What in the world is this mess, you ask? It is our ugly paneled den wall – see the tiny bit of paneling showing through – that has been coated with a joint compound plaster finish, then painted twice over time. It might have looked good if the grooves in the paneling had been filled in properly. But no, someone named me did not know better ages ago before I became a professional, trained, decorative painter. (On the right you can see where we began sanding off the joint compound.)