Paneling in your home?
I'm sorry for you :-( I really am.
From a home sale perspective here in the Hoffman Estates area, it's the kiss of death for your home sale!
Buyers consider it an eyesoar and will refuse to deal with it. So what should you do? Here's my thoughts from past marketing experience:
- REMOVE IT
- DRYWALL OVER IT
- PAINT IT
My personal preference is going to make you unhappy. I recommend removing it and re-drywall the area with 1/4' drywall. Basically think of it as a thin fresh coat over the ugly 60's paneling. There might be glue residue and numerous nail holes that need to be covered over and patched. I would recommend calling in a professional drywaller for 'mudding' help. These guys make quick work of 'taping' and if you don't know what you're doing you can make the situation worse!
I have sellers that recently fessed up about the extra work that I requested they do. Guess what? They loved the result. They said they should have done it sooner rather than look at it for a minute longer! I normally would do a 'before' and 'after' photo for you but the walls were so ugly in this room my camera REFUSED to take a picture of it! This picture shows you the final result.
Ok, moving on to your next solution - paint it. This should be your last resort because everyone will notice the lines running down the wall. Don't forget that you will have to prime the paneling before painting it and better get prepared for 2 coats of paint if the paneling is very dark.
So no more excuses - it's never coming back in style!
Just get started on the project BEFORE you put your Hoffman Estates home on the market!
Lyn - I agree with covering it with drywall. If you use 1/4" you shouldn't have to remove the paneling. It's a bit messy, but well worth the effort as your photo shows.
I agree, buyers loath paneling
John & Anonymous: I wish sellers would just do it because I'm the one that hears buyers comments about it when showing houses. They DO NOT want to do the work and feel they shouldn't have too.
Lyn, this makes me laugh. I can remember really offending some sellers who were appalled when I suggested they paint over their gorgeous real wood pine paneling. I didn't get the listing.
Pat: Tee-hee, me too and I don't regret it one bit. It's out and it's been out since the 70's - thats 30 years of 'out'.
I see so much of the stuff here. My favorite line in your post: It's never coming back!!
Lyn - I can't believe how much of that crap is still around. For any sellers reading this: NO ONE LIKES PANELED WALL AND THEY DON'T CARE HOW MUCH YOU DO! Good grief, some sellers just need to get real.
Hi Lyn, It's a lot easier if the paneling was put over a wall than if the paneling IS the wall. We pulled paneling off in one room and what we found were bare studs, so that turned into a bigger job than we thought at first.
If on a budget, painting it with a good paint helps out A LOT!! It makes the room look so small. What were they thinking in the '60's?
Great suggestions! We have replaced a lot of paneling and been very lucky to find sheetrock behind it. When that happens, it is much easier to finish the job.
Lyn:
These are usually the homes that also have the heavy curtains. Paneling makes the home dark - and people do not like dark homes anymore. Open the curtains. Get rid of the paneling!
Hi Lyn,
I agree with you- I have paneling in my living room- that is painted... My reason for leaving it rather than drywallingit is because once my daughter graduates from high school- this wil become a rental for me and the walls are stronger against holes and other types of rental damage... The next tiem I change the color- the lines will be filled in so you cannot tell that it is paneling... It isnn't too bad;)
Lyn,
Actually my buyers LOVE paneling - because it means they are going to get the house much, much cheaper! Just another good reason sellers must make it disappear.
Shanna, no you can't tell from the picture.
Irene: LOL, yes, that means a sizeable price difference from the buyers.
Claudette: Yes, the 60's-70's cave look. No sunlight must ever touch the carpet or furniture like vampires.
Barbara: Was GOING to sell a property in a more rural town when I noticed that the kitchen cabinets and just about everything else in the house was hanging on paneling. No wall board anywhere in the one portion of the original house - much like a cottage at the lake. Bare bones. Needless to say the buyers went for another home.
Barb: It's been 30+ years and it hasn't made it back yet. I'll be the first to protest. My friend sells at Pottery Barn and the 70's colors were a sales disaster for them. The public said no thanks to avacado, burnt orange and harvest gold.
I've seen a lot of homeowners paint the paneling more of a cream color and then painted the original moldings of the wood a bright white and it becomes a picture molding wall like in a formal dining room.
Donna: Good suggestion. Creme colored walls with white molding is in style now.
Lyn - While I agree that removing it is always best, for those sellers that don't want to spend the time, energy and money doing that, painting it a soft color is the next best thing. I have seen this done so much and it's not too bad. You can still tell it's paneling but it's definitely not as dated and dungeon like as before.
Lyn,
Too funny! I seem to deal with this all the time. I had a client who had it ALL OVER his house and since he refused to deal with it, the listing never sold, even though it was priced right. People often think that it was put up so that the owner would not have to deal with the crummy horse-hair plaster underneath. They're sometimes right! You never know what you are dealing with when you remove it.
I used to live in a basement apartment for a long time that had them painted white. You did not notice it after a while and it was much better than the ugly dark brown wood paneling!
David in Boston
David: Little midwestern me says 'horse hair plaster' - what is that?
Donne: I was fooled the other day on a house I showed.
Lyn: When you're talking bad paneling in houses ... especially family rooms .. you're talking alot of my high school years' memories. I can't tell you how many families had family rooms or basements with paneling ... seemed like every home! But as far as what were they thinking? It was cheaper than drywalling or re-plastering older home's walls, for one. Be careful what you say about "never" coming back in style. Just when you think you're safe .....
Gene
I had a listing appointment this morning and yes, you guessed it, the living room is paneled...
How about this one:
"It's coming back! Just wait and see!"
Yeah, well, it ain't coming back before your listing is up, pal.
JP: good quick response.
Norma: You know what you gotta do.
Gene: Well, that's true but it's been 30 years. I don't care so much about basements as other 'above ground' rooms. Nothing says class like yellowed 50 year old paneling in the Livingroom!
I came back to add that I think GENE HAS PANELING RIGHT NOW IN HIS HOUSE! Yep.
Lyn - I can't even recall the last time I've seen paneling, thankfully it's not popular in my neck of the woods.
Hey! I DO NOT!!! lol
Gene
ROTFLMAO! So good to hear that Gene. I can't imagine anyone in this industry still having that stuff in their home.
My sellers reluctantly agreed to paint over their paneling. It looked pretty good once it was done. Ironically ther buyer was actually upset!
This week I saw my first bathroom with paneling. There were also shelves (yes bookshelves-wood!) over the tub area as well. Definitely a unique bathroom!
Great post. I agree remove the paneling and drywall. My brother has paneling in one of hisd rooms...and had it painted...looks OK!
Ellie: There is something wrong with that buyer!
Debra: You're being so nice, bookshelves over the tub area in knotty pine! Fabulous.
Rebecca: Man caves as long as they are in the lowest levels of the home can still have paneling. You need a miners helmet to find the basement usually.