Ideas On Covering Wood Paneling

Covering the wood paneling may be a messy job, but will brighten your home.

Your ugly wood paneling has had better days. Perhaps, the wood paneling used to work for the room, or maybe you got stuck with it when you moved into your home. Whether you own your home and can do a major redesign, or you rent and have to deal with the eyesore, you have options.

Paint

Paint over the paneling and embrace the grooves between the "wood." If the paneling is extra shiny, sand off the finish. Prime the paneling and paint with a color of your choice. Thicker paints, such as latex, work best to camouflage the grooves and fake wood grain.

Wallpaper

Spackle the nail holes and paint the paneling with primer to get it ready for wallpaper. Choose thick wallpaper that will not settle into the grooves. Traditional wallpaper shrinks into the lines on the paneling, so be careful which wallpaper you pick. Textured thick wallpaper works great to hide the imperfections in the wall.

Mud

Sand and prime the paneling, tape the grooves of the paneling with mesh drywall tape and roll on drywall mud. After the mud dries, prime the wall and paint like the wall was drywall. This look achieves the regular drywall look best without having to actually nail up drywall, but if the paneling flexes, the mud may crack. Priming beforehand should cut down on this, though.

Curtain

Hang up floor-to-ceiling curtains or drapes to cover the walls as an option if you're renting and cannot change the paneling. This adds extra color and texture to the room, while hiding the fake wood look. Use removable adhesive hooks for curtain rod holders if you are not allowed to use nails or screws. You can change out the curtains as often as you like, giving you versatility. Pull the little tabs when you move out and there will be no evidence you ever had a wall of curtains.

Decorative Paper

Wrap the wall in decorative paper, such as wrapping paper, with removable adhesive strips and clear tape in the seams. Hide the seams with ribbon, adding lines of ribbon in between the seams to make a pinstripe look. This option does not hold up for years, but is great for making do in a cheap apartment.

Tags: wood paneling, your home, fake wood, paneling with, removable adhesive, thick wallpaper