10 Home Improvement Nightmares | 4Homes

7. Wood Panelling

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7. Wood Panelling (Image 7 of 9)

Wood Panelling

What is it?
Often laid from skirting to dado rail height or floor to ceiling this cheesy left over from the seventies love affair with Scandinavia can rob a room of valuable centimetres and character. Pine wood panelling is at least understandable, fake wood panelling is a crime against nature.

Is it a Deal Breaker?
Depends how much of it there is. There have been pockets of enthusiasm for wood panelling all across the country, but for most British tastes it looks naff outside a log cabin. Even if it has not been used to hide badly damaged walls, removing it may damage them anyway.

What can you do about it?
Removing panelling can be expensive, hard work and scary. It is often fixed with a combination of adhesive and nails and you don't know what you're going to encounter underneath the panelling. At best your walls will need completely re-plastering afterward.

OR: You can wallpaper or paint over it. To wallpaper over wood panelling fill in the grooves to create a nice flat surface for the paper to bond to. You can make an even smoother surface by then adding a layer of lining paper. Then simply wallpaper over as normal. If you intend to paint over you will need to first rough up the glossy surface of the panelling with sandpaper, then apply a good quality primer. Once this is dry you are free to paint over in the colour of your choice.

Average price of a smoothing over product to repair damaged walls = £24.95 for 5 litres.

Need Expert Help?
Find a trusted painter and decorator in your area using MyBuilder.

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Comments

In my 25 years of experience and in my own opinion, dont bother trying to paint pebbledash, the only option (if the wall is sound) would be to get an exterior wall specialist like a Wall coatings company, to apply a spray-on textured wall coating onto the wall. If you try and remove the pebbledash, and it is firmly adhered to the wall, you will end up ripping out the mortar joints behind the wall surface, and also the face of the blocks or bricks beneath. Beware!!

Posted by G Bell on 23/10/2009 14:00:16

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Pebble dash: I have inherited a house in a street where 90% of the houses are pebble dashed (LL28) and are still being pebble dashed. I am in a quandry whether to re-do the pebble dash or have my house stand out by being "mere" brick, when I completely renovate over the next 18 months. Like the comment posted by Wolverhampton Rick (coincidentally W'ton is where I usually live too!!) the pebble dash on my house has been there since around 1930, when I think the house was built. There don't appear to be "problems" and I agree with Rick that new pebble dash looks quite good, although I'd probably paint my house straight away. I'd love to read some feedback

Posted by Charlie on 17/08/2009 03:29:30

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I disagree with this advice. I have a 4 bedroom detached house that was built in the 1920's and contrary to the advice given it was not put on to hide shoddy brickwork it was actually put on for the look of the property and it looks excellent giving it a real cottage feel. We have no problem with damp or water ingress. It is still the original pebbledash and so has lasted nearly 90 years. I give it a good dose of masonary paint every 4-5 years and I have no problems with it at all. On the flip side i have an extension that was built in the early 80's that was covered with Tyrelene. It looks a mess and is failing in several places and will have to be replaced in the next couple of years. So much for modern replacements. I am now looking for somebody to pebbledash the extension to match the original.

Posted by Wolverhampton Rich on 06/07/2009 17:02:54

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I am disabled and have been offered to have a walk in shower put in and my bath ripped out but I am very worried that this will devalue my property which I am hoping to sell in a year or two. I am hoping to convince the people concerned to just move my bath instead of removing it but this would involve moving the bath, basin and the toliet as well as having a smaller shower room built in.

Posted by pb on 21/06/2009 02:09:03

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This is my home and its not pebbledash or concrete or fake stone!!!! It is natural stone that was reclaimed and salvaged from the cottage and used in its renovation.

Posted by carina phillips on 25/03/2009 17:28:51

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DIY & Building Basics 10 Home Improvement Nightmares

7. Wood Panelling

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