Title says it all, what is the best way to paint wood paneling? I have seen people use drywall putty to make the paneling smooth before painting. I’ve seen people do skim coats over the wall to make them smooth. I’ve even seen what I assume was wallpaper put up then they just paint the wall paper. We are getting a loan in a few months to redo both units of our house and build a four unit multi family dwelling on the back of our property so I will obviously be rid of the paneling soon. However, in the mean time it is dark and I hate it and I want to be able to lighten up the house now VS later. Any tips or tricks to painting wood panel walls?