Painting Over Old Painted Pine Boards on Walls

Clean the pine board paneling. Wipe down the painted boards with degreasing soap, a soft rag, and water. Cleaning the boards should remove debris and dust. Let the boards air-dry before priming.

Smooth the surface of the paneling. If the original paint is chipping or bubbled, you can use a paint scraper and sandpaper to smooth the surface of the paneling. Use a paint scraper to remove large areas of bubbled paint. Once the large paint chips are gone, smooth the paint surface with sandpaper. Remove the sanding dust with a damp cloth.

Prime the paneling with oil-based primer. Latex primer will work well if the paneling does not have any tough stains. However, oil-based primer blocks stains better than latex primer. Spread the primer onto the pine boards with a paintbrush. Open windows for proper ventilation when working with oil-based primer. Let the primer dry per manufacturer directions.

Paint the paneling with latex paint in your color choice. Use a paintbrush to apply the paint to the old pine paneling. Let the first coat of paint dry, then apply a second as needed.