# Faux wood paneling



## jenld00 (Feb 4, 2013)

My question relates to the old dark faux wood paneling. My fiancée and I bought a house that has dark faux wood paneling and he wants to have hardwood floors or something similar. What kind of hardwood floor (pattern/color) would compliment it? I have no problem with the paneling, I just can't figure out what kind of hardwood flooring would compliment it. Thanks for any help!


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## bbo (Feb 28, 2010)

would need pics for comparison of colors. ( or colours if you are outside the states)

that said, i think paneling and wood floors would be too much. you can get samples of flooring and bring them home to see how they look in your house. best bet.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

I agree.
Hardwood floors would add value, Paneling does not.


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## jenld00 (Feb 4, 2013)

What about painting the paneling? Would that be an option? Ive heard of people painting over the paneling but I'm not so sure about the end result


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Looks like painted paneling to me.
Not a real classy look.


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## AppealingSpaces (Feb 2, 2013)

Would need to see pictures. If you're keeping the faux paneling, I would suggest a light wood floor and rugs to break up the wood and maybe even some wide baseboard molding. Wood on "wood" will not flow well visually in my opinion. If you like paneling on walls, you might consider adding breadboard or wainscoting with a chair rail. Then darker wood floors would work better.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

We have panelling on two walls in our bedroom with natural
wood hardwood floors. We painted the two paneled walls 
to match the other two walls and it looks very nice.
We painted it a light tan. It's cozy and cheerful. 

Since you mentioned you wanted hardwood floors...
We have oak floors on our first floor that we refinished a couple
of times in the living room and dining room and three times
in the family room. I recommend real hardwood over engineered
wood floors. Our floors are 57 years old and are still beautiful. 

You first have to clean the paneling and prime before painting. 
I can show you a pic of the painted paneling if you wish.


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## Izaura (Feb 11, 2013)

Two Knots said:


> You first have to clean the paneling and prime before painting.


I cannot stress this enough. Otherwise, you will end up with a thick, stretchy layer of semigloss film that peels away easily. Like so (not my handiwork I swear!).
DISCLAIMER: This is a bad paint job on top of bad paneling, with each accenting the other to great effect. Both done right = quite tasteful, imho.








Well, the semigloss part is of course optional, but you get the idea.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Izaura, That pic you posted is scary  LOL..
I know you posted it
to stress the importance of cleaning and priming first.

Clearly, that's a bad example of a panelling installation. 
Properly mounted painted paneling looks a lot better
painted than the example you posted. I'm stressing this
point cause I don't want it to scare the OP, or anyone else
considering painting paneling.

Sometimes the panelling was glued on, then in the removal of
the panelling the wall board has to be removed, thus 
now you're into new Sheetrock, and spackling.
This is a daunting task that new homeowners -- that so much
to do can just get a nice quick fix by just painting the paneling, and
later on down the road when they finish the big updating
tasks -- like updating the kitchen and bathrooms they can then revisit
removing the paneling.
Anyone else out there with successful painted paneling? 
I look for some pics of our painted paneling.


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## Izaura (Feb 11, 2013)

Oh, Two Knots, absolutely. I edited my post to make it clear that the pic is an example of two unfortunate conditions colliding (a prime opportunity for me to get acquainted with my paneling, however). Like the hypothetical homeowner you described, I had high hopes of merely painting over the existing color until closer inspection revealed that neither paneling nor existing paint were sound. New plan is to live with the issue until such a time as I am ready to sheetrock 900 sqft of living space...

Back to the OP:

Jenld, I second the request for pics. Not just for the color, but also the pattern/plank width of your paneling. If taking pictures is not an option at this time, you can self-diagnose your paneling based on retail versions (example). Mine has the Orangeburg alternating widths with fairly wide V-groove, which even painted retains a distinct retro flavor. Even plank widths and more discrete grooves tend to be more style-neutral, IMHO.

While I also agree that pairing hardwood floors with wood walls (especially dark ones and heck, wood furniture and wood ceilings!) can be a challenge and probably not at the height of its popularity, it can be done tastefully _if such are your tastes!_ I've seen examples that range from warm and rustic, through cutesy retro or stately elegant to thoroughly modern. Here's a mixed bag of examples (not all with wood floors), see if there's something you like:
- Sixties fabulous retro
- Rustic-meets-modern
- Unique midcentury / asian inspiration

Painted paneling can also be quite nice, and here too the pattern and color will go a long way in determining the overall style. I'm partial to very light colors where there is a lot of wood involved. The overall feel is fresh, airy - not something typically associated with wood. Think Scandinavian modern or beach cottage, depending on how you play it. (Actually, that look can also works with the floors white, and the walls wood...)
-Quirky, kitschy, colorful
-White and wood

Apologies for the lumber yard of links. Obviously, I've been doing lots of thinking about my own paneling lately! (FWIW, I still haven't made up my mind about what I like, though I can appreciate some of the styles shown.)

See anything you like? Or, on the contrary, are you completely turned off by wood paneling now (eep!)? Again, it's all a matter of personal taste and, if this is a concern, potential resale value.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Izaura, Paint the paneling, like you said a light color is in order.
We painted ours a light tan, I think it was eggshell, ( not sure if
eggshell is the one with the light sheen or satin?)
There are two big walls of paneling and the wall behind the 
bed is Sheetrock. We painted the Sheetrock wall the same color.

I don't think it looks classless, actually when viewed in it's totality
with the furnishings it looks cozy and warm.

I'm having photobucket issues ( hate the new photobucket format)
and can't find my photos cause it's so slow. 

Anyhow, here's a few...I mainly took these photos to show the 
end tables we made and the antique wash stand that we just re-finished,
not the painted paneling.


more info for the OP ...the floor is natural oak.
I'll be back with photos


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Wow Izaura, Those links were great. Shows ya what can be done with
paint. We also had tougue and groove cedar in our Family room that darkened through the years and I wanted to remove it. 
The head knot said, "that is something that you can do with your 
next husband! :laughing: So we compromised and white washed it with beige
paint. Some of the natural wood shows through and it looks great, as our
open floor plan has the family room visable to the dining room which is
painted beige.
Anyhow, this is the best I can do with my painted paneling pics, because
photo bucket is so slow.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

I've got the same thing in my living room. Wood paneling painted white. Other than a couch and a TV, I don't have anything else in there yet. I can post some pics if the OP wants to see how a full wall looks. I bought the house this way, and originally had plans of changing it to something else. Now, I think I am getting used to it.


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## rehab addict (Feb 27, 2013)

I once lived in a house that was all cheap paneling. It even had GREEN wood grain paneling in one of the bathrooms! That bathroom included a green toilet, green sink and green tub and surround. Makes me want to puke just recalling it!

I used a combination of methods to overcome the paneling....I tore some of it out, which was a huge mess because it was attached to the underlying sheetrock with Liquid Nails. They used a lovely undulating pattern to apply the adhesive so the sheetrock damage was very artful. NOT.

I painted some of the paneling, first cleaning it well and priming it. It looked pretty good.

My third method was covering the paneling with a heavy duty wallpaper liner that was applied horizontally. Regular wallpaper was then hung vertically as usual.


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