Hi All,
I want to remodel a 12’x34′ basement office/guest room that has dark sheet paneling (70’s redo). The room was insulated and done very well and I hate to tear all the paneling out. Plus the paneling is covering a thick layer of 2’x4′ drywall (??) installed horizontally. I grow weak just thinking about taping and smoothing all those seams.
I plan to install wainscoting over the lower half of the room which will cover the paneling but that leaves me with a dark, ugly upper half. My thought was to fill in the paneling grooves with something and then use a textured paintable wallpaper over the top. Any thoughts on whether this will work? Thoughts on what would work good as a filler? I’m open to other suggestions as well. Thanks.
Replies
Many moons ago we did this on a home. I still know the people and it has survived about 15 years with no problems.
I would make sure to scuff the finish on the paneling, and prime the paneling after filling the grooves.
Scuff sand the paneling, fill the grooves with setting-type joint compound, prime, and cover.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
What about putting up a 1/4" layer of sheetrock above the wainscotting? Only a few joints to cover then... your wall is already pretty mush smooth from the panels.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
You can fill the grooves -use a setting drywall compound, because it'll stick better without drying and cracking out - but most untextured wall papers will still telegraph "paneling" through the paper if you go directly to them.
One option is to use "liner" paper, applied horizontally, before the patterned paper. It's a white paper, and the seams are butted. It is a thicker paper meant to smooth out a wall before the final paper is applied in 'drops', i.e. vertically. I've never seen it come pre-pasted, but pasting is a lot easier and cleaner than mudding and taping, no?
If you don't have your heart set on a certain wallpaper, another option is to use a paintable wallpaper, a textured paper which comes in various patterns, which isn't very expensive, about $12/roll at HD or Lowe's or available in catalogues like Renovators Supply. It's not pre-pasted either, but at least your drops are pretty short above your wainscot so it'll not be so hard to handle. After hanging it, you paint it with you choice of latex paint. Downside is that if you nick it later, the white paper is pretty obvious under a darker paint.
Third option is to texture the wall. Fill the cracks, use a bonding primer, and texture at will.
Thanks for all the detailed help. Is the liner paper something special, only to be found in wallpaper stores, or is there a chance it is available at one of the big box stores? I am a little out in the boonies and want to increase my chances of finding what I want when I go.
Liner paper is very common, about $10/roll, available at Lowe's and HD or any wallpaper store, though i doubt a K-Mart or Walmart would sell it. Here's a link with more information, directions for hanging, and from which you can order - hey, i see they have pre-pasted liner! - if you can't find it locally. Be sure to check shipping costs, of course; the stuff is heavy.http://www.usawallpaper.com/linerpaper.htmlI thought of another idea, and it might not be much more expensive. Stores that sell fabric often have ends of bolts or factory overruns in bins for very cheap prices, maybe a dollar to $3 a yard. You can staple fabric right to the wall, top and bottom and selvedge, then cover the seams with fabric or wood trim, or railroad it (run horizontally) if it is wide enough. Fabric commonly comes in 36", 45", 54", and 60" widths, as well as variations on those standards.
Sand the paneling, fill all the grooves, set the nails, especially the seam areas. you could tape the seam areas. When all the taping is done, prime with a OIL base primer. You could hang a lining paper over the prepped walls and use any wallcovering you want. This is the method I use when I am confronted with this problem, you are not relegated to use a paintable wallcovering using this method.
Any female with decorating experience would sand the paneling paint the paneling then take a slighly lighter or darker can of the same color with some glaze added, and paint the crack area, then rub it to give a dimentional look and subtle striping. Tigger
We covered ours with paint. No sealing seams or grooves, just painted it off white. Looks fine.
Steve.
Steve's got it.
Just paint it.
period.
it has a great look.
seriously.
carpenter in transition
Seriously "trailer house"!
don't you ever tire of the look of painted drywall ?
come on, it's time to give your life some texture.carpenter in transition
LOL! "Texture"? I've spent years skim-coating globs of texure so i could wallpaper, but... I responded to a "free" ad in the newspaper for some new kitchen doors and drawer fronts. I thought maybe i would build some shop cabinets with them, but it turned out the guy was giving away two trailer-loads of panels that he himself had gotten for a pittance when a factory had gone out of business. I'm using them as ceiling panels and wainscot, with a combo of bought and shop-made trim. It'll be the nicest 1940s tract house in the drainage. <G>
heh heh splint-
you is one cool babe;o)
damn, am I fat!
Wait'll you see my collaboration with Taunton called Fine Redneck Remodeling!
We had a double wide in the 70's that had beautiful paneling but the wife wanted a "different look" most of the house. Remember, this was the 70's. Not the choice of materials you have today.
I knew we would be selling and did not want to damage the existing so I bought hardboard (Masonite) sheets and matched them seam for seam. In 4 bedrooms and the living room we installed various wallpaper patterens over the hardboard. There was no hint of joints visible. A couple of the rooms were for the girls and had a very light colored fine pattern.
I matched clean, sharp factory edges and caulked over a wax paper strip 6 inches wide the length of each seam, under the hardboard and over the paneling. The results were worth the effort.
...The unspoken word is capital. We can invest it or we can squander it. -Mark Twain...
Be kind to your children....they will choose your nursing home.