wood paneling in the basement- replacing

[Anonymous]

Is it worth the cost of replacing wood paneling in the basement with dry wall? Has anyone done this? How did you go about finding someone to do this work? Are permits required?

1970's townhome in NOVA.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Definitely worth it.

We DIY'd it.

Not only does it look and smell so much better, we were able to fix mistakss in electricity and insulation made by a previous owner, we also found and filled holes that critters and bugs were using to get in, repair some pipes that were on their last legs. And get rid of a few mice carcasses from above listed holes.


There was also water damage from pinhole pipe leaks that you could not see frol the dark paneling.

Definitely worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Definitely worth it.

We DIY'd it.

Not only does it look and smell so much better, we were able to fix mistakss in electricity and insulation made by a previous owner, we also found and filled holes that critters and bugs were using to get in, repair some pipes that were on their last legs. And get rid of a few mice carcasses from above listed holes.


There was also water damage from pinhole pipe leaks that you could not see frol the dark paneling.

Definitely worth it.

Okay thank you so much!!. I don't know if I trust my skills to DIY but I bave seen so many painted over panels that I thought maybe it wasn't worth the expense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Definitely worth it.

We DIY'd it.

Not only does it look and smell so much better, we were able to fix mistakss in electricity and insulation made by a previous owner, we also found and filled holes that critters and bugs were using to get in, repair some pipes that were on their last legs. And get rid of a few mice carcasses from above listed holes.


There was also water damage from pinhole pipe leaks that you could not see frol the dark paneling.

Definitely worth it.

Okay thank you so much!!. I don't know if I trust my skills to DIY but I bave seen so many painted over panels that I thought maybe it wasn't worth the expense.

I think people paint over paneling b/c they hate it. If you like paneling and don't have strong DIY skills, you can definitely find a contractor who can repair it for you. If you want to get rid of it, you can also find someone who will do that.

Personally, it's your time or your money. It's better to pay for a job to be done correctly than attempt to fix something out of your skill set.

[Anonymous]

I would paint over the paneling unless you are ready for serious work (re-framing the walls, installing new wiring, etc.).

[Anonymous]

You probably are going to need to tear everything out and start from scratch. When we removed our paneling, there was very strange framing and no insulation. We removed everything and will eventually redo everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You probably are going to need to tear everything out and start from scratch. When we removed our paneling, there was very strange framing and no insulation. We removed everything and will eventually redo everything.

+1. Same issue for us. We also had some water issues that we were dealing with at the same
time.

[Anonymous]

Do you need a permit to remove the paneling and reframe the walls in Fairfax County?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you need a permit to remove the paneling and reframe the walls in Fairfax County?

Framing yes.

[Anonymous]

Why would you want to replace paneling?

[Anonymous]

Hi. We replaced paneling with drywall and didn't have to do anything else. Generally, painters can also hang drywall. We used a painting company. Totally worth it. Not that expensive. Smells a lot better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would you want to replace paneling?

Because it is ugly and we want to mount a tv on the wall and it seems too unstable. Mainly because it is ugly as sin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi. We replaced paneling with drywall and didn't have to do anything else. Generally, painters can also hang drywall. We used a painting company. Totally worth it. Not that expensive. Smells a lot better.

Thanks. Did the ceiling need work as well or was it just the walls. Our Ceilings are these squares like old government buildings (don't know what they are called).

[Anonymous]

If I weren't looking to mount something heavy on the walls, I'd probably just paint the paneling white. But if you want to mount a TV, it might make sense to rip it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi. We replaced paneling with drywall and didn't have to do anything else. Generally, painters can also hang drywall. We used a painting company. Totally worth it. Not that expensive. Smells a lot better.

Thanks. Did the ceiling need work as well or was it just the walls. Our Ceilings are these squares like old government buildings (don't know what they are called).

acoustic ceiling tiles?

You may need to send a sample of those off for asbestos testing before removing them. Quite a few manufacturers used asbestos in ceiling and floor tiles. Our 1973 build townhouse had tile under the linoleum in the basement that tested positive for asbestos.