Taking down wood paneling

[ZYouL8R]

How difficult is it to take down wood paneling? Is it as easy as ripping it down and putting up dry wall in its place or is there more to it? My wife and I are looking at a few houses that have a decent amount of it so I'm wanting to know before we get too interested in any of these.

[FATHERFORD]

Is it cheap wood paneling or real wood paneling?

Cheap stuff is normally nailed on top of 1/4" sheet rock.

If it's real wood, you are insane ripping that off.

[black2002ls]

Is it cheap wood paneling or real wood paneling?

Cheap stuff is normally nailed on top of 1/4" sheet rock.

If it's real wood, you are insane ripping that off.

Not always in older houses. I had a house where it was the cheap paneling nailed strait to the studs.

OP if that is the case it is easy. The primary problem/concern is this:

Is it pier an beam or slab foundation? If it is pier and beam the paneling wont show cracks and buckles quite as bad as sheet rock will if/when the house shifts and moves. If it hs been recently leveled and done so properly, you will be ok for quite a while.

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[lowthreeohz]

Mine had feaux wood, nailed and glued to rock below. We wete able to spray & knockdown the rock and hide anything left by the paneling. Wasn't very hard at all.

[GeorgeG.]

I removed paneling on a house once that had sheetrock behind it but the sheets were basically thrown up and nailed with huge gaps between sheets...I'm assuming since it was going to be covered up anyway.

I guess it's safe to say that you'll just have to remove a panel and see what it's like behind there to get a definitive answer.

[kingjason]

The house we are in had all the sheet rock but the doors were not trimmed out behind the wood panels. It was still a pain in the ass.

[Vertnut]

If there's sheetrock, do a quick bed/texture and you're golden.

[Baron Von Crowder]

Im a big fan of painting the wood paneling, it usually looks pretty good IMHO.

http://studioten25.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/img_0496.jpg

[Swamp Donkey]

Not always in older houses. I had a house where it was the cheap paneling nailed strait to the studs.

OP if that is the case it is easy. The primary problem/concern is this:

Is it pier an beam or slab foundation? If it is pier and beam the paneling wont show cracks and buckles quite as bad as sheet rock will if/when the house shifts and moves. If it hs been recently leveled and done so properly, you will be ok for quite a while.

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Not necessarily. I've seen houses built on slabs move more than a pier and beam house. Just ask my parents neighbor who spent 20k on foundation repair and have to fix joints where the sheetrock buckled due to repair. It all depends on the movement. Growing up, we lived in a pier and beam home. Not a single crack in the sheetrock for 15 years. It's pier and beam for me. I'd much rather be able to repair my own foundation.

[black2002ls]

Not necessarily. I've seen houses built on slabs move more than a pier and beam house. Just ask my parents neighbor who spent 20k on foundation repair and have to fix joints where the sheetrock buckled due to repair. It all depends on the movement. Growing up, we lived in a pier and beam home. Not a single crack in the sheetrock for 15 years. It's pier and beam for me. I'd much rather be able to repair my own foundation.

True. The older concrete foundations were WAY worse than the newer post tension stuff.
If it is pier and beam and leveled correctly (replace old rotten wood piers, etc) then sheetrock shouldn't be a problem.
The rent house we are in is pier and beam with sheetrock and it looks like this thing is coming apart at the seams!

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[Swamp Donkey]

True. The older concrete foundations were WAY worse than the newer post tension stuff.
If it is pier and beam and leveled correctly (replace old rotten wood piers, etc) then sheetrock shouldn't be a problem.
The rent house we are in is pier and beam with sheetrock and it looks like this thing is coming apart at the seams!

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I almost went with some type of wood interior wall so I would not have to deal with any cracks in the future. I know there will be movement. It's Texas!

OP - a lot older homes with paneling have sheetrock behind it. Take a peek behind a panel and see. Some are even finished and would just require texturing.