Paneling
There are different kinds of paneling. We offer suggestions on cleaning, maintaining, repairing, and painting yours.
Many older homes have at least one room that has paneling. Paneling is quite often used to lend a rustic or warm look to a den, or basement rec room. There are three kinds of paneling. These include solid wood planks, plywood sheets, and faux-finished hardboard.
If you have a room with solid wood or plywood paneling, you can do a number of things to restore a like-new condition. Cleaning it is the most effective (and easiest) way to brighten the finish. Mere furniture polish won't do the job; you need something stronger.
Wearing rubber gloves and protective eye gear, mix equal parts of white vinegar, turpentine, and boiled linseed oil in a small container. Dip a clean, soft, undyed cloth into the solution, wipe it on the paneling, and rub it in. As you scrub this cleaner/moisturizer into the wood, it will start to evaporate. At that point, wipe the excess with a dry cloth. The results will be amazing.
If your wood paneling is clean and just dry, wipe on lemon oil to restore the depth and luster of the finish.
If you need to repair a small hole or imperfection, use wood dough, which is easier to hide than spackle. You can camouflage the repair by color matching with a touch-up stick, or if you're particularly arty, apply a faux finish.
If you're tired of the look of dark wood paneling, but you like the texture, paint it. Wash the surface well with trisodium phosphate (TSP) to cut all grease, grime and dirt. When the walls are dry, prime them with an oil-based stain-killer like KILZ.
If you want to eliminate the grooves between the boards, now is the time to fill them with a vinyl spackling compound. Once it's dry, sand the surface and prime. Finish the walls with latex paint.
It's certainly is spring. And at Sarasota Life Realty Group we're doing some spring house cleaning. If you haven't visited the our site lately, you'll find that we've added a new area map showing the newest, hottest communities. From the main menu, click on "Property", then click on "Communities". From The Manatee River to Venice you'll get detailed information on what's new. Simply place your cursor over the community icon for basic information. If a link is present, click for more information, pictures and virtual tours. Check back often as we are in the process of adding more information all during June.
