How to Remove Paneling Without Damage to Drywall

Wood paneling was very popular in homes in the 1970s. Today, you can still see paneling in homes but in many cases, parts of the home have been updated to include drywall. If you want to remove the remainder of the paneling but not damage the existing drywall, you can do so by taking care when you remove the parts of the paneling that overlap the paneling and the drywall.

Pry bar
Putty knife

Instructions

- 1
  Wedge a pry bar between the floor molding and the paneling and then pull the molding away from the paneling. Do the same with any crown molding in the room. Do not start pulling the molding off on the drywall section of the wall. Work to pull the molding off the paneling in a single piece.
- 2
  Pull the portions of the molding that overlap onto drywall by hand. With the paneling portion removed from the paneling, you have room to grip the molding to make it easier to remove from the drywall.
- 3
  Locate any vertical strips or seam strips that hide the seam gap between the paneling and drywall. Carefully pull the nails out of the seam strip with a claw hammer. Do not crush the drywall with the claw hammer.
- 4
  Remove the nails that secure the paneling to the wall where the paneling butts up against the drywall. Use your claw hammer and again, do not crush the drywall. Place that piece of paneling off to the side. Now you can remove the rest of the paneling without worrying about the drywall.

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