Cover a paneled lower wall in low gloss eggshell white and paint the walls and ceiling pale tropical green.
Paint half wall wood paneling.
Use a brush to fill in any grooves.
While many home improvement websites will tell you that you need to clean the wood paneling with tsp sand it prime it sand it again prime it again if you took some of the primer off with sanding and then paint it i have found this to be much more work than.
Painting wood paneling is an easy and cost effective way to update a room with wood paneling.
How to paint over fake wood paneling.
If desired lightly sand all of the paneling don t forget the trim and moldings with 150 grit sandpaper.
Apply a thin coat of primer with a roller.
Maybe a deeper blue green or dark cream from the rug.
Fill any holes or cracks with wood putty using a putty knife and allow it to dry.
I would definitely paint it but would use a third color not the white of the cabinets nor the grasslands of the wall.
Also in some cases the paneling was placed directly on the wall studs with nothing behind it.
Fill and sand the wood.
Allow the primer to dry a full 24 hours before painting over it.
Paint the paneling in the living room charcoal and the upper wall and ceiling dove gray.
Inspect paneling in some instances you may be able to remove the paneling and paint the walls directly.
The idea is to take off the sheen and create a lightly gritty surface so the paint will adhere.
I suggest you paint all the wainscoting before deciding what to do with the fireplace.
If half or two thirds of the surface were paneled it wouldn t work nearly as well.