Wood planks or wood paneling? I had wood planks and I had it painted a warm off-white. Took lots of primer and paint. Had all the wood trim in house painted white. Love it. I like the wood texture in the den, but the light color makes the room bigger and more inviting. Most people are going to recommend having it removed and adding dry wall. But I love that the family room (den) is more casual and "rugged" than the rest of the house. If wood paneling, then definitely replace with dry wall.

Aside: it appears as if you have small children at the house. Get rid of the cords on the roman shades. Looped cords are a safety hazard.

I don't mind the paneling. The window treatments and patio blinds strike me as the most dated part of the room and the easiest to remedy. Properly hung curtain panels will add a lot to the space.

Another easy update is to pull the furniture away from the walls and on to the carpet. A room looks more cohesive when the furniture and carpet physically relate to each other. Right now the sofa and chairs and rug look like strangers in an elevator.

Thanks everyone, yes it is paneling, not planks. Occasional grandkids over..anymore opinions welcome! Yeah furniture positioned more for tv viewing comfort..could be improved. Picture cuts off some of the room as well..

I'd remove the paneling and put the TV where the sofa is currently - between the two windows.

I would like to see the whole space floor plan . I would paint the walls and the trim.and probably white since they already have a white TV stand. Get some proper window coverings that function right. Get rid of the vertical blinds on the patio doors add some drapes there

Ok, here’s some more pics. The tile hallway leads to the front door..the family room is also off of the kitchen, hence the placement of the tv. There is a previous closet space that was left open by the previous owners. Nothing has been done with that except keeping grandkids toys there..maybe some built ins would look nice there? I know that fan is original. My dad is the type that doesn’t want to change anything but my mom would like to make some updates...

I'd paint the paneling first and then see if you need to do the trim. I usually am in favor of keeping trim a consistent color throughout a main level, so unless you want to paint the trim in the whole house.....

If this were my home, I'd be thinking about doing some kind of built-in where that closet used to be, with lower cabinets and upper cabinet doors that could hide a countertop and shelves for holding a new flat-screen TV and all those toys.

Maybe the idea of a new 60" flatscreen could twist your dad's arm a bit? Is he a TV guy?

After seeing the closet, that is a good place for the TV. Again, I'd take the paneling down. Have you seen the price of paint? Good quality paint is not cheap.

He is a tv guy! He is also a landlord and very handy so he would be doing the painting or drywall himself. He likes to put more of his energy into his properties rather than his own house. 😂

Paint! But first (and dad probably knows this) clean with TSP (tri-sodium phosphate,) rinse, let dry, lightly sand, tack off sanding dust, prime with 2 coats of KILZ or Zinzer, paint 2 coats of color.

What does your Mom want to do?

I remember that panelling it was the hot trend in the 70s. It was economical and an easy DIY to install. I personally never liked it. I would remove it and drywall.

Dry wall it, I reckon. Getting rid will open the space up and make it a whole lot lighter!

She’s leaning more towards drywall.

Isn't there drywall underneath the paneling? I would paint the paneling and get new window treatments pronto.

Grapefruit, in most cases the panels were put up in place of drywall or to cover up falling apart plaster walls.

I also remember that trend from the 70s. In the neighborhood where I grew up, all of the houses had real wood (fir) walls, floors, and ceilings. My parents painted the ceilings white to lighten things up a bit and put rugs on some of the floors, but otherwise left the wood walls exposed. The wood was pretty smooth, so some neighbors painted it or wallpapered it. My best friend's parents nailed fake wood paneling, in various shades, over the real wood in almost every room. Her bedroom had pale green pickled "wood" paneling. I remember thinking it was pretty at the time and not understanding why my parents were appalled at the idea of covering real wood with fake wood panels. Now I get it ;)

These photos look like the same same stuff, so I suspect there is either drywall or some other wall material underneath the fake wood paneling. They may just need to pry it off and fill nail holes. I would definitely take it down and see what's underneath. Whatever it is is probably nicer than the fake wood panels. Although it could be wallpapered walls...

ETA: I just re-read the original post and see that the house was built in the late 70s, so possibly there isn't finished drywall underneath the panels. I still think it's worth checking to see what's underneath, and adding drywall if it isn't there already. At least you know it isn't plaster or wallpapered :)

Yeah it was built in 1978 when they also put carpeting on top of the hardwoods so that was all ripped out to discover floors that were never even walked on! But yeah I doubt there’s anything under the paneling. Who knows though, maybe I’m wrong!

In my area the paneling was generally put over drywall in order to have an " updated" look. I was very happy to see that trend pass on.

Is this their home or have you bought or inherited it? If it is still theirs, leave it as is and respect their choices.

Those vertical blinds on the patio door work great and give multiple options for light and privacy control that drapes simply do not have. Drapes, especially in that sloppy dragging the floor fad, do NOT work as well for patio doors.

Dark paneling can create a warm and restful and relaxing space -- especially if the rest of the house is pastel painted dry wall.

If you want to give them the option to lighten the room, give them a gift of new tall thin silver colored lamps with white shades and bright LED bulbs and/or a floor lamp.

IF the owners actually want light painted drywall put in this room, leave the existing paneling for strength and add sheet rock over it, extending the electrical boxes for outlets and switches with shallow boxes intended for that purpose. If the current trim is carefully removed, it could be reused if/since it matches the rest of the trim throughout the house.

Do like the rug. Do wonder if it were turned the other way, could the front legs of both the sofa and loveseat/chair sit on the edge at the same time. Ask the owners before making any changes.

It’s my parents who live there, my mom doesn’t have a Houzz profile so she asked me to post. She was just looking for input. The paneling personally does not bother me, maybe because it’s my childhood home and I’m used to it. As far as paneling goes, that color isn’t bad but they may want to downsize at some point so they are thinking about doing some updates. Yes, they discussed putting the drywall right over the paneling as that is what they knew some others who did similar projects at their own homes did.

And yes, they want privacy with that sliding door so they like that treatment although it isn’t as pretty as drapes.

Applause to you for helping your mom with posting for her.

Fabric drapes and curtains can be more attractive but moving them to walk through can get them looking worn and dirty on the edges fairly quickly.

I've seen window blinds with a single long piece of fabric draped across the top and down both sides -- as a valance. Not sure if that look would work as well with vertical door length blinds as it can with your standard pull up horizontal mini blinds but I guess it is something to consider if your mom wants to soften the look. For what it's worth, there are vertical window length blinds, too -- just in case matching the verticals might be something your mom wants to consider.

Taking some measurements and asking about turning the rug if the front legs of the two larger pieces can both fit on it might be something to consider. Lighter colored throw pillows could also create a lighter vibe in the room as can white lamp shades.

To me personally, any "clutter" can create a darker vibe in the room as well but one person's clutter can be another person's favorite decorative item ... so tread carefully there.

is that tv from last century too? lol

yeah, take it down, scrape the ceiling, paint all the trim. Or, you could wait 40 years and see if the 70's decor comes back around like the 50's did! although, I doubt it.

For sure it needs to be lightened and brightened. We had a similar look -wains-cotting style in our basement family room and up the open stair case. We painted and are very happy with the results/effort/cost ratios.

I wouldn't scrape the ceilings while they are living there unless you have them checked for asbestos. It was common to be used in textured ceilings in the 70s.

If your mother is open to lighter and brighter, I'd definitely paint the paneling a warm white. I think it would make a world of difference, especially for resale. I don't think you necessarily have to drywall over it, unless that's what she wants. The texture can add some character to the room.

I'd leave the patio door blinds because they really are one of the most convenient coverings for that type of situation, but I'd ditch the roman shades and either buy some new blinds or hang some draperies. What's there now looks messy.

I agree about maybe turning the closet into a built in shelving area.

I have a combination of wood paneling and sheetrock in my house. I was going to replace all of the paneling, but I decided to try painting it first. I went with the color Modern Gray by Sherwin Williams and I painted the trim white. I absolutely love it.

To me, the paneling has more personality than sheetrock. You have to find what works for you and your home.

Monica-can you share a picture?

I tried finding my finished pictures but could not. I have a few work in progress pictures. Here they are. And please excuse the mess.

If they want to lighten it up, I would paint the paneling. Drywall is labor intensive and messy. Putting built-ins in the closet area and putting the t.v. in there is a great idea. Then the love seat could be pulled up into an L shape with the sofa and the other chair could go in the corner where the t.v. is, making a more intimate conversation area. I would then add wood blinds in place of the roman shades and update the verticals with fabric vertical blinds-they look a little more finished than the regular ones.

https://www.blinds.com/pla/levolor-vertical-fabric-blind/505216?

If your mom decides to lighten the room, then, in my non-pro opinion, painting the paneling would be preferable to adding sheet rock as a means to do that; however, IF you paint, scrubbing clean all of the paneling really well and letting it dry thoroughly before beginning is absolutely essential. Literally. The paint will not go on smoothly if there is any film on the paneling such as from smoking or grease mist from a nearby kitchen.

If you think there is any chance that there is real wood paneling or sheet rock beneath this paneling and want to find out, you might be able to see by gently prying off a short piece of baseboard such as that short piece between closet and heat/ac vent left of the tv. Even if there is sheet rock beneath the paneling, repairing the holes would not be worth trying to reuse it. At least first try painting the paneling.

Since there are white leather furnishings, consider painting the room a light brown -- a tan but without the pink or yellow hue, and paint the heat/ac vents, too, along with the interior of the closet. Mixing shades of whites can often make one or more shades of it seem aged and even dirty looking by comparison and that also applies to some white-ish pale gray colors.

You could add a table height shelf the full width and depth of the closet and then less deep shelves for displaying family treasures. A wheeled cart or cabinet could be rolled beneath the new "desktop" for storing yet making readily available any pet or baby items needed to be kept within reach of their owner. Paint all that the same color as the walls so that it mostly visually disappears while being a more practical space.

If that tv works and the picture is really good and the size doesn't bother your parents, then parents shouldn't throw money away at another one yet unless they find a really good sale. My first flat screen cost well over three times what I would pay for a good brand name tv the same size now -- and that's with tariffs in place. There are also more options now. In a few years and absent tariffs, an even better deal might be available.

Thanks so much for your detailed responses suezbell! You notice everything! 😀 yes, the picture is really good and it is a shame to just throw it out, which is why they’ve just held onto it for now. They don’t think there is anything under the paneling but I’ll talk to my dad about it further.

Oh and yes Suezbell, I did bring up to my mom that if the walls are painted white, they will make the ceiling look dingy or dirty. There’s no way that ceiling is going to get scraped. That will have to be the next owners job at some point!

There's certainly no law that says a room has to be white, beige or gray. There are hundreds of other options they can choose from that would help brighten it up. Just look for a color with an LRV over 65 or so.

I’m dying to know what you did!

Ha funny. Nothing has been done and we’re still discussing a change, at this point painting over the paneling seems much easier. My parents are creatures of habit so they haven’t acted on anything just yet! 😂

Lots of great advice here. I’m in the ”paint the paneling” camp, maybe a soft blue or blue-gray to pick up the colors in the beautiful rug and the painting above the two leather chairs/loveseat. Benjamin Moore Horizon is a nice blue-gray that might work. The paneling will add texture and interest to the room, and since it is familiar it might be a comfort to your parents. Keep us posted!

We had paneling painted in a past home. Just wanted to tell you I loved it. The painters did have more prep work with it, but the results were so nice.