You can also install drywall.

Whatever you do I would add some rigid foam insulation between.

I would think moisture migrating through the block would destroy plywood pretty quickly… I would probably use a paperless drywall glued and nailed to the block.

Thank you. I am concerned about sheetrock but your drywall suggestion reminded me there is also durarock. It seems that if my contractor covered all those interior block walls like they are a gigantic shower would work. LOL!!

My concerns about drywall are condensation from temperature changes.

The original paneling that we pulled off had finally warped and probably needed to be applied by furring out and then nailed down. But it was old paneling and needed to go.

Paperless drywall has a fiberglass face not paper.

How are all your outlets (switches/receptacles) mounted, on the face with conduit? Are your cabinets mounted directly to the exposed block?

Furring out the block walls, which with insulation is the proper way to finish them, can provide some hairy areas if it wasn't intended from the get-go, like behind a toilet or butting jambs up against the windows (aluminum frames I'm betting).

Also, if you are adding tile it shouldn't be put raw onto the block face. There should be a CBU backer.

The electrical had to be done by punching holes in the cinderblock. Then patching with foam. Mostly the holes where the electrical runs are behind the cabinetry. The floor plan changes required new interior stud walls formed and were finished out with drywall. So we have some cabinets attached, lowers and uppers, to the cinderblock. There are some attached to the new interior walls from the floor plan changes.

There is an open space of wall where the back door is in the middle. From left of door is cabinetry going to right of the door is cabinetry. On that wall I would like to continue the backsplash. It makes the kitchen look cohesive and solves the ugly wall problem in the kitchen area.

The rest of the cinderblock walls that need to be covered are in the family room and two bedrooms. The bathroom was done 30 years ago and, thankfully, the tile in that bathroom still looks good. The tile was glued with thinset to the block and it has not budged.

My decisions going forward are what to cover those ugly cinderblock walls.

Shiplap?

Durarock?

Tile that looks like wood?

Your suggestions are appreciated.

Kathy

And possibly paperless drywall? Needless to say, I have never heard of that. Going to check into it today.

I'm not sure how the old paneling was installed, but I gather it was just glued to the block walls. If you want any wood shiplap, you'll need to fur out the wall to allow any nails to fasten to the furring. Tile should really be mounted to CBU to allow different rates of movement, but what's done is done. The "paperless" drywall is DensGlass, but not sure what you'd be putting over that except a stucco, and if you have moisture problems there should be no gypsum product at all, rather CBU (e.g. Durock or Wonderboard a cementious material). So maybe just look at parge coating the block, with that you can control the amount of smoothness or stipple you like, and it will be thin enough not to interfere with anything mounted to the wall or require electrical box extensions.

Hmmm, with paint on the block, as long as the paint is stable and you scrape all the loose stuff, you can apply a bonding primer so you can flush the mortar joints and apply a cementious parge coat. An acrylic-based coat might also work, don't have any brands handy right now.

Are you saying an acrylic-based parge coat material? When I go to the supply house I will check out the products that are in the parge coating category.

Yes, similar to a venetian plaster method.