Bye, Bye Master Cave

We knew immediately when first touring this house that we would be painting the paneling in the master bedroom as soon as possible.  The paneling that existed in this bedroom was the cheapo fake kind - not real wood.  The thought of sleeping in a dungeon cave just didn't sound too appealing to us, but maybe for some it would - to each their own.  Our master bedroom - if you can really call it that is small to begin with, so the paneling wasn't helping the overall smallness factor.  Instead, it was making the room feel like it was shrinking in on you.  After buying the house we quickly got to work on painting our master bedroom and to my surprise painting paneling wasn't that different from painting regular walls, it was quite simple.  So, if you are thinking of painting your paneling don't fret, it's not hard!  And, you will be totally blown away at how much bigger and brighter your room feels after.  I actually feel like the painted paneling gives the room a beach cottage type feel and I love the beach so that is a plus for me (I promise -no beachy themed decor will pop up here.)  Here are the steps we followed for painting our paneling:

Step 1:  Fill in all those holes!  (We learned this the hard way from previous painting experiences)  Holes = ugly finished walls.  It's harder to see holes in paneling so do a thorough check and just fill them in with a putty and sand them up when dry.  After sanding you need to wash off the dust so your walls are nice a clean and ready for paint.

Step 2:  Prime them up.  We used an oil based primer, and I think you need it for paneling, so you can be extra sure you are covering up all the darkness and any stains that might exist.  Don't worry if it looks a little streaky or see-through, one coat will do the trick.

Step 3:  Get your paint rollers out and watch that cave disappear.  One issue with paneling are the grooves, so you will need a brush handy to fill in any spots that the roller doesn't get.  After you let your first coat of paint dry, give it a second - this is when it starts looking really good.  Just a note, we used Olympic no VOC paint and it worked beautifully.

Step 4:  High five, let out a sigh or a laugh, lay on the floor where your bed will be and admire you new walls (that's what my dear husband did) or whatever it is you do when you finish a project and enjoy it.  You're done!  It's that easy.

Now, on to the picture portion of the post - the before and afters.  Disclaimer - we are still in the early stages of decorating - aka we have no decor going on in this room.  We are however working on that so we will share new things as they come along.  But, in the meantime we are quite pleased with a new fresh wall color.

Before

After

This is the other side of the room (which also was our storage station while we were working on the kitchen)

And After (Yes that is a shell and it doesn't count as beachy themed decor, just saying)

 So the next pictures are part of a design dilemma we will be facing soon - it's called the pull down attic is in our bedroom and it is equipped with a chain pull.  Nice isn't it?  We have lots of ceiling friends here.

So what about you?  Have any paneled rooms you are itching to paint?  Do you possess awesomely wicked painting skills and would like to share them here with us?  Comment and share!

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