What is this timber-look wall panelling and how to paint it?

Question

I'd like to start painting the inside of my house and on the walls of the lounge room are these panels.

Would anyone know what kind of panels they are and I think I remember them being on the walls of the old style caravans.

The rest of the house is cement type panels and they will be easy to repaint.

CharlieBear62 · Answer

Thanks Mitchell and yes the presence of asbestos was a concern to me when I bought the house. Before I had the air conditioning and the solar put in I sent a piece of the outside wall sheeting and the internal walls away for testing and there's no asbestos present. The council building permit records show the house and the granny flat were rewalled in 1988.

MitchellMc · Answer

Hi @CharlieBear62,

It's great to see that @twocutekelpies has already replied.

The panels do not have a generic name as far as I'm aware, but were often referred to as a woodgrain hardboard wall panelling. It's typically a Masonite core, which was grooved or routed to imitate vertical timber boards. It was then finished with a printed woodgrain pattern. You won't find them referenced on any primers.

Preparation would be similar to most difficult-to-paint surfaces. The surface should be lightly sanded with 240-grit to dull any sheen and then a specific primer designed to adhere to smooth surfaces, such as

https://www.bunnings.com.au/dulux-1l-precision-white-maximum-strength-adhesion-primer_p1400848

, needs to be applied.

Remember your personal protective equipment, including a dust mask and safety glasses.

Given the likely age of your home, a word of caution about the cement sheeting. Unless you have determined otherwise, you should presume those sheets could contain asbestos and take precautions whilst working around them. Here's an informational website about asbestos in the home.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

CharlieBear62 · Answer

Thanks and I was just wanting to know what its called so to get the correct primer and paint once the surface has been sanded.

We don't have a Bunnings and they won't deliver to our town but some time soon we are supposed to be getting a small Bunnings to give Mitre 10 some competition.