How To Paint Wood Paneling

Popular Types of Wood Paneling

Mauro has brought samples of two different types of paneling that are common in old houses:

Wainscoting: Decorative, square paneling with stiles, rails, and an inset panel. It is common in dining rooms or other more formal areas. Beadboard: Vertical paneling that adds texture to a wall, and includes lots of detail and narrow panels.

Ways to Apply Paint to Wood Paneling

Paint sprayer

Mauro always recommends a paint sprayer because it’s the best way to do a professional paint job. That being said, if there was ever a perfect project for a paint sprayer, it’s the beadboard, because those little curves and bends are hard to get to with a brush or roller.

Paintbrush

A paintbrush is good for cutting around the edges of the wainscoting and for getting into the crevices of the beadboard.

Paint roller

Use a paint roller for the fields of the wainscoting and for the most protruding surface of the beadboard. Mauro recommends getting a roller with a long nap to get deep into the crevices of the beadboard, and then going back through each crack with the paintbrush to get rid of drips and bubbles.

How to Paint Wood Paneling

With the sanding finished, Mauro shows Kevin how to apply a coat of primer to the paneling. With brushes and rollers in hand, they coat the entire surface, working the primer into the beadboard cracks and the moldings’ profiles. After waiting an hour, the two brush and roll a coat of paint over the surface, ensuring that all cracks and crevices receive color. Once finished, Mauro explains that they’ll wait about two hours before coming back and applying the final coat for a beautiful finish.

Steps

Resources

To prep the wood paneling, Mauro used a sanding block with 220 grit sandpaper, which can be found at home centers.

Shopping list

Primer Paint

Tools