I have very dark paneling I want to paint, am not sure what paint to use or how to prime it. Also can I make it look less like paneling once I paint it?

Thank you

Scuff the paneling w/ 100 grit sand paper on a pole sander. Prime, then paint desired color. To get rid of the paneling grooves, you can spackle the paneling to fill in the grooves, sand smooth, prime, then paint.

The only suggestions I would offer to compliment Skibergers excellent comments would be to:

a) Wash the walls thouroughly after sanding with a TSP solution (or TSP substitute) and rinse the walls and allow to dry.

b) scuff sand and wipe down the wall after priming and between top coats.

Oil based (Alkyd) primers tend to bond better and cover better, but, I have had excellent results with Behr's Enamel undercoater (especially with Satin or shinier paints).

For the top (color) coat, use a latex paint. From what I remember when I was a depot paint geek, oil based tended to dry harder and latex remained a little more flexible. Since paneling is typically a 1/4" thick and is installed by itself and not over drywall, it will flex if anyone leans against and that may cause an oil based paint to crack over time.

Good luck, Dan

We did this in our basement with some success. The key is the primer. Ask at a paint specialty store for the proper kind, stain blocking primer is what we got. The paneling will really suck in the primer so be prepared to use a little more than usual which will mean a lnger drying time. I agree with the TSP wash as oily stains on the paneling will make for a poor looking final result. I agree with Labman that I hated doing it but it's stopgap fix that looks quite good for the time being.

Thank you for your responses, looks like a lot of work but worth it.