Painting T & G Walls

Do you have Tounge & Grove (T & G) walls that are bare or in need of some desperate TLC? Do they have nails in them from wallpaper that was previously over top? Not to worry you can completely restore and paint your old T & G walls to make them look spectacular.

Firstly you should start by pulling any nails out that are in the boards if there are any. An easy way if the nails are stuck in there is to use a hammer and a small screw driver. Gently hit the screw driver into the wood either at the top, bottom or side of the nail and then gently flick the nail out with the screwdriver. Now you will have room to put the hammer in behind the nail to pull it out.

Once all nails are out and it’s all bare, now would be the time to have the room spayed for borer if there are any holes. Remember to have everything covered or removed from the room and have lots of ventilation. This step is crucial in restoring your T & G walls.

Now is the time to fill any holes left by borer or nails with a spreadable filler. It looks like a white substance. Spread it over the holes with a small metal filler applicator. Filling holes does take a lot of time especially if you have a lot to fill, but it is well worth your time in the long run.

Now that you have filled all you holes, now is the time to sand all the boards including over your filled holes. You can do this by hand, but a small sander would be faster. Use a medium grade sand paper first then finish with a fine grade sand paper to finish off.

Remember to clean up all the dust created by sanding with the vacuum cleaner and wipe all the walls down with a cloth. Use drop sheets to cover floors, carpet and furniture to protect them.

Once all your walls are sanded to a smooth finish, now is the time for your undercoat paint. Start by painting in the t & g groves with a small to medium paint brush, and then paint the rest either with a paint roller, paint brush or spray gun. Once the under coat is complete, Now paint with 2-3 coats of top paint in your colour.