Creative suggestions needed....our house has those horrible?

Question

looking panel boards in our bedroom. I think they are so horrible but my husband, despite he is capable, takes to long to complete jobs and he doesn't want to remove them. He wants to spray paint them white. I told him NO!

What can I do to make them look appealing? Any suggestions? Pictures are good as well.

Thank you!

Answer 1

Try spray painting it with a textured paint...such as a stone effect of something like that. Then put a few paintings up too of course. It will either improve it or look really naff! Good luck =)

Spray paint effects:

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl...

Some more ideas here:

http://www.essortment.com/all/homeinteri...

http://paper-it-fun.com/2007/06/21/mobil...

Answer 2

When he goes to work, you find a loose spot on the paneling and start pulling them off.  Carry them out to the trash and set them there.  It shouldn't be too hard for you to take them down.  That takes away the option of painting them.  I found, with my ex-husband, that if I started a project he felt compelled to butt in and finish it.  After you get the boards down you will need some dry wall compound and a few putty knives (4-8").  Smooth the dry wall compound over the rough spots, sand them down and it is ready to paint.  Good luck.  

Answer 3

Actually, painting them white isn't a bad idea... we did that same thing in our basement, we painted all the paneling white, then put up a border, looks MUCH better, cleaner, brighter... and not tacky...

At first I thought like you... ew... no way.. but it really looks alot better, cheap too!

Answer 4

if its wood you can stain it and than wash away some of the paint so it looks old and than take a chain and hit it with it so it will look old and distressed.

i ahve a wood box thing in my house and i did that and it looks awesome.  

Answer 5

Put some dry wall over them...get some crown molding to make it look more classy, you could fill all the panels with some spackling to make a completely flat surface...you might be able to put wallpaper over it quite easily

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...

You could also invest in some fabric and put drapes up...You could put up large decorating panels...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...

Answer 6

Honestly, painting the paneling is going to be the least expensive, and quickest option!

But don't spray paint. Normal indoor paint with rollers will cover better and look nicer. And you can go with any color. Not just white.

My friends did that in their basement. They went with dark colors because they wanted it to be darker to set it up as a movie room, but it looks really good!

I even helped them to do the same to their computer room and we used a purple/blueish color. It took several coats, but it looked really nice and since you have the panels, it kind of gives it more interest then just being a flat wall!

Answer 7

I have the same problem at my house, paneling.  There is a special type of wall paper that can go over it.  It can be painted.  I saw an ad for it in a Menard's sale ad last year. I thought about getting it myself.

Answer 8

those horrible dark panel boards (like from the 70s) look great with a color wash applied. you still see it's wood with the grain and everything, but it isn't solid paint. they look like pickled woodwork and it really opens a room up. and you don't have the mess and dust of removing the paneling and expense of replacing the walls.

Answer 9

only a suggestion but you could have them lined / covered over with plaster board and then skimmed, but this would involve a lot of work with skirting's and door frames etc.

Answer 10

Of course the best thing to do would be to take the paneling down, but I've seen it painted in more than one house, and it looks better than you'd expect.  However, I wouldn't paint it white.  Try a more creative color, and then hang some interesting pictures. It won't be ideal, but it'll be an improvement.

Answer 11

My mother-in-law had that paneling in her living room and she painted it yellow. It actually looks really good! The lines from the "wood" add texture to the walls.

I dont know about SPRAY painting them though! I think you should get regular interior paint from a hardware store or Wal-Mart and paint them the right way and it has the potiential to look really nice.

Here is a link to a paneling room that has been painted over with white.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_324pVw0Z2vM/R-8tY-...

Here is another helpful link that can give suggestions when painting over wood paneling:

http://interiordec.about.com/gi/dynamic/...

Best of luck!

Answer 12

Painting them white would actually look the best. You roll them the way you would a normal wall. You could do any color really, it looks very cottage, if you leave them brown they just look very dated. Here is an example. Oh and wallpaper borders are also dated, yuck! If you do paint them make sure you prime first and use a low sheen paint. Like eggshell or flat. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/...

Answer 13

We had them in our dining room for a white before we remodeled and my husband painted them white and then did a little white wash look on them...

another idea, I you could add a wall quote from www.thesimplestencil.com to take your eyes away from the paneling and so it is not as noticable...I used them to hang wall decor in both our master and childrens bedrooms...pretty cool stuff and the best prices I could find.

Good Luck

Answer 14

are the panels in all 4 walls,top to floor or is it a wainscoting ?

I'll be waiting for your answer in the mean time I 'm looking for something I have an idea in mind!

I hope that your husband likes Shabby chic!

http://photos.ivillage.com/images/photos...

I'm still looking

here is another ,http://scripps-content.communicationsmgr...

I have found this one as well ,now if you could visualize the pictures that I have sent you in your room, let you husband paint the panels in a light buttery colour not white it would be too Stark , you could very well have a shabby chic /country looking bedroom that will be warm and inviting  ,you can purchase some new bedding's in the shabby chic stile or a nice quilt that will bring the feel of country in the room , keep it free od clutter , add some wicker like a chair in a corner a fern by the window and some lace curtains to give the room a bit of nostalgia , buy some prints  ,I will try to find what I mean , Here is a Monet  that you could add to your room this is just to give an idea , there are more to choose from

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images...

here is a quilt

http://www.houseofquilts.com/ProductImag...

and here is a chair that you could also get in white if you wish

http://www.pier1.com/img/pier1com/produc...

Now your room should be complete!

Enjoy!