Stencils are an Inexpensive Solution to Pretty Up Paneled Walls
Welcome back, my little DIY darlings! Today, Cutting Edge Stencils wants to talk about a design trend that took over in the 60’s/70’s and we’ve been recovering ever since! Drumroll, please… Faux Wood Paneling!
Wood paneling in all it’s fabulousness! Image found on Apartment Therapy.
Need I say more? I’m pretty sure we’ve all been there and have despised it. And we understand that there are times where knocking down every wall is just not an option. So if you’re looking for a quick and easy faux wood paneling fix then we’ve got the solution for you! We want you to consider using our stencils to pretty up that paneling! We can show you an awesome example to ease you into the idea! Sound good to you? Okay, cool! Let’s begin…
I want you meet Roeshel, the diy extraordinaire and blogger behind The DIY Showoff. Roeshel was super excited that her sister and her niece were moving back to their “home town” area. Knowing that it’s never easy for a 16 year old to pick up and move, Roeshel wanted to make her niece’s new room extra special. Unfortunately, she was dealing with a rental property and was limited in how far she could take the room transformation. Her niece’s soon-to-be new bedroom was surrounded by faux wood paneling, you know the kind we all love to hate! Roeshel put her creative stenciling cap on and came up with a plan to stencil the paneled walls. First she painted the paneling in a soft lilac color similar to Benjamin Moore’s misty lilac 2071-70. Then she used her Verde Damask Stencil to apply a soft white stenciled hue (similar to Benjamin Moore’s simply white OC-117) across the paneling. The end result is very subtle yet so pretty that you would never guess there had been paneling there before! We think using stencils is a FAB way to pretty up a paneled space!
Here’s some tips and tricks when stenciling your paneled walls…
1. Make sure you wipe your paneled walls clean before you start your painting project.
2. Apply one thin and even coat of an oil-based primer to your paneling. Use a paint brush to get into any cracks or corners that the roller can’t reach. Once your thin coat of oil-based primer dries, apply one thin and even coat of latex paint with a high quality roller and again use a paint brush to get into any cracks and crevices that the roller misses. Once your paint is dry, you’re ready to stencil!
3. Secure your stencil with some painter tape. Roeshel used FrogTape in her post.
4. Since there are small gaps in between the panels, you need to watch for bleeding. Your best bet is to watch our How To Reduce Bleed video and make sure you off-loaded roller. Too much paint on the roller/brush will cause more bleed. Be sure you off-load onto paper towels before you begin painting. Then build up your paint coverage on the wall slowly.
And that’s it folks! See how easy that is and the results are amazing!
Do you have paneling in your home and have you ever considered stenciling it? Leave us a comment below!
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Thanks for reading, and happy stenciling!
Michelle and the Cutting Edge Stencils Crew
8 comments
Yes, I love this. I follow her blog and she has great taste and everything she does is just wonderful. I want to do this also, but have to wait to get the money just to buy the paint.
Thanks Sheryll! You’re right everything she does is wonderful and loved her paneling post. So creative!
Your picture is not of “faux wood” paneling, but of real wood knotty pine paneling, which I hate to see painted. Painting the fake stuff is a public service, though.
Hi Ginger, Thanks! And we couldn’t agree with you more about the fake stuff!
The picture at the top with the wood paneling is not the same as the painted wall where the panels are different widths. They must be different rooms.
Hi Andrea, Yes they are different rooms. The image on the top was just to show a reference of wood paneling. Hope you enjoyed the post! -Michelle
We live in an old late 70’s mobile home with “fake” paneling throughout the entire place. I put Cutting Edge’s paisley stencil patterns on one of my newly painted office/studio walls. If you check under the paisley stencil page on the Cutting Edge Stencils’ web site, you’ll see my review with a photo of that wall.
Hi Judith!
Thank you for sharing your project with us! :) We will be sure to check out your review on our Vintage Paisley!