I wonder who was the first person to wake up and say, “Let’s paint over the paneling the dining room!” Did they get bonked on the head before they thought that? Boy oh boy, what fun it is to paint dark chocolate brown paneling. Just watch your money go down the tubes with cans and cans of Kilz. O f course, they do that silliness on those design shows where they surprise someone or do something on a $32 budget. I guess it is just all about instant gratification and not giving half a penny about having to rip them out down the road, but being even harder with all of the paint and filler you put on the. Imagine what is sitting behind those panels.
Right now, my parents are going through that dilemma in a “new to them” home that was majestically built in the early 1900s, but then was renovated in the decade of harvest gold and sunset orange. It is awash in the majesty of toothpaste colored and gold crackled Marlite walls and the occasional random installation of a dark brown panel here and there. You know, those little walls that are too small to put a big picture on or do anything else with? They have made the decision to just paint over those.
So, you can use regular old interior paint on paneling, but did you know that there is actually Tile Paint for the other end of the decorating nightmare form the past? Yes, you too can quickly cover up an unusual decorating choice quickly and efficiently. I think the green looks good, and don’t know why that Thing Addams is covering it up over there. (Question: Was “Thing” considered a pet so took on the last name of the family, or was he adopted and therefore an Addams on the Addams Family Show. Maybe he didn’t have a last name?) Ronseal makes it, and it has the comforting words on each can of “It does what it says on the can.” The literature also states:
Ideal for tiled areas around sinks, baths and cookers and domestic shower areas. Not recommended for floor tiles or tiled work surfaces.
Aw, darn it! I was hoping to surprise them and have their kitchen with “antique space constraints, then stuffed with giant appliances” completely painted over. I guess they have to replace the floor tiles. I can not paint scenes from their lives on them. However, you can do your whole tub surround if you wanted to, or that weird half wall in the kitchen. Firstly, I would get a dumpster, and then I would get to work. Since it dries in an hour or two, I’d have it as good as new in no time.
