Can Mobile-Home Wall Panels Be Painted?

Patch and Fill

• Any nail holes, screw holes or dents in the wall panel should be patched with joint compound, which can also be used to fill the vertical grooves that are common in fake-wood paneling; filling the grooves can help disguise that it's wood paneling. The joint compound should dry for at least 24 hours and be sanded before any additional work takes place.

Clean

• Grease, dust and dirt can build up on walls, making it difficult for paint to stick, so walls should be cleaned prior to painting. Use either water and dish-washing soap or trisodium phosphate (TSP) to scrub the wall panels. Rinse the panels after cleaning and allow them to dry thoroughly.

Degloss

• The key to paint adhering to panel walls is removing the thin layer of gloss on the surface. This can be done either by sanding with fine sandpaper or by using a chemical solution to degloss the walls. If sandpaper is used, the walls must be wiped clean again before primer is applied. If a chemical deglossing solution is used, primer should be applied 2 to 3 hours after.

Prime

• An oil-based primer should be applied to the panel walls before they're painted. The primer will help the paint adhere, and will also help keep the color of the panels from showing through the paint. Two coats of primer should be applied if there's a large difference between the color of the wall panels and the color of the paint; for example, dark wood panels being painted white should receive 2 coats of primer.

Caulk

• Regardless of whether the grooves are filled, the seams between the wall panels should be filled with caulk and then smoothed so they're not visible after the panels are painted. Apply a bead of caulk along the seam, then dip a finger in water and use the finger to spread and smooth the caulk.

Paint

• An oil-based paint is the ideal type of paint to use on mobile-home wall panels, especially with an oil-based primer. This type of paint will adhere well to panels and is easy to clean. A low-gloss oil-based paint will help hide any imperfections in the wall.