Advice sought on repairing and painting old wood panelling in a living room?

Question

I live in old cottage and want to improve the appearance of a half wall of old wood panelling ( think it's old chestnut) all around the living room and fireplace. Many of the panels are all cracked down there lengths and the whole lot has been painted a hideous colour that i want to repaint in a more acceptable shade of beige or stone colour as i don't think the wood underneath would be much good if it where all stripped. Is it always necessary to strip all the paint before repainting? and would wood putty help to disguise the cracks or would that be a bad idea? i just want to improve the appearance as much as possible In any case i know it will be a long laborious job so any advice from all you DIY enthusiasts out there would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Primer is for bare surfaces and there are some specialist primers for problem surfaces.  Old paint is neither and it would be an unnecesary expense to prime it.  It needs an undercoat and either a satin or gloss finish.

If the wood was originally varnished or woodgrained (wood grain effect) then it really ought never have been painted afterwards and all future paint will be a little prone to chipping; however, if someone has already made that decision for you, then carry on painting as normal wood - ie. one or two undercoats and finish coat(s).  Oil-based paints are generally better wearing, learn how to use a small 4 inch foam roller on panels and apply thin and stretch the paint out to have a flat finish.

I would not put putty in the cracks as it can take weeks/months to dry and could distort the paint you apply over it - and it is unnecessary.  Use a two-part catalytic filler - this is one where you have a tub of filler and a tube of hardener and when you mix the two together you have between 5 and 15 mnutes to apply it (depending on the weather) before it goes off like rock.  

It is not necessary to strip your old paint off where it is soundly attached.  Key the surface with a P80 grit abrasive paper and paint.

Answer 2

If the paint is craked and peeling, you need to sand it down.

Afterwards use a wet sponge and wipe it all down

You can use a primer like "kilz".

after that, you can paint or stain any color youwant.

Answer 3

Yes, I would think that filling the cracks with wood putty would be fine.  After you fill in the cracks, sand the entire wall, then I would put on a coat of primer.  The primer will help to cover the old color, and your color will look better and last longer.  

I'm sure it will look awesome - have fun!

Answer 4

I would try to accentuate the age of the walls.  Don't drive yourself insane trying to putty over all the cracks.  More cracks will show up, eventually, and you'll forever be trying to maintain the look.  I think more than anything, the color of the walls is what's so troublesome to you.

Start by lightly sanding the walls.  From there, choose  two colors of paint to use in conjunction with one another.  A good color combo is a warm/cool one.  You mentioned stone or beige.  Use both.  Paint the walls in a flat finish in beige.  Put some of the stone color paint in a small container, put some water in another container, then grab some clean rags.  Dip the rag in the paint then in the water, then start smudging on top of the beige. It'll be messy but fun.  Don't go for perfection, just stipple it on, smear it on, play with it to see what you might like.  If you get too carried away with the stone color, you can always smudge some of the beige back on top of it to tone it down.

This will give you a natural aged look with more depth.  A single color of paint will actually emphasize the cracks and make them look like flaws.  A dual-toned wall makes the cracks less noticable, but when they're seen, they're seen as part of the ambiance.

Answer 5

these cracks will look natural if you paint over them and even give a feel to the room! note: always remember what that final look will be painting!