Painting Panel Boards

cottonlily · Wed Dec 26, 2007 7:14 pm

We don't have wood paneling, but the panel board installed in most MHs, rather than dry wall. As we don't plan on living here forever, I don't want to go through the trouble and expense of completely replacing the walls with sheetrock. So my plan is to remove the joint strips and paint the walls (and eventually add wood mouldings).

I haven't researched the project thouroughly yet, but the basic plan is to remove the strips, mud & tape the joints, sand, prime and paint the walls. I will most likely begin in the small bathrooms for practice. The walls have the slightest bit of texture to them; not sure if the priming and painting will fill that in or not.

Any tips or advice would be appreciated!

Yanita · Wed Dec 26, 2007 10:18 pm

Hi,

There are pros and cons to removing the batten strips between the sheets of wallboard. Some folks have great luck with it not cracking others are repairing there's every spring after the home settles back into place after the change of seasons.

As for the walls, do your research here on site, there are numerous threads on painting the wall boards. You got the right concept, clean, prime, paint.

Yanita

cottonlily · Thu Dec 27, 2007 9:31 am

I worry about the settling as well. Though we live in the south where we don't have the frigid winters to deal with, so hopefully it won't be such a problem.

I've seen really ugly pics of homes with very obvious patch jobs where the strips were removed. I definitely don't want that!

lowensp · Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:30 pm

I do not know if my pictures are up to date or not but if you look though my profile or personal gallery you will see what my wife and I did to ours. We stripped the textured paper off the sheet rock cleaned, primed x2 and then used joint compound to achieve the texture she wanted. Sort of an adobe or tuscan plaster look. Room looks awesome can't tell from pictures it is a mobile home room. We will be doing the rest of the house in the same fashion. She wants to make the inside look like a regular house I guess but either way I like the after fact results.

cottonlily · Wed Jan 02, 2008 5:02 pm

Sorry Erick, couldn't see any home pics. But I'm the same as your wife. I don't mind living in my mh, I just like the inside to look like a regular home. Crown mouldings, real wood cabinets, smooth walls...

lowensp · Wed Jan 02, 2008 5:06 pm

I will have the wife post them later tonight for you to see. We have to finish the crown moulding and base boards but other than that we are done in the master bedroom.

Koiflowers · Sun Jan 20, 2008 2:27 am

Cottonlilly

You and I are on the same wavelength. I just joined today, so don't have pics posted yet. I hate batten strips with a passion. I couldn't ever be happy just painting strips and all.

I've tackled the walls four different ways so far with great results.

In the living room and dining room my son (who is a professional sheetrocker and contractor by profession) tape and floated all the walls. He busted out the seams at least 12 inches. It's been two years with not a single crack. His skill level far exceeds that of a typical homeowner though. The sanding mess is beyond belief if you actually live in the home and I don't want to suffer through that again. But, it's remained perfect and they are smooth. I put down hardwood floors, nice big baseboards, and installed a real front door with oval glass. This required a lot of reframing because the original door was shorter and narrower (son helped again). I am just finishing up the window and door moldings, and I'm contemplating the ceilings because they have strips, too. Grrrr

In the master bedroom I upholstered the walls with suede fabric, put up baseboards, new wood floor. Looks really good.

In the smallest bedroom I used a lightly textured wallpaper that can be primed and painted (Lowe's sells it -- goes over paneling, block, etc). It worked really well. Of course using flat or satin paint minimizes imperfections and the walls look like linen. I posted 3 pics of this room.

In the last bedroom, I bought heavy "Liner" paper from lowe's that is applied horizontally around the room and bridges up to 1/4 inch gaps (used for paneling, cinder blocks, etc.). Primed with oil-based primer and painted. Looks really nice. Carpet went down tonight. I will post pics when baseboards and moldings go up.

I've also redone the master bath and kitchen. Even if I don't stay here, surely the next owner will appreciate all the effort and hopefully the MH will be easier to sell.