The Project - Part 3 - Panelled Walls

What to do with the panelled walls

One of the reasons we have left the panelling is because, as far as panelling goes, it is nice panelling.  The problem in this basement room is that the panelling makes it dark.  We had a couple of options. 

Option One:
Remove the panelling and and install drywall.  This would be costly buying panelling and we would need help installing it.  We would list the panelling on Kijiji to try to sell it, but if there are no takers then it would most likely end up in the landfill.     

Option Two:
Paint the panelling.  Painting the panelling is something I hadn't wanted to do because it is nice panelling, but this is a cost effective option.

Our Choice:
We chose option two and painted the panelling.  The cost and labour savings and the fact that there was no waste generated made this our first choice.  My daughter chose a soft grey paint from Benjamin Moore called "bunny grey" in a pearl finish.  We discovered that the lines in the panelling and the knots had to be painted individually before using the paint roller.  That took extra time to do, but then the rolling went quickly.

The paint we bought at Benjamin Moore is low VOC (volatile organic compound).  When I first heard about low VOC paint, it was promoted as having little or no odour.  I didn't think the odour was a big deal and we could always open the windows.  I have since learned that they are harmful and contribute to air pollution.  I like to reduce or eliminate VOC's in my home where I can, so we now use only low/no VOC paint.

Environment Canada has information on VOC's that you can check out at Volatile Organic Compounds.

We love the way the walls turned out.  You can see the wood grain and that gives it a homey feel.  The light colour and pearl finish of the paint really brighten up the room.  We were thrilled with how much brighter the room is now.

Green Highlights:

• panelling did not end up in a landfill site
• used low VOC paint
• brighter room means less electricity needed for lighting

Have you ever painted panelling?

-TJ