Wow. Yes lots of wood.

I would paint the wood because I would want to put in all new flooring, probably hardwood or LVP.

It looks spacious and bright.

eld161 I thought of maybe leaving the wood paneling and doing like stone- look LVP? They have marble looking stuff or even a grayish or beige color? Or paint but I worry I will sort of kill the cabin feeling completely.

I read somewhere that doing black with paneling looks good, so then I thought maybe paint the kitchen cabinets black, with white marble-look tile or LPV throughout (except maybe bedrooms), and marble countertops? And paint fireplace white? I wish i had a picture because it doesnt sound like it would look good together...

I like the idea of slate or stone look lvp. id do the same floor everywhere. If renting I would do the minimum. what does your rental competition Look like?

This house is very large in a mountain getaway area. Most of the other rentals that big are what I would call fancy. Like gorgeous lodges. Or smaller. It's also just for us we would like it to look nice. Plus for resale value we are buying pretty cheaply so we have some money for updates, although probably not enough to do everything we would want to do.

It’s hard to tell from the photos but is the paneling smooth or textured? I would probably get new LVP floors as others suggested and keep the paneling. At least to start out.

HD paneling is smooth. You are saying leave the paneling as-is and get LVP that looks like tile/stone?

wow. this is a time capsule

orig cabs, horrid florescent lighting, laminate faux wood countertop, orange shag, faux wood paneling, vinyl flooring, and those lovely popcorn ceilings. Oh, and a 1985 fan just to update it a bit!

The only thing I would keep in this entire cabin is the rock fireplace. (and only because it fits the cabin vibe). Everything else I would redo. But, it's your rental and your money.

Painting the plastic-like paneling would be a hard no. You might as well remove it and replace it w/sheetrock. or cover it with some other wall covering. but painting it? nope.

to save money, you could do the ceilings yourselves. it's not difficult. (test for asbestos first. and if it comes back positive, maybe you could just cover it w/beadboard , reclaimed wood, sheetrock or a type of shiplap. )

cabinets- you could paint them. or just get new. cheap cabs can be had for a few thousand. Do a simple granite or quartz. simple tile splash.

flooring will be a big ticket item. if this is a rental, people prob don't want the carpet option.

so, it's up to you what you want to put into it. I'm sure if it was updating you'd get a higher rental price. of course you'll gain equity too. If you can DIY and know how to shop, the upgrades don't have to cost a fortune.

Thank you Beth! We will be using it too, but would definitely like to gain some equity and make it beautiful. So you think its not possible to paint the cheapo paneling? I really don't want to spend our whole budget on drywall! ( pictured here is just the top floor, bottom floor has real wood paneling but I plan to keep that.) I sort of want to paint it all darkish green and go for a hunting lodge type look...And yes Flooring is big ticket but I feel like it has a big impact... We may diy flooring install or ceilings. Light fixtures I can diy too. I just feel overwhelmed trying to pick out the "must do now" projects from the "someday" projects.

well, the flooring is a for sure, so put that on the list. (do all your painting and ceiling scraping before )

If you think painting that paneling will look good (lol) all you can do is try. If it's that plastic type paneling, you'll need a good bonding primer first.

why don't you try one wall and see how it looks?

If you can make it look like this, have at it!

the black looks kind of cool.

you could also remove it and just do the walls in cheap pine ship lap that you paint

Or, do some research. I think this one says you can skim coat the paneling and make it look like this!

there are a lot of tutorials online.

https://www.laurengreutman.com/paint-over-wood-paneling/

https://inmyownstyle.com/how-to-paint-wood-paneling-from-the-1970s.html

bring in some recessed lighting, and then do this to cover the popcorn

Not a pro. I would keep the wood paneling but lose the orange carpet.

I would embrace the cabin vibe. Others have enjoyed it, and I would, also. I would also leave stone fireplace as is. And I like the idea for LVP in stone or slate look - and I am thinking maybe slate for kitchen floor and I’d probably bring in stainless appliances. Looks like there may be fluorescent lighting in kitchen, and I would get rid of that and update lighting. Also would bring in new, more streamlined fans or chandeliers.

I might just bring in rugs to cover some of the wood flooring, maybe indoor outdoor / and I would probably do black furniture... along those lines.

https://www.roomvo.com/share/6flaci

And i’d break up some of the wood with art. For example, I’d do a gallery wall on this wall.

View with rug in the space, This one is also indoor outdoor.

https://www.roomvo.com/share/a4bsg2

The sofa in current pic - the tan color - looks good as does the art over sofa and the drapes! I like the idea of black furniture, also - as I mentioned above.

Ok, so that is orange carpeting? Easy enough to replace.

Thank you! I'd be worried aboout slate being too dark. Would a marble look be too jarring?

Also sort of into this look.....Maybe with less "stuff"

Mill Valley Cottage to Home Transformation · More Info

You’re welcome.

I don’t think I’d bring marble in. There is so much going on, texture-wise - with much more of a rustic vibe. So alternatively I’d do a light shade in a stone look.

Just noticed your inspiration pic. Fabulous! That is the type of thing I had in mind for gallery wall idea I showed. And I love that chandelier!

You can have so much fun with this space!

It's going to be a fun challenge for sure...Just gotta figure out which direction to take it!

I would go in the easiest direction.

You are not going to be living there all the time, and neither are others who are renting short term. The space as is can be updated and made to look elegant; it already has some glimpses of that. And the space has a novelty to it - which is attractive; it’s not cookie cutter. And as I said, others have enjoyed the cabin vibe and that’s why it’s still there. So l’d work with it and not try to reinvent the wheel right now. I like the lodge feeling. I’d run with it.

I just read your post again and noticed that furniture comes with the house, So just wanted to say absolutely the current furniture can work. Looks like good quality from what I see. Some appears to be leather. For me it might be a bit of an issue because I’m a vegan - I might do faux, like this one.

But if leather is not an issue for you definitely current furniture works. Fashionable and durable.

And this place is in the mountains? The aesthetic fits.

if you want a house with marble, etc. you may have the wrong house, tbh. I could more see granite in this house versus marble. If you changed countertop in kitchen I would do something with a solid color and little to no movement/patterning because there is already enough in the space.

I’ve painted a whole house that was paneled. It can be done.

Good cleaning, good primer and good paint. Refreshes and looks great! I’d paint the paneling in a warm white or lighter color of your choice. Replace flooring with a lvp ina complimentary wood tone to your cabinets - those I’d clean and oil and leave as is. The original furniture works with the house. Fun project!

Yes I like the current furniture although I may add more in. Honestly I thought of just theming the house as a 70s throwback and put a groovy poster on the wall and maybe even leave the orange carpet, but it really ought to be replaced I think.

Janelle, from what I see on my screen, my priorities would be changing the lighting, the ceiling and the carpet. The panelling isn't offensive but might be limiting for new flooring choice. Agree you should try painting it first if you want rather than removing it. The stone fireplace is a keeper, imo. Your place reminded me of a cottage Scott McGillivray redid in an episode of his Scott's Vacation House Rules. Lots of orange in that cabin as well. Might give you decor inspo. Didn't rewatch the episode so don't recall the budget. (Keep in mind you might not need to do everything at once.) Best of luck with your project and hope you keep us posted!

thank you for the inspiration! that is very similar looking!

If the carpet is in bad shape then do replace it, but I like your idea of embracing the retro vibes! I say leave the ceiling and panelling, update the floors and light fixtures, and decorate with a funky cabin getaway in mind.

I would definitely paint the fake wood paneling. You mentioned renting the cabin and that the other rentals in the area are "fancy". You'll be competing with those for renters so you want to make your place look as inviting and updated as possible. Just IMO, but the fake paneling is really unappealing, and I'm a person who loves authentic (or authentic-look) wood in mountain cabins. My first order of business would be to use a good primer on the paneling, paint it a soft white, remove the carpeting and vinyl kitchen flooring, and install wood-look LVP to create the mountain vibe. Yeah, that's fake wood, too, but immensely more attractive! I think just those changes will make a big difference and you can tackle the other things over time.

Janelle, after reading jay06's post, I went back to your initial post and have to agree about the panelling. I think I may have missed the last picture in your post or didn't enlarge all your pics, but now, enlarging that last pic of the hallway with the louvered doors, I see the panelling's aesthetic shortcomings. In that pic, on my screen, it looks fake and unappealing. You see it irl so trust your eye and taste. :) If you're up for some DIY, priming and painting it would certainly be worth a try. We removed fake panelling in our family room and can't say that drywalling the room was a good DIY choice for us amateurs. It all depends on your DIY skills, motivation, budget, timeline, etc.

I like the white washed look in one of the pictures Beth posted. Of course lose the orange carpeting but keep the leather furniture wood floors would be awesome.

When I was growing up, we had a super dark wood paneled den in our house my parents ended up painting. I don’t know exactly how they did it, but it was a white washed look as opposed to totally covered in paint. When they started I thought it was going to look hideous, but by the time they finished the entire room it looked good. I think you should look into different options for lightning up all that wood. I love wood but that is just too much.

So many different opinions lol! the paneling is very fake. It would have no shot at survival if it wasn't in a cabin in the mountains. Also because drywall is expensive. The downstairs has a wood accent wall that is real wood that I like and intend to keep ( see pic), same wood as the stairs. I was thinking paint the paneling ( maybe green if I pluck up the courage or just boring white- I hate Joanna gaines/cottage style though and I'm not slipcovering anything lol) and then a light wood look lvp like this... but will it still clash with the wooden stairs/ accent wall downstairs?

That LVP flooring with the real wood downstairs will likely clash. On my screen, the flooring has a lot of grey while the wood wall is pretty orange. The wood grain patterns might be too busy together as well. Consider re-staining the wood wall and/or finding a quieter flooring. (Btw, that staircase is probably not up to today's code so something to keep in mind if this will be a rental.)

Searching for 70s wood paneling inspo (because wood panelling is coming back), I found this article about Lauren Liess' 70s house makeover which might give you helpful ideas. (Spoiler: she painted the wood). Can't find the recent designer rooms I had seen with wood paneling right now and have to leave. Will search again when I come back. It was to give you flooring ideas.

not sure if I'm crazy to want to paint the paneling like this...I figure if I have to paint everything and I have to do new floors, might has well do what I want. maybe would leave kitchen cabinets as they are but new countertops.

if your competition is fancy I’d aim for homey. try for comfortable and informal but clean and nice.

in your house I might paint or whitewash paneling. Then add color. in curtains, pillows, furniture. Maybe add some furniture. Just my opinion :)

The green is very taste specific and if you are renting this space, it is not a neutral color that will appeal across the board. That is the reason why you see neutral colors are often used in hotels, etc. Same applies for rentals, in general. The fake wood paneling works here because it’s a mountain retreat. Even the orange carpet - the more I look at it the more I understand it in this space. The orange actually works. Although carpet could be changed, as well.

You’d probably be better off with “boring white” if you are going to paint the paneling. But then, of course, you will expend a lot of energy + $$$ - and you will have boring white. Your call.

And yes, wood paneling is coming back - in general. Not just for mountain retreats. All things wood are en Vogue these days. Fake or not. Wood laminate is trending in the top 3 for cabinetry.

Didn't find the room I had in mind earlier but here are other links you might appreciate (not that you can't Google yourself ;-)):

Carla Aston's take on designing with wood paneling.

Carla Aston's advice on making orange-stained wood look purposeful.

Apartment Therapy - pictures of wood panelled walls with wood floors.

Really think rugs help avoid wood overload in rooms with wood walls and wood floors but I wouldn't consider carpet as a long term solution for a rental. Prefer freedomplace1's idea of a slate-look LVP.

I absolutely love this cabin!

The only thing I'd change is the fluorescent lighting in the kitchen.

Otherwise it's perfect.

Oh, imagine if this cabin could talk, the stories, the laughter, playing cards.

I love it all the way down to the orange carpeting!

It's like I want to find the Hamms beer sign from the land of sky blue waters with the bear walking out of the woods and the Indian in the canoe, love it!

lol Janie it did call to me or I wouldn't have bought it. It reminds me of summer camp :)

janelle, scroll up a ways to the last comment I posted. I put in a bunch of links and pics w/how to's and diff ways to do the paneling. I thought if you saw the links and how it turned out for them, you may want to try it.

Hi Beth I'm definitely thinking about it! if I paint though I don't want white.

I painted my cabinets (pics 2 posts above) and didn’t tackle the walls because hiding all the knots and removing the varnish would have been too much of a hassle. Our cabinets were orange but not knotty. Get advice from a paint pro if you want to strip & repaint the knotty pine.

Connie ours is all fake and flat with no knots. I'm worried about paint sticking to it but the plastic will have its own set of problems I am sure.

janelle, that's why I said use a good 'bonding primer'. I showed you a pic of it in my pictures.

I agree to paint that paneling. It will look great and no problems hiding knots because they are fake knots. And I would not waste the time to fill in the lines. I like the texture they add.

If I were looking for a place to rent in the mountains, even though I don't need luxury, I would pass by any rental with cheap fake wood paneling - just because it looks to me like maintenance/updating has been neglected for too long. It it were painted, I wouldn't even notice what was behind the paint, just the color. And that green is gorgeous!

Otherwise, once the carpet is gone (and hopefully the spray on the ceiling), it looks like a nice, bright cabin to spend time in.

Good luck and please post your results.

It’s such a glorious time capsule , I would leave it as is. If I were looking for a mountain vacation rental and had to choose from some blah generic cheap rehab boring white on white on grey LVP palace with no character or your personality plus let it all hang out lively place, I’d pick yours in a red hot second.

Thanks for the help all! My current plan is to paint the paneling dark green, keep wood trim upstairs, probably paint cabinets (white? black? undecided), replace countertops with butcher block or beigy stone and add a dishwasher, and flooring either a) a warm light oak color LVP (light or match the downstairs accent wall as best I can) or b) a light beigy stone look (limestone or travertine look?) LVT. Also plan to remove the popcorn ceilings. Happy to hear suggestions on paint colors or materials or other ideas. I will probably keep posting over the next few months asking for more detailed help/updates.

My friend painted the interior of her rental cabin that very same green and with the low ceilings it feels very oppressive to me. I've painted paneling that dark green, but ceilings were 10'. Paneling was wood, so prep was to clean with TSP (tri-sodium phosphate,) rinse, let dry, lightly sand, tack off sanding dust, prime with 2 coats of KILZ, Zinzer or other primer, and then paint with 2 coats of your color. As a vacation property manager for the past 16 years, I can tell you the majority of guests will presume that descendants of the original 70's cooties are living in that rug unless you can prove that it is a new installation. Guests might not hate the faux paneling, but cleanliness issues can kill your rental. The ceiling and floor are your biggest dilemmas. If you decide you want to promote the 70's feeling, you'll need to carry through in the furnishings, etc. Potential galore, but not an easy decision.

oh I think the flooring has to go. If it was nice I'd try to embrace it but ...it's literally 30 years old. I was thinking light floors to keep it from being too dark. plus lot of windows.

I don’t know what part of the country you are in - but here are a few vacation/cabin rental properties. Most in the mountains.

“Modern” in Lake Tahoe.

Utah

North Carolina

Tennessee