I've picked up my brushes and started painting again.
It seems like I haven't been painting for months but I've actually spent the last several months painting my own place. And now I'm painting a client's lake house. This particular client actually enjoys painting herself and so I'm just there to prep the house for painting. But she also takes care of the hardest prep work for me.
The goal is to turn a very dated lake house into an updated and fresh looking cottage. When we first started this project last fall the place was so grungy it was almost impossible to look past it and come up with a future vision.
So we began by priming the paneling. My client washed all the walls before I began painting. Yes, you can paint over paneling and with some very successful results. It works best when the paneling is older and weathered, which this paneling definitely is. Older paneling has broken down a little bit and the varnish is more likely to absorb paint. Washing is important because you need to get years of grime and grease off so the primer and paint adheres even more.
A good primer is essential. Talk to someone at your local hardware or paint store to see what they recommend, but whatever you do, don't cut corners with the primer. Primer doesn't go on pretty so don't worry if some spots seem thicker than others. Just make sure every bit of surface area is covered. If you're going to roll it on use a thick nap roller sleeve because paneling has grooves that need to be filled. You also have to make sure you dont get drips, which happen easily on paneling. If you do get a drip then just wipe it away. If its already dry then sand it down.
Primer dries quickly so you can begin painting once it's dry to the touch. Painting will be similar to priming but of course your coats will need to be much smoother. It's also important to let the paint dry thoroughly between coats. If it's still slightly tacky then the roller or brush can actually pull the paint off and the paint and primer has generally already "glued" together so you'll end up with a big spot of paneling.
Because paneling isn't as absorbant as a regular wall you may need to do a couple extra coats to get a nice even coverage.
So my last few days have been spent priming basement paneling. Not a bad job. Not as fun as painting but not as bad as scrubbing the walls clean.
