by J. W. Nusz

Created on: May 26, 2009   Last Updated: May 28, 2009

Getting paint to adhere to wood paneling is notoriously difficult. Paneling is clear-coated to resist stains, but that clear-coat resists paint too! Follow these directions to properly paint wood paneling.

1. Sand the paneling

Sanding the paneling creates profile on the surface. Profile is defined as microscopic "fingers" which binders in paint can grab onto. Think of it this way: slick surfaces, like ice, are flat and smooth making them hard to stick. Rough surfaces, like concrete, have pores to which paint can adhere.

Use 80-100 grit sandpaper (coarse) to get a rough profile on the paneling. You don't need to sand deep, just enough to roughen the surface. While the low grit sandpaper will result in a rougher finished appearance, it will ensure the paint and primer does not peel off sooner than expected.

2. Clean the surface

A tackcloth is a good tool for removing the dust particles released by sanding. (Tackcloths are just sticky cloths.) If you don't have a tackcloth handy, you can just wash the wall very well and allow it to dry completely.

Surfaces to be painted should be clean, dry and dull. Sanding the surface dulled the glossy clear-coat on the paneling, removing the dust cleaned the wall, and it has been allowed time to dry.

3. Apply primer

Because getting adhesion to paneling is so difficult, you will need a strong primer. Latex (waterborne) primer is definitely better than alkyd (oil-based) because alkyd primers will attempt to penetrate the surface. Sherwin-Williams and XIM sell a latex "bonding primer" which will provide the best adhesion available. Coat the paneling once with bonding primer - if coating a large area, you can roll primer on.

Allow the primer the entire recommended dry time! The solvent in paint (water in latex, oil in alkyd) will mix with the undried solvent in the primer and weaken it. This rule applies to all coats of all primers and paints.

4. Apply paint

Apply the paint in the recommended way. Most paint systems require one coat primer and two coats paint. Applying fewer than the recommended number of coats of paint will result in poor finished appearance and/or durability issues. This is especially important on wood paneling.

Realize that, at some point in time, the paint will come off the paneling. All the preparation in the world can make paint stick to paneling, but not for the standard paint life (warranty time). In short, paneling was not meant to be painted. Just hope that you can afford a repaint or moving away by the time the paint does peel off!

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