Filling in wood paneling is a necessary prerequisite to painting.
Most wood paneling from the 1960s and 70s is made up of think boards with darker, inset grooves located about every 8 inches. When removing wood paneling is not an option, some homeowners choose to change the look of a room by painting over the wood paneling. This requires filling in the panels' grooves first. When done properly, the finished project yields flat, modern-looking walls.
Instructions
1. Clean the wood paneling with a simple water and ammonia solution. Combine one half cup ammonia with one gallon of warm water. Use a soft cloth or sponge to wipe down the paneling. Let the wall dry completely.
2. Sand the paneling with an electric sanding wheel and a fine gauge 150 grit sandpaper. Focus on the areas around the grooves but you don't need to get the entire wall completely smooth with the sandpaper. Its main purpose to create a relatively smooth space for you to paint over after you've finished step 3. When finished sanding, wash the paneled wall down again with the ammonia/water mixture you used in step 1.
3. Use a quick-drying drywall mud or spackle and putty knife to fill in the grooves in the wood paneling. Scrape some spackle out of the container and spread it into and over each groove. Use the flat edge of the knife to smooth out the spackle, leaving a flat surface. Let the spackle dry completely.
4. Sand the wall with a circular sander and 150 grit sand paper, smoothing out any ridges. Finish with a completely smooth surface that is ready to prime and paint over. Your local hardware or paint store will have primers formulated specifically for wood paneling. Select one of these if you intend to paint over the paneled wall.
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