That isn’t paneling. It’s flooring. Looks like it could have been installed yesterday by some of the crafty Insta bloggers. That’s not a positive endorsement

Rip it all off and drywall. Fix the issues that you WILL find under it.

I had similar paneling, with the same v-groove joint, random lengths and widths, in cherry. I carefully removed it all, pulled the nails, and hope I can find someone who wants to use it for something.

It would be expensive to replicate.

Did crafty insta bloggers exist in the 70s? :-) Why would someone put flooring on the walls? Seems like an expensive way to get the paneled look. Dare I ask what issues you think we’ll find? I’m not against taking it down, but there is so much that it will be a year-long project.

I don't think it was flooring: not with those deep grooves. You could paint it but you should do it when humidity is lowest, like now, as boards will shrink and expand and you don't want gaps. You could hide it with 1/4" drywall and redo your door and window trim. You might have to add extensions to electrical boxes. I don't see why you'd uncover any major issues if you took it all off. There could be horizontal furring to support the vertical paneling.

Take it down. No way would I keep that up there. And yes, it IS flooring.

If it’s good quality flooring, could you reinstall it on the floor and refinish it?

I would definitely get rid of it in the hallways, it looks very closed in. But, dare I say, I like the way it looks on that outer wall of the sunroom. It adds a cool textured look. I would leave it there and paint without guilt. Dry wall the taller, interior wall. I agree you may be able to use some on your floors if you have areas you'd rather there be wood.

Please don't paint it. Flooring or not, if it's wood, someone would appreciate having it for a Project. It has withstood nearly 50 years of never having to paint. Maybe keep an accent wall or two. It would be really nice if it could be sanded/finished to its natural state.

Did repose gray and extra white trim.

The paneling looks beautiful painted! I wouldn’t remove any real wood paneling and here’s why:

1. Drywall is actually not healthy for you or your children, but it’s a cheap alternative to wood and other products (stone), so it’s been approved for use in housing for masses.
2. Most homes in the world outside of the US do not have any drywall, especially expensive, custom or historic homes.
3. Some people specifically look for or build houses that do not have any drywall for health reasons (asthma, allergies, etc). Long term exposure to drywall has not yet been determined (think of asbestos, lead or formaldehyde).
4. I’ve owned many homes over the years (14) and of course most of them had drywall on the walls exclusively, but my favorite one yet is the one across the ocean where I grew up that only had brick and wood - it’s a great environment to live and raise a family!
5. Depending on the insulation used, the walls you currently have may be more energy efficient than the drywall.
6. It won’t cost you anything to leave the walls as they are (and painting them will cost much less than drywalling).
7. You will miss the wood once you surrender to the mainstream.
   Don’t remove it just because everyone else around you has drywall in their house and never experienced anything else. Make your own rules and be unique, there’s a reason you liked this house - it has character. Your home is beautiful as it is and will look even more spectacular and brighter if you paint the wood paneling, love the gray and white combination!

it looks awesome painted!!

Massive improvement.

The comments about drywall are silly. https://www.poison.org/articles/when-is-drywall-a-problem-172