Damaged paneling can be repaired.

About this Project

If you scratch or mar paneling, you usually can make a cosmetic repair in a few minutes with paste wax or a crayonlike touch-up stick. Don't try to spot-sand and refinish prefinished paneling; you risk doing more harm than good.

If a panel has suffered serious damage, you'll have to replace an entire 4x8-foot section. Finding a match among the myriad styles and finishes offered by manufacturers may be your biggest challenge.

If your paneling was glued directly to drywall, you may have to replace the drywall before putting your patch in place. If there's electrical wiring anywhere in the wall you're working on, shut off the power to the circuit before doing any cutting, sawing, or nailing.