An Easy and Cheap Way to Update Wood Wall Paneling

If, like one viewer named Tina, your home decor is living in the past (wood paneling, anyone?), celebrity designer and HGTV star Chip Wade can help!

And BONUS -- his fix doesn’t require dishing out a ton of cash. Sah-weet!

PROBLEM: My basement is stuck in a time warp! This wood paneling is awful! I want to update it but don’t want to spend a fortune. I would love some advice so it doesn’t look like I live in 1975 anymore. -Tina

SOLUTION: [Painting over wood paneling] is a super simple fix. It’s all about proper preparation and color selection. -Chip Wade

Pro tips from Chip:

- Contrary to popular belief, darker tones actually play really nicely on walls. (Chip showed Tina a dark blue shade called "North Sea!")
- Get the most creativity out of your wood paneling by starting with some spackle. Apply 2 coats!
- No matter what it says on the package, spackle does shrink -- so let it fully dry. When it turns white, you’ll know that it's dry.
- Whenever you're painting, you want to make sure that you have some "tooth." What "tooth" means is a little bit of grip on the surface. Use a sanding sponge before you prime!
- Mix primer in your paint, like Chip does, if you want to get the job done in one fell swoop!
- When painting, ALWAYS keep the coats thin!

Watch the expert craftsman demonstrate his painting technique in our studio in the video above!