Painting Paneling

Q: There are thin sheets of paneling on some walls at my house and I want to paint them. What kind of paint and preparation is necessary to do a good job?

A: I know for sure that paneling like yours can be painted because I've seen it done successfully a number of times. Start by lightly sanding the surface using a palm sander and 240-grit abrasive. You don’t want to remove the fake wood grain surface, just roughen it slightly. After that, vacuum the walls and wipe them down with a solution of TSP cleaner and water. Paint when dry. Latex coatings work fine in this situation, but choose a 100% acrylic formulation. This is a premium type of latex made by a number of manufacturers. It sticks more reliably than other types of latex and can even be used directly on top of old oil based paint.