PAINTING..help....

[angelsmom10]

Here we go............
 
I have several questions/suggestions.
 
Currently, our kitchen is very dark paneling about 3/4 ways up the wall and a red/black floor and the kitchen needs a lot.
[list=1]

• I'm going to have to paint the paneling in the kitchen because we have a house built in the 40's and the walls have plaster over chicken wire and the paneling has been glued down.  If we attempt to remove, we'd end up with a big mess and a large amount of repairing/replacing.  So has anyone ever painted paneling?  Do's and don'ts would be helpful.
• I have really wanted to stay with the feeling of country -- so any suggestions on a color -- also I' don't want dark as it is a small kitchen, but then again, a light color would mean constant cleaning as that's were the 5 dogs are kept when we're not home.  I just don't know what kind of medium color for a country look kitchen.
• We have peel 'n stick tiles to put down on the floor, however there are quite a few layers already of linoleum down and need to either get rid of or something.  Remembering, we do have 5 dogs and just can't keep the kitchen closed down.  DH is also concerned about asbestos that MAY BE UNDER THE CURRENT FLOOR.

Any suggestions would be really appreciated.

[vjm1639]

Ok Nancy..now you're talking my kind of "mods". LOL..I love decorating. My Mom's den use to be all dark paneling...but..no more! It's now a pale blue/grey and its so much lighter and brighter!
 
First, clean your paneling really well...then lightly sand it with a fine sand paper to get the "shine" off...it helps the paint adhere. Then two coats with Kilz Primer/Sealer should stop any stains or bleeding of color and give you a nice base to start with.   We painted over with a nice eggshell latex and a semi gloss for the trim.
 
As for "color" suggestions.......what color is your tile for your floor?? What color is the rest of your house, you appliances, etc....

[angelsmom10]

First off, I'm not one that has to have everything in every room co-ordinate - I guess it's just the way I was brought up (blue carpeting, green drapes, and a real funny color walls, brown chair, gold/red plaid couch - living room :J )

 
So I'm kinda easy, our appliances are white, IF (and that's a big IF) the floor gets down this time ( we did buy new flooring when we bought the house 20 years ago and it never got laid) is a tan/brown/gold pattern -NEW - figured the old stuff wouldn't be any good after 20 years.

[MommaMia]

I always think yellow looks great in a kitchen.  Bright and sunny and cheery.  Try doing a nice buttery yellow on the paneling and the lightest version on the paint stick of that same yellow on the top half of the wall.  A satin or semigloss for the lower half.  That cleans up easier.  Better yet is a good quality kitchen and bath paint.  More expensive but more durable.  To go with the yellow walls and white appliances, I'm thinking blue and white curtains, either a gingham or twall.  This will give that country feel and the twall will give it the french country look.  Especially if your table is wood tone and white or black wrought iron.  Black wire planter baskets on the walls and shlves with black wire scroll patterns on the supports with a wood or while shelf looks great.  Accents like old plates hung in a grouping on the wall would work well too!  Either all white ones, mix and matched or blue and white patterned.  A piece or two of Wedgewood would be great!  If you have open soffets above the cupboards, place knicknacks that go with the theme there and add some  really nice, realistic ivy too.

[birol]

Good luck with it , this is one area I know nothing about  :M

[Michicampers]

Nancy - this is what I do for a living, and you have been given some very good suggestions so far. I am working with a client right now on a 60s ranch with similar conditions too - boy, there sure is a lot of old paneling out there - keeps me in business. I have done many jobs where removing existing paneling was not an option, for various reasons. If the paneling is still in decent condition, and the seams are good, painting over it is a great option - sometimes better than smooth plaster or drywall walls, because the added texture can add some interest. Be sure to secure any loose edges and caulk well. Definately use a good paint - I like Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore, and Pratt and Lambert on certain jobs (especially cabinetry.) I generally use semi-gloss in kitchens and baths - much easier to keep clean. If you don't already have decent-looking moldings in the room, consider adding them before you paint. Crown molding, a nice base molding (not the tear-drop junk), and possibly a chair rail will add to the country feel and warmth of the room. You can paint it all out one color for a monochromatic look without it looking boring, if you have some nice architectural details. You didn't mention the cabinets - what are they? That should play a big part in what you want to do to the other surfaces in the room. I have also painted 70s dark walnut cabinets and others with great end results, but the choice of paint is very important. I won't comment on color until I know what you're doing with the cabinets. What about your ceiling - is it plaster? What kind of light fixtures (are you keeping them)? As for the floor, can you check to see if any of the layers contain asbestos? Most of the tiles used in residential jobs in the past were usually real linoleum (which is great - made from natural stuff such as linseed oil and wood pulp, and it is really making a comeback now) or vinyl. Vinyl/asbestos composition tiles were often used in basements as well as commercial buildings (school, offices), but less often in kitchens. Can someone (health dept. or builder) check it for you to find out? If possible, I would recommend removing all the layers and getting down to the original flooring. We found a maple floor under several layers in out ca.1919 home, while the other floors on that level are oak. Even if you don't have a wood floor (my preference in kitchens), it's usually still better to strip off the old layers. Pergo is great in homes with pets because it is so durable and easy to clean - I think Ikea has a cheaper version, there are others too. Cork tile, when finished properly, is also a great kitchen flooring. I would avoid the peel-and stick tiles at all costs - they are not very durable, and ugly-out rapidly.

[luvourjayco]

I love redos and we have an older home too. Our goal is to restore all the original woodwork that has been painted over after we discovered its all chestnut!! For panelling I have had a lot of luck using a white wash. It still allows the grain to come through if its a good quaility panelling and lightens the room up. Washes now come with hints of colour.If you choose to do this wash the walls with TSP before starting.  I too would avoid the peel and stick it doesn't last at all with pets and kids. We just put one of the floating floors in our kitchen and I love it. Washes well and looks good too. Try doing a decorative paint finish on the top 1/4 of the wall and let your imagination run. Look at some books and find what appeals to you. Don't forget to paint the ceiling too!! It can make a major difference in the brightness of the room.  Have fun we are starting the girls bedrooms next week one garden and one night sky should be fun.

[farmer]

My mother-in-law recently painted over dark panel (think 70's Brady Bunch/ Partridge Family) and it looks great and is a lot lighter in the room. I'll ask her for specifics.
Farmer

[angelsmom10]

Oh, forgot to mention that the company I work for originally started in 1907 and manufactured their own label of paint.  In the early '80's (a few years after I started there), they stopped manufacturing do to costs and all the "BIGGIES" out there, we contracted it out while still continuing with our private label (still same formula).

We started carrying P&L and found the only "fresh" paint that I was not allergic to was the P&L Accolade.
 
Anyway, we sold the paint part of the business in the mid '90's and a year later the people who bought the paint business, went bankrupt.  I am now involved in the art supplies --- NO I AM NOT A PAINTER NOR AN ARTIST -- just plain office work.
 
One thing I was told that yellow can be very hard to cover and found that true after we painted the DD's bedroom light yellow and last year youngest wanted it repainted and it did take a lot of work to cover it.
 
The buttery yellow is not out of the question, but still open to suggestions.

[birol]

Oh, forgot to mention that the company I work for originally started in 1907 and manufactured their own label of paint.  In the early '80's (a few years after I started there), they stopped manufacturing do to costs and all the "BIGGIES" out there, we contracted it out while still continuing with our private label (still same formula).

We started carrying P&L and found the only "fresh" paint that I was not allergic to was the P&L Accolade.
 
Anyway, we sold the paint part of the business in the mid '90's and a year later the people who bought the paint business, went bankrupt.  I am now involved in the art supplies --- NO I AM NOT A PAINTER NOR AN ARTIST -- just plain office work.
 
One thing I was told that yellow can be very hard to cover and found that true after we painted the DD's bedroom light yellow and last year youngest wanted it repainted and it did take a lot of work to cover it.
 
The buttery yellow is not out of the question, but still open to suggestions.

Suggestion " Lime Green ...... or very light blue ....

[vjm1639]

If you like Yellow...but don't want the walls yellow...how about a nice sage green? Then you could use yellow and white for accessories (curtains, trim, etc..) Sage, yellow, and white would give a nice fresh country feeling too. :>

[slowpez]

Have you considered a distressed finish?  After cleaning, priming and painting you could add a second coat in a contrasting color then sand some of it away revealing the first color.  You may even want to sand a little of it way back to the original wood.  A good first color might be a celery or sage green with an off-white top coat.  Real country colors.  You would have to seal the whole thing after you finish but it would be worth the extra work.

[birol]

What did you do with this project ? Inquiring minds want to know  :W

[angelsmom10]

What did you do with this project ? Inquiring minds want to know :W

With DH still unemployed, it's been put on the back burner till we can get some $$ saved up, but I have decided what I'm going to do.
 
First off, the colors I decided on will be some sort of a green (grey green or blue green [nothing shocking-mellow]) and this will be over the paneling which is the bottom 2/3rds of walls; and the top will be kinda a muted yellow (again nothing bold/bright).  Where the paneling meets the ends at the top, there is a plain square molding covering the edge of the paneling and that will the the same color a the top and right under that, I need to find a decorative molding (with a scallop type design) that will also be the same color as the top color, and the scallop design will pop out against the greenish color.
 
For anyone who watches "While You Were Out", this is the same as they did for the "princess bedroom" the one where the husband told his wife on national TV that he was ready to have a baby.  I'm reveresing the colors that they had (they had the yellow on the bottom and the green on the top).
 
Here's the link to the episode if you want to see
 
http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/wywo/episode/episode41/episode41.html
 
The colors will be those, but reversed (yellow on top and green on bottom).  If you click thru the pics, you can see the decorative molding.  I have not been able to find it yet, but really haven't look very hard.  
 
Did anyone see the show?  If so, do you know if they made that or bought it.  I'm pretty sure their supplies come from Lowe's, so that'll be the next place I look for it at.  I haven't seen the whole episode, I just caught the last 20mins or so and I really liked it.

[birol]

Very nice colors indeed, I loved them ! I would go with a lime green instead of the yellow, but this yellow is very nice too, I have to confess.