And now, for the paneling update. Hold on to your hats, everyone—this post is a bit of a wild ride.
As you may know, we’ve painted paneling before. We could have removed it, but that would have meant taking down and rehanging all the cabinets that are mounted in front of it, and exposing whatever problems lurk behind the old plaster walls. Drywalling over it was another option, but that would have required working around the cabinets and added expense and hassle. So we decided to paint the paneling again—just like we did in our previous den, which slowly transformed into our favorite room over several years.
We never regretted painting the paneling. Similar to painted brick, the grooves remain but add subtle texture. If you prefer a smoother look, you can caulk or putty the grooves, or remove the paneling altogether.
This time, however, the process took much longer because we chose to prime and paint with low- or no-VOC products. We wanted to reduce harmful fumes since we’re frequently working with paint and caulk, and now have a baby in the house. We knew this approach would be riskier and slower—oil-based stain-blocking primer is the professional recommendation to prevent orange wood bleed-through—but we thought the trade-off for family health was worth it. In the end it worked, but it required patience. Here’s how it unfolded.
First, this is what the kitchen looked like before we started priming and painting. We also dug up an older photo from another angle for reference, taken before we removed the wood stove and painted the fireplace.
Step 1: We wiped down the paneling, beams, and trim with a damp cloth. Some people prefer TSP for a deeper clean, especially if the surface is greasy, but we skipped it. We didn’t sand either; sanding can help when paneling is very glossy, splintery, or shellacked.
Step 2: We removed outlet and vent covers because we planned to replace them—switching from bisque to fresh white covers.
Step 3: We spent about three hours applying a coat of Olympic No-VOC primer to the trim, beams, and paneled walls.
Right away, we noticed bleed-through in several areas—the orange-brown stain of the wood seeping through the primer. Primer often looks uneven and still performs its job, but this kind of bleed is a real problem.
Step 4: After letting the first coat dry a bit, we tried a second coat of the same primer over the obvious bleed spots. It didn’t stop the seepage.
Step 5: We found a can of Behr Primer + Paint (white semi-gloss) in the basement. It’s low-VOC and thick, so we applied a full coat across the trim, beams, and paneling. That improved things but didn’t eliminate all bleed-through.
Step 6: We bought Kilz Clean Start No-VOC primer from Home Depot because the label said “stainblocker.” We applied another full coat to all painted surfaces.
That did the trick. After the Kilz coat, the bleed-through stopped and we finally felt like the project was moving forward.
Step 7: We painted the trim and beams with the Behr semi-gloss paint. Leaving primer unpainted for long invites dust and dirt because primer remains tacky for good paint adhesion, so we finished those surfaces to avoid a grimy look. The Behr paint covered beautifully over the Kilz and left a clean glossy finish.
Step 8: We removed painter’s tape while the last coat was still wet to achieve the cleanest lines and prevent peeling. When tape stuck to paint, we carefully cut along the tape with an X-Acto knife to avoid pulling paint off. I usually avoid tape when possible and rely on a short-handled trimming brush, but on a stool I used tape around the ceiling and baseboards to speed things up while freehanding door frames and the fireplace.
About 48 hours after we started priming, the trim and beams were fully coated and painted. The trim appears whiter because it’s finished in semi-gloss paint rather than a flat white primer, which leaned creamier in tone.
We can’t say for sure whether Kilz Clean Start worked because it’s an inherently superior product or because we layered it over other primers, but it did stop the bleed in our experience. If you want to try a low- or no-VOC approach, consider applying two to three coats of Kilz Clean Start No-VOC primer followed by two thin, even coats of latex paint. That may be enough to block stains without using oil-based products. Alternatively, a single coat of oil-based stain-blocking primer followed by two coats of latex paint is a time-tested method.
Going low/no-VOC likely won’t be a one-afternoon project. It took us two days of work, with help from family, just to get the priming stage completed. It wasn’t fun, but it was worth it once we reached the clean white finish. Rarely, bleed can resurface weeks or months later, but we painted our living room trim months ago with a similar no-VOC approach and haven’t seen any seepage.
If you’ve painted paneling without VOCs or been forced to apply multiple coats of primer or paint, you know how frustrating it can be. We’ll share any future updates if anything unexpected happens.
Read more about our Phase 1 kitchen plan in the original project notes.