Why don't you tear down the paneling?
Often, when I tell people that we are painting over painted paneling, I am asked why we don't just tear down the paneling (this happened last night, which is why I'm thinking about it today). I don't know if I have said anything about that here, and I don't think anyone has asked. The truth is I would love to tear down the paneling but I'm fairly certain it would be too big of a job, even for two of us.
Almost the entire downstairs is paneled: kitchen, living room, and stairs. There are drop ceilings in both the kitchen and living room. Above them the ceilings probably go up to 10 feet. The drop ceilings make the spaces warmer as well as hide air and electrical conduits. Lifting up the acoustical tile in the kitchen reveals a wall painted a hideous green. I would guess that the wall is plaster, and who knows what shape it's in. I'm nervous that if we pulled off the paneling the plaster might come with it. In the living room, the wall beneath the paneling is unprofessionally papered with a very old faded wall paper that has to be from at least the 1950's, maybe even the 1940's. Really cool in an old house kind of way.
The real problem is that in both the kitchen and living room the drop ceiling framework is flush with the paneling, not the walls above. Pulling off the paneling means replacing the drop ceilings (which I like having). To do it right, we should also hang drywall over the plaster walls. That would be a huge job, and not one I have the energy or money for. It should probably be done professionally, anyway.
One day, I would LOVE to do it. I would like to see if we could expose the brick chimneys in both the kitchen and living room. I would love to update the walls downstairs. I'm hesitant to replace the handmade wooden kitchen cabinets, but how I would love to have granite counter tops. Eh. Just dreams, for now.
Almost the entire downstairs is paneled: kitchen, living room, and stairs. There are drop ceilings in both the kitchen and living room. Above them the ceilings probably go up to 10 feet. The drop ceilings make the spaces warmer as well as hide air and electrical conduits. Lifting up the acoustical tile in the kitchen reveals a wall painted a hideous green. I would guess that the wall is plaster, and who knows what shape it's in. I'm nervous that if we pulled off the paneling the plaster might come with it. In the living room, the wall beneath the paneling is unprofessionally papered with a very old faded wall paper that has to be from at least the 1950's, maybe even the 1940's. Really cool in an old house kind of way.
The real problem is that in both the kitchen and living room the drop ceiling framework is flush with the paneling, not the walls above. Pulling off the paneling means replacing the drop ceilings (which I like having). To do it right, we should also hang drywall over the plaster walls. That would be a huge job, and not one I have the energy or money for. It should probably be done professionally, anyway.
One day, I would LOVE to do it. I would like to see if we could expose the brick chimneys in both the kitchen and living room. I would love to update the walls downstairs. I'm hesitant to replace the handmade wooden kitchen cabinets, but how I would love to have granite counter tops. Eh. Just dreams, for now.