to use clay based wall paper paste. It is heavier and has more holding power. When the liner is painted, it is heavier than normal paper and the extra strength helps.