I'd suck it up and fix the drywall myself. Paneling is (as you mentioned) something that people want down, not put up. As a resale issue, I'd get the drywall fixed...it's now or later, so just suck it up and suffer (and I do know how much that sucks LOL).

One other option though would be to try a textured wallpaper if the walls are in somewhat reasonable flatness. It comes in a basic texture like your drywall might have had, or with pattern ala victorian walls. The pattern ones would be cute in a cottage room...and then you just paint after application.

Thanks for the input, igloochic. I inherited this house and land and we've no plans to sell or move so resell isn't an major concern. We plan to build our retirement home on the back acerage someday and rent out this house unlss one of our kids wants to live here. Either scenario, they can just make do with paneling. LOL!

I just absolutely dread the thought of rehabbing that drywall. I'm having a very hard time with the cracks in other areas of the house, too. The foundation was inspected and deemed stable, but we have a rock quarry less than a half mile from us that blast on a daily basis. I was hoping that the paneling would hide the cracks once and for all!

I love textured wallpaper, but my daughter has wall-cling decorative stuff to put on her walls and I don't think it would cling to wallpaper?

Just between the two of us- i don't think it's that crazy. I can hear the moaning across America now!
I have had good and bad luck painting over existing paneling. But, many of those problems are BECAUSE it was existing. It gets kind of greasy, the dark colors blead thru, it may have damage of it's own (in cases like holes, i'd rather deal with drywall)etc.
Also, it looks terrible when the panel is wavy, when two pieces don't butt up well to each other, visible nails and worst of all- the exposed edge! If you can cover up the edges, and the paint covers without bleading, it can actually look...dare i say...good?
It actually can look real good if it's only one wall, like an accent, maybe with a different paint scheme than the rest of the room. I would hope that new panels would help overcome some of the problems i mentioned above.
A bad sheetrock job doesn't look very good with a coat of paint on it!

Search the web for anaglypta. That's a textured, paintable wallpaper made for bridging over a rough surface. You can get a zillion textures, from Victorian to modern.

Only one more room?! You're in the homestretch. Stop thinking too much, open a bottle of wine (or some beer), patch the holes, etc with good drywall knives. Then stop, relax some more, find something else to do, even take a few days off...

...then when you're ready (and not thinking too much), open another bottle, sand them, just worrying about ONE wall at a time. Use a trouble light or handheld worklight to see the imperfections as you sand.

You'll be done before you know it.

(BTW, although everyone seems to be using the blue lid "lightweight compound", I'd suggest sticking with the heavy green lid joint compound. The blue lid stuff can drive you nuts from the bubbles that keep appearing. Frankly I don't know how anyone can possibly use that blue lid stuff, though it's easier to carry to the car.

LOL, homebound! I've already been taking the last, oh, 6 months off of reno work! My daughter picked out the paint color, new bed linens, curtains and wall decor LAST YEAR! :-) I just have to get my butt in gear and get spackling as much as I hate doing so!

Thanks for all the input everyone!

Get the 75 minute powdered compound. You can put it on in the morning and finish it in the afternoon.

I did a bedroom by smearing joint compound on the wall and going over it with a snowbrush, no sanding at all. Looked really good too.

Yup, thinking too much. I have that problem, too. Begin before you think is the key (like during your morning coffee, but before the caffeine kicks in).

Trick yourself into that room: Just put the stuff in there (compound, light, wine)....no promises...turn on the radio or CD, and just do one tiny, tiny bit...Don't even promise yourself to finish it - in fact, say that you WON"T finish, and then do a little bit anyway.

(Come to think of it, I need to apply this same cognitive strategy for finishing our basement remodel - I'm at least a year late in calling for the final inspection and there are only a finish items left to be done.) What put me off on that job was the family, when they tried to send a message by returning a basement full of stuff from remote storage - that ticked me off, but guess I need to get over it. (kind of like picking the room furniture in your case - anyway, do it for yourself and I'll do mine, as well.) Good luck.

Oh how I wish you had a brother in law like I do... He *loves* taping, mudding and fixing cracks and holes. He just can't stay away when there is a challenge.
He has stopped by our house every single day to "put another layer of mud on."
Debra

Here's another angle:
1. Calculate what inexpensive paneling that you're considering using would cost.
2. Find a drywaller who moonlights to come out and tell you what it would cost for him to patch and perfect the walls.

Betcha hiring the drywaller is cheaper...

We're DIY-ing our whole-house remodel, but we hired out the drywall. Well worth it, both for speed and quality (and avoidance of that horrible step of sanding).

It's just another of those jobs where the 'dread is worse than the deed'.

Drywall repair is pretty inexpensive. Patching nail holes is no more difficult than filling with joint compound and scraping level with a taping knife, repeating to fill in where the compound shrinks in. Patching larger areas can also be done if you are willing to take the time. Go to the site referenced below. Also, view the (free) video series at Drywall Videos to see how an 11 yr old and 12 yr old patch a large hole.

Here is a link that might be useful: Drywall Repair

I appreciate very much that you took the time to post that video. It was very kind of you. We have repaired almost every other wall in this house including large holes so I'm fairly familiar with the technique. I just dread actually doing it! Plus, it's my daughter's bedroom and we'll have to scoot all her furniture to the middle of the room and cover it so the dust doesn't get anywhere so it's kind of a one shot deal and not something I can spread out over several days.

I hadn't thought of hiring a drywall pro to come in and get it done quickly. I think I may actually take that route!

Paneling, paneling...I just painted 3 rooms filled with panels rather than try to get it off. It was glued and we couldn't get it off without destroying the walls.
Home office-
{{!gwi}}

Basement family room-
{{!gwi}}
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Small Guest Room (haven't decorated yet except for paint)
{{!gwi}}

30 year old dark paneling. We primed and painted two coats. Did it over a weekend. Didn't straighten up for the photos, but the rooms turned out fine.

Jane

Jane,

Thanks for posting those lovely pics! I actually like the look of painted paneling done right and in limited quantities. Very nice!

Guilty! I've painted paneling in two houses. Thank goodness my current home had only one room with paneling. My last house had three. We added molding at the top (high ceilings) of the paneling which we painted the trim color. It looks great. I bet if you interviewed my guests, they wouldn't even remember if my walls had paneling.

if its your house,and your not going to sell it,then who cares what a renter thinks, panel it
i have seen this done,if you likea textured wall
get a big nappy roller and roll the sheet rock mud on the wall. no sanding,roll texture on and let it dry
call it textured...

We painted the paneling and I love it...the lines give automatic illusion of height to the room!!

You can wet sand the drywall joints... let it dry and then use a damp (not sopping wet) sponge to smooth. Mud as needed and re-sand using the sponge.... no dust.
I recommend wearing gloves though or your skin will be chapped & dried out.
Painting paneling is a good way to go IF the paneling is in good shape- unfortunately our living room paneling is horrid so we will have to rip it off and drywall...

I've yet to see a dry sanding finish a mud job as smoothly as wet sanding will. I just wrap an old well-wrung damp towel around a 2 X 4 block and then lightly start smoothing . . . not at all messy, no dust, no allergies. And, wonderfully smooth feathered, virtually invisible, edges. I've never understood why most of the world does dry sanding, so was delighted to see "lala" refer to wet sanding.