How to Paint Wood Paneling and Its Best Friend, the Trim
Your small paintbrush’s shining moment.
Updated Oct 11, 2018 7:30 PM
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In Back to Basics, we’re providing you with the straightforward step-by-step instructions to tackle all those household projects you’ve been wanting to try.
Painting the average wall is no impossible feet—once you have a good roller brush in your possession, it’s a pretty easy task for even a beginner renovator. But the prospect of changing up your wall color gets a little more intimidating when faced with not-so-smooth surfaces: paneling and trim.
The good news, though, is that it’s simpler than you think. When you paint wood paneling and trim, just a few extra steps ensure that your final result is as neat and even as can be—and your patience is well worth it. Here, Domino contributing editor Elaina Sullivan shows how it’s done.
What You Need
- Drop cloth and plastic tarp
- Sandpaper and hand sander
- Quart of paint with primer (like Benjamin Moore Aura in satin or semigloss)
- Paint trays
- Paintbrush
- Small roller brushes and handle
- Painter’s tape
- Wood filler (optional)
Prep
1. Sand down large surface areas with a hand sander, and more intricate areas—including trim—with sandpaper. 2. Brush off excess dust. 3. Patch up any holes with wood filler and sand down when dry. 4. Tape around edges that you are not planning to paint with painter’s tape.
Paint
5. Using the flat or angled brush, cut in with paint to the intricate details like the trim and grooves of the paneling. Make sure that the brush isn’t too full to avoid having to sand down excess paint. Let dry. 6. Using the roller brush, paint over the flat portions of the panel and let dry. 7. Repeat the last two steps until paint completely covers the surface. It should take two to three coats.
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