South West Condo For Sale

Ways to Hide that Ugly Wood Paneling in your Home


You hate the old paneling in your home, and its to expensive to replace it, but you cant stand living with it any longer. In fact its so bad that it depresses you, and youve actually thought about selling the house just to get away from it. Dont despair youre not alone with that ugly wood paneling; there are a million others that live with it too. There are a few repair tricks that you can do that will get rid of the ugly wall paneling in your home. Take some time and learn about some steps to solve your wall paneling dilemma.

The list below is just a few of the ideas that you can use to brighten up your dingy 70s wall paneling situation. Be prepared for some elbow grease, but itll be better than looking at the wall paneling.

1. Painting the Paneling. The number one rule to remember with painting paneling is that you just cant slap some paint on it and expect it to look professional. It will look tacky if you do. Paint will run and paneling will show through as it absorbs the paint which could also cause yellow streaks to run in the paint. Surface preparation is the key to all of the paneling in your house. Begin with a good cleaner that will degrease the muck and build-up on the paneling. Youll need a gloss remover after you apply the degreasing solution to the paneling. Never apply the gloss remover over large areas. Rub the area in the direction of the wood grain over smaller sections. Let set for about 30 min. and then apply the primer. Dont try to remove the gloss remover. This will need to stay on. Next apply the primer over frame areas and baseboards. If the wood paneling is showing through after the first coat, let it dry, and go back over it with a second coat. If you dont it will come through your regular paint, and your effort is wasted. Keep applying the gloss remover over small sections and priming until youre finished. Let it dry over night and then add the caulking in the unsightly grooves of the paneling. Remove excess with a putty knife. Let dry completely over night. Youre then ready to start painting your first coat of paint. Let dry according to directions and then put a second coat on.
2. Painting Wallpaper. In some of the nicer wallpaper stores you can find wallpaper that can be painted. This will give the appearance of a painted wall. Its a wonderful idea to be able to pick what color you want and get rid of that dingy awful looking wood paneling. You can add other colors to give it a 3-D effect too. First clean with a good degreaser and let dry. After drying go in and fill in each groove with a caulk to get rid of wall paneling ridges. Clean excess caulk with a putty knife and dispose of. Its necessary to do this because your lining and wall paper will not have a firm surface to stick too. Next buy a good primer at your local hardware store, and prime all of the paneling. An extra step is needed when papering your walls by applying and sizing to them. Its sticky and will keep the wall paper sticking to the paneling. Hang your wallpaper according to directions. Youll need to soak the paper in water, and then hang after a few minutes. Youre ready then to paint your wallpaper with your favorite color or colors. Take note of special instructions for painting wallpaper from the paint manufacturer.
3. Glazing the Paneling. You can add a nice shine to your paneling too by glazing it. First clean the paneling with a degreaser. Next add a color that you like and paint it. Let it dry overnight. Secondly mix a satiny top color with a glaze in the correct proportions. Read instructions with your paints for a correct mixture. Paint over small sections of the paneling, preferably one or two sections at a time. Depending on how much shine you want wipe off excess glaze with a clean rag. When done always clean your brush with mineral oil, and let drive over night before storing them for future projects.

With an interest-only GMAC mortgage, borrowers have the option of making principle payments, if desired.

Hows it hanging? Your Wallpaper that is

For many people, hanging wallpaper is a complicated and frustrating experience. Though there are rooms that pose more challenges than others (a bathroom, for example), it doesnt have to be a stressful experience for you.
The first step is to choose wallpaper. Today there are all sorts of wallpapers out there for you to choose. If you are new to wallpaper hanging, you may want to choose a pattern with little or no matching. This will make things easier for you and may save you some money on the amount of paper you need since an intricate match often leads to more paper wastage (and thus more money wastage).
When thinking about choosing wallpaper, you want to think about what sort of room it is being used in and what it might come into contact with. For example, vinyl-coated wallpaper is suitable for a kitchen and bathroom because it has a higher tolerance for grease and moisture. On the other hand a coated fabric covering makes more sense for living rooms and bedrooms because it is more breathable and has a lower moisture tolerance.
You will need to make sure you measure your room carefully so you order the right amount of wallpaper. You dont want to get halfway through your room and then realize you dont have enough. There are online tools that will help you calculate how many rolls you might need or you can consult with someone at your local home or decorating store.
Now that youve selected your paper, you want to make sure that you have the right tools. You should have a knife and scissors for trimming the paper. You should also have a measuring tape or a ruler. Sponges and a seam roller are really important because they help you remove bubbles from the paper before it dries. A ladder, buckets, seam sealer (or vinyl adhesive) are also useful to have on hand.
Before you hang the wallpaper, you should make sure that your surface is properly prepared. Start by removing outlet and light switch plates. Clean the surface to remove any grease or stains. You should also try to fill any holes and repair imperfections in the walls surface. All of this preparation will help you in the long run.
You will need to pick a spot to begin hanging the wallpaper. Two things should be taken into consideration when picking this spot: the layout of the room and the pattern of the wallpaper. You want to select a shorter space if possible so any mismatch will be inconspicuous. Usually a door or a window is a good place to start especially a corner behind a door.
Once youve picked a spot, youll want to draw something known as a plumb line. This is a straight vertical line that you will line up your first strip of wallpaper with. Making this plumb line will ensure that your paper is straight right from the start.
Now its time to hang. If you have purchased pre-pasted paper, then you need to activate the paste by dunking it is water. There are special wallpaper trays that will help you with this process and will prevent your paper from becoming creased. If your paper is not pre-pasted then you will need to apply paste and book the strips (fold paste to paste without creasing the paper). It is really important that you not crease the paper at this stage because those creases can be seen when the paper is hung. If you do happen to crease the paper, there is very little you can do to remove those creases.
Next, you hang your first strip. Use the plumb line to ensure that your paper is hanging straight. Use your sponge to remove any air bubbles and ensure that the paper is pressed firmly against the wall. Once it is up, you want to trim the top and bottom of the paper using a razor knife.
After you have this first strip up, you can move on to the next strips. With each piece, you want to make sure that you are sliding it into place so there is no overlap or gap between the two pieces. You also want to watch carefully for matching points. When you have three strips up, you can run over all of the seams with a seam roller, but dont press too hard. This will cause excess glue to seep out and your paper will not stick as well to the wall. You should also have adhesive on hand to put on any spots that are sticking. You can also use this in the future if sections or seams start to lift.