If it's unpainted wood, then I would assume you would need a primer.

We painted our kitchen paneling recently, and you pretty much have to use a brush to get between the crevices. A roller won't work. It also uses a lot of paint to get between the crevices, so you will need more paint than what you'd need on a flat surface wall.

Yes, you want to use a primer. A latex primer for wood would be fine. You can have it tinted towards your finish coat color if you wish. After the primer is dry, you will want to sand it. A fine/medium sanding block works good for this to get into the grooves. There may be some cracks that you will want to caulk between the boards where the tongue and groove connect depending on what kind of beadboard it is. Use a small bead and use your wet finger or a wet sponge to wipe away excess caulk. You are now ready for paint. You can use a roller just to get the paint on faster, but then backbrush to get full coverage in all the grooves.

So I have painted a lot and I mean a lot of that kind of beadboard. It is definitely time consuming but doable. Here is how I felt worked the best for me. I used a combination of a brush and a small about 2 inch foam roller (to get the smooth look on the bead board).

First I feel it is easier to paint the beadboard first on the wall and then put the baseboard and trim on and paint that and tape the bead board after it is dry.

I use a combination of a brush and roller. I work in sections quickly (from left to right) and move along the wall. First I use the brush with paint and paint from top to bottom in the grooves. This will get the paint in the grooves of the beadboard that the roller won't. I usually use qet a bit of paint in the brush. Then I go behind the brush and use the foam roller going in an up and down motion (V motion) from top to bottom and move a long the wall. The roller will provide a nice smooth finish without leaving brush marks. Then after I have done one complete coat using the brush following quickly with the roller, then the next section brush following quickly with roller, until I am completely done. Let the whole project dry. Then I go back with a 2nd coat using only the roller. Let that dry. Then I attach the baseboard and trim. Caulk the cracks and nail holes and then paint once more. (I paint the trim and baseboard on the floor separately twice so it only needs one coat when I put it up) I usually will paint the baseboard one more time to cover all the nail holes (but that's just touch up). Good luck!! It will look great!

Thanks very much for the info! You have me psyched to do this--at least the walls. I don't know about the ceiling!

I'll check on my supply of foam rollers. I love the smooth finish I got with them when I painted bookshelves. I bought primer (Kilz Premium) and asked to have it tinted, but the guy at Walmart said it was impossible. I knew he was wrong (based on what Paintguy said above, as well as other things I've read), but it wasn't worth arguing over. The white will work. My paint color is fairly light.

Onward and upward. Thanks again.

Susan