How to Paint Wood Panelling in Your Home
Painting wood panelling is a simple and effective way to enhance a scheme. It can be used either to add textural interest or to create a focal point.
Explore the different ways you can incorporate panelling, whether in schemes that recall its historic use or in sleek contemporary designs.
Tools and Materials You’ll Need
- Medium-grade, high-quality sandpaper
- Preparatory filler
- Scraper
- Decorator’s Caulk
- Synthetic Paint Brushes, Long-handled Mini Roller and/or Medium Pile Roller & Roller Tray
- Little Greene Intelligent Matt Emulsion - tinted to your chosen colour
How to Paint Wall Panelling
Whether you have existing architectural features or if you are creating panelling for your home, follow our painting tips to ensure you achieve a beautiful finish.
1. Check for any holes, scratches, and other imperfections
If you find any holes or imperfections in the surface of the panelling, you will first need to fill these with preparatory filler. It’s important to wait for the filler to dry completely before slightly sanding the area with medium-grade sandpaper. This step will ensure you achieve a smooth consistent finish across the surface you are painting.
2. Sand the panelling with medium-grade sandpaper
Before you paint, it’s important to rub down all areas of the panelling with a medium-grade, high-quality sandpaper. This will provide a ‘key’ to make sure the paint adheres properly to the surface of the wood panelling.
3. Fill any gaps with Decorators Caulk
Decorators Caulk is a flexible filler that can be used to fill any gaps between the inserts and joints of the panelling. Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions as drying times and other factors may differ between brands. If your panelling has grooves, caulk between the gaps for the smoothest appearance.
4. Paint the panelling in your chosen colour
Now you have a beautifully prepared surface, you can finally paint the panelling in your chosen Little Greene colour!
Our Intelligent finishes are all self-priming, meaning no separate primer is required to achieve a durable finish with full depth of colour. Simply apply the first coat of Intelligent Matt Emulsion straight to both the panelling and the wall. For larger areas, we recommend applying the paint with a roller rather than a brush.
For significant colour changes, such as dark to light, we would recommend first priming the surface with one coat of Little Greene All Surface Primer – our water-based primer undercoat suitable for all interior and exterior surfaces. After two hours, you can lightly sand the dry surface before painting as normal.
5. Finish with a second coat of Intelligent Matt Emulsion
Allow the paint to dry for four hours before gently rubbing down the panelling once again with medium-grade sandpaper. You can now apply the final coat of Intelligent Matt Emulsion on the panelling and walls to complete your panelling project!
