How To Brighten Wood Paneling Walls

Wood walls add coziness to any room partly because wood is a natural material and partly because it s dark.

How to brighten wood paneling walls.

I have a family room w very dark solid wood paneling which is in very good shape. In the jungle room or the den if you want to be so boring as to call it that we kept the original wood paneling. And whether you have real wood paneling like this or sheet paneling the process to brighten it up is pretty much the same. Even though a room surrounded by wood paneling tends to evoke a lackluster dreary atmosphere you can lighten the mood with a dose of decorating cheer.

Wood paneling can make a room feel a little chaotic not to mention dark musty and reminiscent of the 70s but it can also be seriously stylish when done right. If you have too much wood. When you re ready to start painting make sure that your paneling is made of solid wood. If your walls have a vinyl or thin veneer finish you ll need to.

I will be the first to say that my initial instinct when i saw this space was to rip all the paneling out. Some paneling actually consists of a vinyl print that simulates the look of wood. You can only bleach unfinished wood so if you want to lighten your wood knotty pine paneling or cabinets you probably have an extensive stripping and sanding session in store. However budget and seeing a friend s updated 70 s paneled walls in action helped to change my mind and give it a whirl.

Vinyl coatings come off quickly revealing the pressboard underneath. Dismantle as much of the woodwork as you can to make this job easier. How to brighten a home without painting natural wood walls. To check sand a small area on the wall.

It breaks up the natural material and brings some light in too. If you re mimicking this in your own living room keep one wall a clean white. If you re bleaching pine wood cabinets remove the doors and all hardware. I need tips on how to lighten it or re finish it and not have it look like a bad paint job over good paneling.

This jessica helgerson designed space is pretty much peak mid century but thanks to the varied shades of wood it stays away from the clichés.