To paint over wood paneling walls....

So I have all the supplies. I was told to put joint compound in the grooves, so my question is, do I do that BEFORE or AFTER I sand the wall to get the ';primer to stick';?To paint over wood paneling walls....
Sand the paneling first. Otherwise, you're going to have a lot of drywall mud dust all over the place and the sandpaper will clog up. Also, the sanded paneling surface will help the joint compound to stick, too.To paint over wood paneling walls....
If you can afford it put drywall instead.Mudding the panel then sanding is a lot of work which on the end will prove totally useless.Even when you paint the panelling bends and all your plaster will either fall out or crack. Even if you manage to get everything ok as soon as someone leans on that wall the cracks will appear.if you decide on drywall you can put it over the panelling, no need to tear it down,just make sure where your joints are( mark them before). if you go with your original plan then fill the grooves before sanding, they are rough and will grab. The problem you are facing is the flexibility of the panel.
I would apply the joint compound before... because you're going to need to sand it afterwards, to make it flush with the surface. Might as well kill two birds, so to speak, by waiting to sand the panel face until after you have the mud in the grooves. (Most paneling grooves are 'rough' to begin with, and shouldnt need additional sanding to get the mud to stick - IF for some reason, yours are extremely smooth, then yes, they would need to be sanded first.)





By the way... the Swiffer floor pads (dusters) work well for cleaning the dust off of sanded walls like this.





I'd use a regular pole sander made for drywall sanding to begin with... or you can rent a powered pole sander that has a vacuum attachment to keep down the dust in the air.





Don't press too hard on the paneling while sanding, or it could cause the paneling to flex, which would result in cracks in the mud, or even places where it might fall out.





I'd tape plastic over the doorway to any adjoining rooms (and windows), and cover the floor.





Naturally, you need to wear the appropriate safety gear, which would include safety glasses, and respirator.





Have Fun
Sand the wall making sure you get in to the groves and then fill and sand back to finish ready for the sealer. Note as wood moves be aware that cracks may appear the olny way to stop that is to line over the timber and then paint.
take down the wood paneling and put up dry wall. I have done what your talking about doing at my house and it looks murdered.