Can You Put Drywall Over Paneling? And Should You?

If you’re purchasing an older home, it may have some design elements you love that ooze charm and character. However, it may also have a few elements that give you pause about signing the mortgage papers. Dated wood paneling walls may be a part of those concerns. However, don’t let paneling be a deal breaker—cover it up instead. Can you put drywall over paneling? You can, and you may even be able to glue the drywall sheets in place rather than screw them in to simplify the work.

Securely Attach Drywall Over Paneling 

Before you can put drywall over paneling, you need to check the sturdiness of the installation of the paneling. If it’s loose or doesn’t feel securely attached to the wall studs, it may not support the added weight of the new drywall being placed over the paneling.

You can choose between different drywall thicknesses and dimensions. The most common thickness is 1/2 inch, but it can range between 1/4 and 3/4 inches.

A 4-by-8-foot sheet of drywall with 1/2-inch thickness weighs around 50 pounds. This can be enough to pull unsecured wood paneling away from the wall, ruining your drywall installation. 

Before putting drywall over paneling, look for exposed edges. Try pulling on the paneling to see if any of it is loose. If so, repair the paneling to ensure it’s firmly attached to the wall materials or wall studs underneath.

Screw Drywall Into Paneling

The best way to secure drywall sheets in place is to screw them into the wall studs. If you plan to leave your wood paneling in place, you may need to find the wall studs.

Look at the wood paneling closely. You may see the nails holding the paneling against the wood studs, revealing their locations. Another option for locating the wall studs behind the paneling is to use an electronic stud finder.

Once you know where the studs are, you can screw the sheets of drywall directly into them, just like you would when installing drywall for a new construction project.

Glue Drywall to Paneling

When the paneling is tight to the wall and has no loose spots, you can use construction adhesive to stick the drywall to the paneling. This may be easier than trying to track down the studs and screw the sheets into place.

Adhesive can be quite messy if you don’t have experience with it. Additionally, it costs more to use glue than it does to use screws for attaching drywall sheets

Challenges With Drywall Over Paneling

Adding drywall over the top of wood paneling changes the thickness of the wall. Even though this change is only a fraction of an inch, it does affect the trim work around doors and windows. It also affects electrical outlets and light switches.

Before installing the drywall sheets over the paneling, remove all trim work, adjust its size and thickness as needed, and reapply it after adding the drywall. You also may need to use extensions on power outlets and light switches to accommodate the additional thickness of the wall with the new drywall attached.

Drywall Over Paneling vs. Removing the Paneling 

Placing drywall over paneling is one way to save money by avoiding the cost of removing a wall, which can range from $1,000 to $10,000, depending on the type of wall and its location.

If you’re uncertain of what is behind your wall paneling, you may find a few different base materials, including:

• Drywall

• Plaster

• Nothing, as the paneling is attached directly to wall studs

Removing the paneling and any materials behind it before adding drywall can drive up the wall removal cost. Covering the paneling with drywall will save you time and reduce the mess of demolition work.

Cost to Drywall Over Paneling

Photo: Martin Deja / Adobe Stock

Although putting drywall over paneling can be more convenient and cost-effective than removing the paneling, it’s still costly. The average drywall installation costs about $2,000, but a large job can cost several thousand dollars. A local drywall installer can give you an estimate for covering your paneling.

If you don’t want to incur the cost of hanging drywall over paneling, there are a few other options for how to cover paneling. Using wallpaper or applying paint can deliver a new look to dated paneling at a lower cost than hanging new drywall.