Many of us agree that Knotty (Pine) is Nice — but what about its flashier cousin, 1960s-1970s wood paneling that got kinda … designy? Elisabeth is new to her 1968 house and her eyes are a bit in shock at her two-tone inlaid wall paneling. This sure must have been hip back in the day. She asks us: Should it stay or should it go?
Elisabeth writes:
Hi,
I’ve just purchased a 1964 home. It is exciting but a bit overwhelming. There is a lot of paneling in the house. Looking at the May 1968 House and Garden magazine I can identify it as Georgia-Pacific Inlaid Paneling. I know it was marketed as the affordable option to real wood inlay work. It is not tongue and groove and it is not knotty pine. I am in a quandary as to whether to keep it. If it were real wood I would not have a question. I don’t mind trying to keep it with the intent of staying in keeping with the spirit of the times. However I would probably need some kind of confirmation that it is a good idea. My first instinct was “ugh, paneling”. I am new to this. Also the expense of remove and replace is weighing on me. Thanks for your time and any advice.
Best,
Elisabeth
Wow, Elisabeth, you are so ingenious to find that ad. Which wood is ‘yours’? Elm with walnut inlay? Pecan with walnut inlay? Cherry with walnut inlay? Or Walnut with pecan inlay? Surely a reader will know.
I have my own opinions, of course, but first, let’s hear from readers:
Should Elisabeth keep her circa-1970s paneling…
Or should she rip it out or paint over it?
Janet says
I like the suggestion to leave up just one wall. Dad had painted our dining room aqua in the early 60’s and put up one wall of paneling. I liked that look of paneling with the dining table (with the leaves down) a couple dining room chairs next to the table and a nice big mirror over the table. The paneling was a nice back-drop. It especially looked nice when we would place the Christmas tree next to that wall.
But paneling all over the rooms would have been oppressive to me too and I would have wanted to lighten it all up.
MCMDesignaddict says
Tough call, but removing and replacing at least some with real wood paneling may maintain the feel of the house but be less overbearing. We installed Lunan paneling stained walnut with was not terribly expensive to do
Herb says
I painted a small room with the dark paneling, before I painted I filled all the seams with drywall mud and sanded flush. unless I tell you you would never know their was paneling on the wall. That said when it comes to hanging art you would do best to drill holes for nails, as trying to hammer them through might loosen the mud in the grooves. Just my 2¢
KEITH says
replace it with stikwood in a driftwood color
Kristin says
KEEP. Don’t paint. Our 1970 house has it in the kitchen of all places- I love it! Wood gives the room such a warm, welcoming feeling. The glaring hospital white walls in all the modern house mags are cold, uninviting and ugly.
Keep a 1960s house 60s! We wouldn’t dream of altering the chrome on a ’64 Impala, or painting it 2018 Chevy Impala grey. Why change the flavor of a vintage house too?
Heather says
Hi Elisabeth,
You’re right. My first reaction is “ugh, U*** [edited] paneling!” Here’s what I’d do if I just purchased this house: First, I’d remove a small piece of paneling from an inconspicuous area to see what’s underneath, and to assess how hard it will be to remove the rest of it. If I found nice walls underneath and removal was easy, I’d plan on removing at least some of it immediately. Don’t get me wrong, I love vintage stuff, but this paneling is u*** [edited]! It doesn’t look like real wood at all – the pattern reminds me of Rorschach inkblots, of fleur-de-lis, of xrays of human torsos. Visually, I find it unappealling.
Possible reasons for keeping it? It doesn’t seem to be collectible, no one on the internet is selling any, and since no one here has expressed an interest in buying it, we can assume it has no resale value. When time and money permit, you can always put up some nice wood paneling, if you decide you like wood paneling. If you decide you don’t want paneling, a quick fix would be to paint it white. The texture and the weird symmetrical Rorschach-pattern thing might show through. I’d look into doing a skim coat, either over the paneling, or after removal, if the walls underneath are in bad shape. I did a skim coat on my 1971 orange-peel textured walls and it looks fantastic. The only downside is that everyone who sees it wants me to come to their house and skim coat their walls, in exchange for lunch. Not going to happen as I’m busy painting my vintage pink-tiled bathroom and doing silver atomic starburst stencils on the walls. Best of luck Elisabeth and hope this helps!
Elisabeth says
you are right, it does remind me of Rorschach and various other things. That is cracking me up. I know your bathroom will look amazing. And then everyone will want you to stencil for them. I will keep the skim coat in mind.
Ed says
Elisabeth,
Keep it. You have something rare. And not only rare, but authentic to your historic house. As to the fact that it is only imitation and not real , and thus does not appeal to modern aesthetics: I say that’s one more reason to keep it. The 50s and 60s were all about processed materials in houses, so it speaks to the era in which the house was built. Try it for a while and if you just cant live with it, try adding more lighting. It that does not work, paint one or two walls in the room and the paneled wall would be the accent color. And to be on the safe side, do it with paint that can be removed without damage to the paneling.
Michele Ruvolo says
Here is my tale of woe: I bought a 1955 ranch, covered in knotty pine and dark rich paneling everywhere. I couldn’t wait to paint it all white, and even tore out the built in planter box replete with curlicue wood trim. Fast forward to now! I did paint the living and dining room white, and HATED it. Thank God I stopped before I ruined the soul of the whole house; my knotty pine in my master bedroom was spared when I stopped trying to “upgrade” my house. I repainted the white out mistake back to a deep Weimaraner grey-brown, and although it’s not original, it looks so much better now. I also sadly took off most of my perfect kitchen cabinets and doors. What was I thinking? I literally drove 100 miles yesterday to buy doors that matched mine that some other person was ditching, and I’m hanging them up now. Don’t take out your paneling! Don’t redo the kitchen! Love it for the mid century unique gem it is!! Regrets, I’ve had a few…
KStacey says
But hey, you did it your way! 🙂
I am glad I did not buy my house 10+ years ago. I have always decorated with mid-century/vintage items. (back then it was mostly because I was broke, it was cheap, and I liked it!) But for sure watched a bit too much HGTV back when all the renovation shows were a newer thing. The harm I may have inflicted upon some innocent house was spared. Luckily I quit watching that stuff (and TV in general, for other reasons though) after watching some “designer” staple hundreds of silk flowers to a bathroom wall. Made me realize that the “experts” were possibly even more clueless than I was.
Julie says
You know, it’s really hard to call without seeing the rest of the room. How much natural light enters the room? Are there windows? How light or dark are the floor coverings? This can sometimes look great if it’s in the right room with the right elements.
Lily Mack says
I would definitely paint it … in fact I’ve done so in one room in my own home and also in a rental property. You can use whatever color you like and it brightens up the room. Just my 2 cents.