Wall panelling has moved from period restoration into ordinary British homes, and for good reason. It adds relief and shadow to a flat plasterboard wall, it hides scuffs and knocks at the height where they actually happen, and on a hallway wall it does more for the feel of a house than any amount of paint. The catch is that panelling is unforgiving of poor setting out. A panel that is 40mm narrower than the one next to it will be the only thing anybody sees.
This guide covers the styles used in UK homes, the materials and what they genuinely cost, how to set a wall out so the panels land evenly, and how to fit and finish the work so the joints stay closed. Doors2Floors has supplied doors and flooring to homes and businesses across the UK, and we stock 15 wall panelling products, so the prices and sizes quoted here are our own live figures rather than estimates.
What wall panelling actually is
Modern decorative panelling is almost never structural. It is a set of mouldings or boards applied to the face of an existing wall, then filled, caulked and painted so it reads as one surface. Understanding that changes how you approach the job.
Applied panelling versus true panelling
True joinery panelling has framed stiles and rails with a floating panel in a groove, which allows the timber to move. Applied panelling sticks mouldings to a flat wall to suggest that frame. Almost all UK domestic panelling fitted today is applied.
Why the distinction matters for movement
An applied panel cannot move, so any moisture change shows up as a cracked caulk line rather than a shifting panel. That is why the material choice and the wall preparation matter more than the joinery skill.
The three visual elements
Nearly every panelling scheme is made from a top rail, vertical stiles, and a bottom rail sitting on the skirting. Change the spacing and the height and you change the style, using the same three parts.
What panelling will and will not hide
It hides minor undulations, old wallpaper seams and scuffing. It does not hide damp, a bowed wall, or a wall that is out of plumb by more than a few millimetres, because the panels will telegraph the error.
Where it earns its keep
Hallways, stairwells, dining rooms and bedrooms behind a bed. Anywhere the wall takes contact or where a large flat expanse feels empty.
The main panelling styles used in UK homes
Shaker panelling
Flat rails and stiles forming plain rectangles, with no moulding profile inside the frame. It is the cleanest look, the easiest to set out, and the most forgiving because there is no mitred profile to match. Our Deanta White Primed Shaker panelling is £28.50 per 2400mm pack.
Georgian and traditional raised panels
Rectangles with a moulded surround and sometimes a raised centre. Considerably more work, and it demands accurate mitres, but it is the right answer in a period property with tall ceilings.
Board and batten
Vertical battens applied at regular centres with no horizontal division apart from a top rail. Simple, cottage flavoured, and very tolerant of a wall that is not perfectly flat.
Tongue and groove
Interlocking boards, usually vertical, run to dado height with a capping rail. The traditional British bathroom and utility treatment, and the style that copes best with humidity if the material is right.
Beadboard and narrow bead panelling
A finer version of tongue and groove with a bead moulded into each board. Reads busier, suits smaller rooms and cloakrooms.
Hampton, Balmoral and Madingley style profiles
Named panel kits combine a moulding profile with set panel proportions so you are not designing from scratch. Our Hampton pack is £35.75, Balmoral is £41.75 and Madingley is £54.50, all within our 5 traditional wall panel products.
Acoustic slat panelling
Vertical timber slats bonded to a felt backing, supplied as large panels. Visually strong, quick to fit and genuinely useful for sound. We list 10 acoustic wall panel products, with full panels at 2400 x 600 x 21mm for £60.00.
Full height panelling
Panels running from skirting to ceiling, usually with a picture rail or a cornice as the stop. Dramatic in a dining room, overwhelming in a small bedroom.
Half height or dado panelling
The most common domestic choice. Panelling to roughly a third or a half of the wall with a capping rail, painted the same as the wall above or in a contrasting shade.
Bullnose and capping mouldings
The rail that finishes the top edge of dado panelling. Our Deanta White Primed Bullnose Moulding is £13.25 for a 2400 x 25 x 45mm two pack.
What we stock and what it costs
Rather than quote industry averages, here are our own live figures. Prices and stock change, so treat these as a guide and check the product pages.
Traditional primed panelling packs
Our 5 traditional wall panel products are all Deanta white primed, supplied in 2400mm packs. Shaker £28.50, Hampton £35.75, Balmoral £41.75, Madingley £54.50 for a 2340mm pack of six 390mm pieces, plus the bullnose moulding at £13.25 for a two pack.
Acoustic slat panels
Our 10 acoustic wall panel products include full panels at 2400 x 600 x 21mm for £60.00 in white oak and smoked finishes, and individual slat lengths at 2400 x 27 x 12mm and 2400 x 47 x 12mm for the single slat finishes.
Why single slat prices look misleading
An individual acoustic slat length is a component, not a wall covering. A 2400 x 600mm panel covers 1.44 square metres, which is the figure to use when you budget. Comparing a slat price to a panel price will give you a wildly optimistic estimate.
Working out how many packs you need
Measure the run of wall in metres, decide the panel width, then count the vertical stiles and the horizontal rails separately. Add ten per cent for cutting waste, and more if you have mitred profiles.
The costs people forget
Adhesive, caulk, filler, primer, paint, brushes and rollers routinely add up to more than the mouldings themselves on a small dado scheme. Budget for them from the start.
Where the money is best spent
A better capping rail and decent caulk make more visible difference than an expensive moulding profile. The eye reads the top edge and the joint lines first.
Full panelling versus feature wall
Panelling one wall costs a fraction of panelling four and often looks more considered. A chimney breast or the wall behind a bed is the usual choice.
Materials and how they behave
Moisture resistant MDF
The default for painted panelling in the UK. Dimensionally stable, cuts cleanly, takes paint beautifully. Use the moisture resistant grade anywhere near a bathroom, kitchen or external wall. Standard MDF swells irreversibly once damp and cannot be recovered.
Primed MDF packs
Factory primed material saves a coat and gives a far more even base than site priming. It is the reason our Deanta packs arrive white primed rather than raw.
Softwood
Cheaper per length than MDF and stronger, but knots bleed through paint unless sealed with a knotting solution, and softwood moves with humidity which opens joints. Good for tongue and groove, less good for fine shaker work.
Oak and hardwood
Used where the panelling is to be left natural or oiled. By far the most expensive route and it demands accurate joinery, because you cannot hide a poor joint under caulk and paint. It suits a study or a snug where the panelling is the main event. If you want that timber tone without the joinery, our over 290 internal oak doors from £87.75 will carry the theme instead.
PVC and laminate panels
The practical choice for shower areas and wet rooms, where any timber based board will eventually fail. They cannot be painted successfully, so the finish you buy is the finish you keep.
Felt backed acoustic panels
Timber slats bonded to a recycled felt backing. The felt is what does the acoustic work, and the slats provide the look. They cut with a fine tooth saw and fix with adhesive plus a few screws through the felt.
Which material for which room
Hallway and living room: primed MDF. Bathroom away from the shower: moisture resistant MDF. Inside a shower enclosure: PVC only. Home office or media wall: acoustic slat. Period study: hardwood.
Cutting MDF safely
MDF dust is fine and irritating. Cut outdoors or with extraction, wear a fitted dust mask and eye protection, and do not dry sand indoors without protection.
A word on older walls
If the house was decorated before 1992 the existing paint may contain lead. Do not dry sand it and do not burn it off. Wash the surface down and key it wet instead, or take advice before disturbing it.
Choosing the right height
The rule of thirds
Dado panelling looks right at roughly a third of the wall height. On a standard UK ceiling of about 2.4m that puts the capping rail near 800mm to 900mm. On a Victorian wall of 3m it moves up towards 1000mm.
Two thirds height for a hallway
A taller scheme at around two thirds of the wall height gives a hallway a sense of importance and protects more of the surface from bags and coats.
Full height for a dining room
Panels to the ceiling with a cornice as the stop, works in a room used mostly in the evening. It closes a room in, which is an advantage at dinner and a disadvantage at breakfast.
Let the existing features set the line
If the room has a picture rail, a window board or a radiator top, align the capping rail with one of them. A capping rail that lands 30mm above a window board looks like a mistake.
Behind a bed
A panelled headboard height of roughly 1200mm reads as intentional and gives you something to lean against. Take the panelling wider than the bed by at least 300mm each side.
On a staircase
Panelling that follows a staircase must run parallel to the string, not to the treads. Set the top rail out with a string line along the pitch before you commit.
Do not measure from the floor
UK floors are rarely level. Set the capping rail from a laser or water level line, then let the bottom rail take up the difference behind the skirting.
Measuring and setting out
This is the part that decides whether the finished wall looks professional. Do it on paper before you buy anything.
Measure the wall in three places
Measure the length at skirting height, at capping height and at ceiling height. UK walls are rarely parallel, and knowing the worst case tells you where the tolerance has to go.
Decide the panel count, not the panel width
Divide the wall length by a target panel width to get a rough count, then round to a whole number and recalculate the exact width. Equal panels of an odd width always look better than equal panels plus one odd panel.
Work out the stile width
Total wall length equals the sum of the panel openings plus the sum of the stiles. Write it as a simple sum and solve for the panel width once the stile width is fixed by the moulding you have bought.
Centre the layout on the room, not the wall
If a wall has a chimney breast, set out symmetrically about the breast and let the corners absorb the difference. The eye checks symmetry against the fireplace, not against the corner.
Check where sockets and switches land
A stile that clips the edge of a socket faceplate is impossible to make look right. Adjust the panel count until the sockets fall cleanly inside a panel, and remember you can also move a socket, though that is electrical work for a qualified electrician.
Radiators, doors and windows
Set out from the most visible feature in the room, which is usually the door or the chimney breast, and let the awkward cuts fall in the corner behind furniture. Panelling that meets a door needs the batten to die cleanly into the architrave, so check the architrave depth first. Our guide to door architraves covers the profiles, and we stock 16 architrave products.
Mark the wall out fully before you cut
Pencil every stile and rail position onto the wall, stand back and look at it for a day. Changing a pencil line is free. Changing a glued moulding is not.
Use a laser or a long level, not the skirting
Set one datum line and work from it everywhere. Taking each measurement from the last is how cumulative error creeps in.
Allow for the corner condition
Decide in advance whether the panelling returns around the corner, stops at the corner with a stile, or dies into the wall. All three are valid. Deciding halfway through is not.
Photograph your setting out
Take a photo of the marked wall before you cover it. It is invaluable when you come to hang pictures or fix a shelf and want to know where the battens are.
Tools and materials
Mitre saw or mitre box
A powered mitre saw gives clean square ends and repeatable lengths. A hand mitre box will do the job on a single wall if you take your time.
Long spirit level or laser level
The single most important tool on this job. A 1.8m level or a self levelling laser is worth borrowing if you do not own one.
Grab adhesive and a skeleton gun
A solvent free grab adhesive is standard for fixing mouldings to plaster. Apply in a zig zag bead, press home, then pull off and re-press after a minute so the adhesive grabs.
Pin nailer or panel pins
Pins hold the moulding while the adhesive cures. They are not the structural fixing. A 25mm pin into plaster and plasterboard is plenty.
Decorators caulk and filler
Caulk fills the moving joint between moulding and wall. Two part or fine surface filler fills the pin holes and the end grain. They are not interchangeable, and using caulk where filler belongs leaves a visibly soft line.
Sanding blocks and fine abrasive
180 grit for the filler and 240 grit between paint coats. A hard block keeps edges crisp, which is what makes shaker panelling look sharp.
Detection before drilling
Use a cable and pipe detector on any wall before you pin into it, particularly above and below sockets and switches where cables run vertically.
Dust sheets and masking
Panelling generates a lot of fine dust and a lot of paint. Protect the floor properly, especially over an engineered or laminate finish. Our notes on laminate flooring mistakes and engineered oak flooring explain how easily these surfaces mark.
Preparing the wall
Strip wallpaper completely
Adhesive will not hold reliably on paper, and paper behind a panel will lift over time. Take it back to plaster.
Wash down and de-grease
Sugar soap removes years of airborne grease, particularly in a hallway near a kitchen. Adhesive on greasy paint is an adhesive failure waiting to happen.
Fill and flatten the worst hollows
You do not need a perfect wall, but a hollow deeper than about 3mm under a stile will show as a shadow line. Fill the worst areas and let them dry fully.
Deal with any damp first
Panelling over damp traps the moisture and rots the material from behind. If there is staining, a tide mark or a musty smell, get a qualified surveyor or damp specialist to identify the cause before you cover anything.
Check the plaster is sound
Tap the wall. A hollow, drumming sound over an area means the plaster has blown and it needs hacking off and making good, not covering.
Prime bare plaster
New or patched plaster drinks adhesive and paint unevenly. A mist coat or a plaster sealer evens it out.
Remove the skirting or panel down to it
Both work. Removing the skirting and refitting it over the bottom rail gives the cleanest result. Panelling down onto the existing skirting is faster and perfectly acceptable if the skirting is deep enough.
Isolate the power before touching faceplates
If you are loosening socket or switch faceplates to bring them forward over the panelling, isolate the circuit at the consumer unit. Any actual rewiring or moving of an accessory is work for a qualified electrician.
Fitting traditional shaker and panel mouldings
Fit the top rail first
The top rail is the line everybody sees. Fix it to your datum, check it end to end, and everything else references off it.
Then the bottom rail
The bottom rail sits on or just above the skirting. If the floor falls away, keep the rail level and let the gap under it vary, then caulk it.
Then the stiles, working from the feature
Cut each stile individually to the measured gap rather than to a nominal length. A 1mm gap at the top of a stile is invisible after caulk. A 1mm proud end is not.
Adhesive plus pins, in that order
Bead the adhesive, press the moulding on, pin it, then wipe any squeeze out immediately with a damp cloth. Cured adhesive on a primed face is far harder to remove than wet adhesive.
Mitres on profiled mouldings
Cut mitres slightly long and creep up on the fit. Cut a test mitre on an offcut first, because internal corners of UK rooms are rarely exactly ninety degrees.
Scribing into an out of square corner
Where a stile meets an out of plumb corner, scribe the stile to the wall with a compass or a block and pencil rather than forcing it and leaving a wedge shaped gap.
Keep checking the diagonals
Measure the diagonals of each panel opening as you go. Equal diagonals mean a square panel, and a run of square panels is what reads as quality.
Fitting tongue and groove
Fix battens first
Tongue and groove needs horizontal battens at roughly 400mm centres to fix to. Pack the battens to a flat plane before you start boarding.
Start plumb, not from the corner
The first board sets the direction for every board after it. Plumb the first board with a level and pack behind it if the corner is out.
Leave an expansion allowance
Softwood tongue and groove will move. Leave a small gap at the top and bottom, hidden by the capping rail and skirting, and do not glue the boards to each other.
Secret nailing
Pin through the tongue at an angle so the next board covers the fixing. It takes longer and looks vastly better than face pinning.
Deal with the last board honestly
The final board almost never lands at full width. Rip it to fit and put the cut edge into the corner where the caulk line will cover it.
Seal the back in a bathroom
Priming the reverse face of timber boards before fitting slows moisture movement and is the single best thing you can do for longevity in a bathroom.
Fitting acoustic slat panels
Acclimatise the panels
Stand the panels in the room for a couple of days before fitting. Timber and felt both settle to the room humidity.
Cutting to width
Cut through the felt from the back with a sharp knife and straight edge, or through the face with a fine tooth blade and the felt supported. A coarse blade will tear the felt.
Cutting to height
Cut across the slats with a fine tooth saw and support the offcut so the last slat does not snap off.
Fixing method
Grab adhesive on the felt plus a few small screws driven through the felt between the slats. The screws hold the panel while the adhesive cures and disappear into the shadow.
Aligning panel to panel
Butt the panels so the slat spacing continues uninterrupted across the joint. Check the gap at the top and the bottom, because a panel that is 1mm out at the top is obvious in a run.
Ending a run neatly
Finish on a full slat rather than a part slat, and use a slim shadow gap or a trim at the edge instead of trying to butt the felt into a corner.
What to do around a socket
Plan the panel joints so no socket falls on a joint. Cutting a neat aperture in the middle of a panel is straightforward. Cutting one across a joint is not.
Filling, caulking and painting
Fill before you caulk
Filler goes into pin holes, mitre gaps and end grain. Caulk goes into the joint between the moulding and the wall. Doing them the other way round leaves visible filler ridges.
Caulk in one pass with a wet finger
Run a continuous bead, then smooth it once with a wet finger or a caulking tool. Going back over a partly skinned bead is what creates the ripples you see on poor work.
Prime the cut edges
MDF end grain drinks paint. An extra coat of primer on every cut edge is the difference between a crisp edge and a fuzzy one.
Two coats minimum, three on a dark shade
Panelling has far more surface area and far more edges than a flat wall, and thin coverage shows on every arris.
Choose the right sheen
Eggshell and satin are the usual choices for panelling because they wipe clean and read as joinery. Full gloss shows every imperfection. Matt marks too easily at hand height.
Brush the details, roller the flats
A small brush for the mouldings and a short pile roller for the panel centres gives an even film without brush marks.
Paint the wall above at the same time
Cutting in later against a finished capping rail is much harder than doing both while the masking is still up.
Matching the panelling to your doors
If the doors are white primed, the same shade on the panelling ties the room together. Our guides to painting an interior door and maintaining painted doors cover the door side of that, and we stock over 80 white primed internal doors from £30.84.
Oil soaked rags need care
If you are oiling hardwood panelling rather than painting, spread the used cloths out flat to dry outdoors. Oil soaked cloths left bundled up can self heat and ignite.
Sockets, switches, radiators and other obstacles
Sockets on a panelled wall
The usual solution is a plasterboard or timber pattress behind the faceplate to bring it forward flush with the panelling. Extending or altering the circuit is work for a qualified electrician.
Light switches at the top rail
A switch sitting just above a capping rail looks awkward. Either drop the rail slightly or accept the switch inside the panelled area with a clean margin around it.
Radiators
Panel behind a radiator only if you can reach to fit and paint. Otherwise stop the panelling either side of the radiator with a stile and leave the recess plain.
Radiator pipes at floor level
Notch the bottom rail around the pipes rather than trying to close the gap with caulk. A neat notch reads as joinery, a blob of filler does not.
Skirting junctions
Where new panelling meets existing skirting of a different profile, a small square block at the junction is the traditional and neatest solution.
Door architraves
Panelling should die into the architrave, not overlap it. If the architrave is thinner than the panelling, add a slim packing piece behind the architrave rather than planing the panelling.
Stair strings
Follow the pitch with the top rail and keep the stiles vertical. Stiles that follow the pitch look like a mistake.
Window reveals
Decide whether the panelling returns into the reveal or stops on the face. Returning into the reveal is more work and looks far better on a deep Victorian reveal.
Acoustics: what slat panels do and do not do
What the felt backing achieves
A felt backed slat panel absorbs some mid and high frequency energy in the room, which reduces echo and flutter. That is why they suit home offices, media rooms and rooms with hard floors.
What they do not achieve
They do not stop sound passing through a wall. Reducing sound transmission between rooms is a construction matter involving mass and isolation, not a surface treatment.
Coverage matters more than product
A single 600mm panel in a large room will not change how it sounds. Absorption is proportional to area, so plan for a meaningful expanse or accept that the benefit is visual.
Combine with soft furnishings
Rugs, curtains and upholstery do a great deal of the same work. Our notes on rugs in a living room and herringbone flooring cover how hard and soft surfaces interact.
Doors matter more than walls for noise between rooms
A hollow core door is the weakest link in almost every internal partition. Our comparison of hollow core and solid core internal doors explains why, and we list over 710 internal doors from £30.84.
Do not obstruct ventilation
Panelling must not cover an air brick, a trickle vent or any ventilation serving a gas or solid fuel appliance. If in doubt, speak to a registered engineer before covering anything.
Panelling room by room
Hallway
The best return on the effort. Dado or two thirds height in a hard wearing eggshell, tied to the internal doors. It protects the wall at bag height and gives a narrow hall some structure.
Staircase and landing
Follow the string, keep stiles plumb, and be careful working at height. Above single storey height, pay a professional rather than improvising with ladders.
Living room
Full height either side of a chimney breast, or dado all round. Keep the panel proportions generous so the room does not feel busy.
Dining room
Full height with a cornice, in a deeper shade. It is the one room where a strong enclosing scheme almost always works.
Bedroom
A headboard height panel behind the bed. Simple shaker rectangles, painted the same as the wall, with the bed centred on the layout.
Home office
Acoustic slat behind the desk or behind the camera position. Full panels at 2400 x 600 x 21mm for £60.00 make this a quick job.
Bathroom
Moisture resistant MDF away from the shower, PVC inside the enclosure, and mechanical ventilation working properly. Fit hardware that copes with humidity, such as our over 60 bathroom locks from £6.64 and 18 bathroom door handle sets.
Cloakroom
Narrow bead panelling suits a small space, and the small area means you can afford a better material and a bolder shade.
Utility room
Tongue and groove with the backs primed. Expect knocks, so specify something you can touch in easily.
Kitchen
Panelling below a breakfast bar or on an end wall works well. Keep it away from the hob and the sink splash zone.
Conservatory or garden room
Large temperature and humidity swings make timber based panelling risky. Our notes on conservatory flooring options explain the same problem at floor level.
Panelling and damp
Never panel over an unresolved damp problem
You will hide the symptom and accelerate the decay behind the panel. Find the cause first.
Signs to look for before you start
Tide marks near skirting level, blown plaster, salt crystals on the surface, peeling paint in one localised patch, or a musty smell in a closed room.
Condensation is different from rising damp
Condensation appears on cold surfaces and in corners, often with black mould. It is a ventilation and heating issue rather than a building fabric failure, but it will still ruin panelling.
External walls need more thought
A solid brick external wall in an older UK house is colder and often damper than an internal partition. Moisture resistant material and a small ventilation gap behind battens both help.
Get a professional opinion
Damp diagnosis is genuinely difficult and expensive to get wrong. A qualified surveyor or damp specialist is money well spent before you fix anything to the wall.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Setting out from the corner
The corner is the least important part of the wall. Set out from the feature and hide the discrepancy in the corner.
Uneven panel widths
One narrow panel in a run of wide ones is the most common and most visible error. Recalculate rather than compromise.
Using standard MDF in a bathroom
It will swell and it cannot be repaired. Moisture resistant grade costs very little more.
Measuring from the floor
Floors are not level. Work from a datum line.
Skipping the primer on cut edges
Every unprimed cut edge will show as a slightly different sheen through the topcoat.
Caulking instead of filling
Caulk shrinks and stays flexible. In a pin hole it will always read as a soft dimple.
Pinning into a cable
Use a detector, and be especially careful in the vertical zones above and below sockets and switches.
Ignoring the capping rail overhang
A capping rail with too little overhang looks mean, and one with too much collects dust and catches sleeves. Aim for a modest, consistent projection.
Not looking at it from the doorway
Panelling is seen from the door, not from 300mm away. Step back regularly.
Painting before the filler is fully dry
Filler that is still shrinking will sink below the paint film and show as a dip a week later.
Tying panelling in with doors, skirting and floors
Match the joinery shade, not just the colour family
Panelling, skirting, architrave and doors in the same shade and the same sheen is what makes a scheme look designed. Mixing two whites is more noticeable than mixing two strong shades.
Consider the door style
Shaker panelling sits naturally with a four panel or shaker door. Our 9 shaker doors start at £106.50 and our 11 cottage doors start at £55.99.
Traditional panelling with traditional doors
Georgian panelling with a flush door is a jarring combination. Our overview of traditional versus modern internal doors helps place the door in the scheme, and our guide to the most popular internal door styles covers the patterns.
Panelling with oak doors
Painted panelling with unpainted oak doors works if the panelling shade has warmth in it. A cold grey white beside a golden oak door fights. See our comparison of white and oak internal doors.
Panelling with dark doors
Pale panelling with a matt black door is a strong, current combination. We stock over 110 black internal doors and over 60 grey internal doors.
Glazed doors and panelling in a dark hall
Panelling absorbs light. If the hall is already dim, a glazed door borrows light from the room beyond. We list over 280 glazed doors from £107.25 and over 110 clear glazed doors.
Floor finish and panelling
A panelled hallway with an engineered oak or herringbone floor is a classic pairing. Our guides to engineered oak flooring, Karndean flooring and grey wood floors cover the options, and we stock 12 vinyl flooring products, 6 Karndean Knight Tile ranges from £33.40 per square metre and 5 Karndean Da Vinci ranges from £50.06 per square metre.
Door furniture
Once the walls are panelled, tired handles stand out. Our over 280 handle packs start at £8.99 within a range of over 2,500 door handle products, and our door handles guide covers selection.
Frames and linings
If you are replacing doors as part of the same project, the lining and stop set the depth that the panelling has to work with. We list over 30 internal frames and linings.
Room dividers instead of a wall
If the reason you are panelling is to give a large through room some definition, a glazed room divider may do the job better. Our 17 room dividers start at £498.06.
Frequently asked questions
Is wall panelling still in style?
Panelling has been part of British interiors for centuries and the current shaker interpretation has proved durable because it is quiet rather than decorative. A simple painted scheme in a hallway is unlikely to date quickly.
What height should dado panelling be?
Roughly a third of the wall height is the traditional proportion, which is around 800mm to 900mm on a standard modern ceiling and higher in a Victorian room. Align it with an existing feature if there is one.
Do I need to remove the skirting?
No. You can panel down onto the existing skirting, which is faster. Removing and refitting the skirting over a bottom rail gives a slightly cleaner result.
Can I panel a bathroom wall?
Yes, using moisture resistant MDF away from the shower, or PVC inside a shower enclosure. Prime the backs of any timber based material and make sure the extract fan actually works.
What adhesive should I use?
A solvent free grab adhesive designed for interior mouldings, backed up with panel pins to hold the piece while it cures. Do not rely on pins alone.
How much does panelling a wall cost?
Our own primed panelling packs run from £28.50 to £54.50 per pack and our full acoustic panels are £60.00 each. Add adhesive, caulk, filler and paint, which on a small dado scheme often costs as much again as the mouldings.
Can I fit panelling over wallpaper?
You should not. Adhesive bonds to the paper rather than the wall, and the paper will eventually release.
Do acoustic slat panels soundproof a room?
No. They absorb some reflected sound inside the room, which reduces echo. They do not reduce sound passing through the wall.
What is the difference between shaker and Georgian panelling?
Shaker uses plain flat rails and stiles with no moulded profile. Georgian uses a moulded surround and often a raised centre panel. Shaker is far quicker and more forgiving.
Can I panel over a chimney breast?
Yes, and it is often the best place to start because the breast gives you a natural symmetry to set out from. Keep panelling clear of a working fireplace opening and its surround.
Should the panelling be the same colour as the wall above?
Same shade throughout makes a small room feel larger and is the safer choice. A contrast below the capping rail makes the room feel more traditional and lower.
How long does it take to panel one wall?
Setting out and fixing a single dado wall is comfortably a day for someone reasonably practical. Filling, caulking and painting is a second day, with drying time in between.
Does panelling make a room look smaller?
Dado panelling in the same shade as the wall does not. Full height panelling in a dark shade certainly does, which is sometimes exactly what you want in a dining room.
Is panelling allowed in a listed building?
Listed building consent, conservation area rules or an Article 4 direction may restrict what you can do, including work to internal surfaces in a listed property. Ask your local planning authority before you start.
Wall panelling from Doors2Floors
Doors2Floors has supplied doors and flooring to homes and businesses across the UK. We stock 15 wall panelling products, made up of 5 traditional wall panels from £13.25 and 10 acoustic wall panels with full 2400 x 600 x 21mm panels at £60.00. Alongside them we carry over 710 internal doors from £30.84, over 290 internal oak doors from £87.75, over 350 fully finished doors, 16 architraves, over 30 frames and linings and over 2,900 door hardware products, plus over 250 Deanta products and over 500 LPD products.
Related guides
- A guide to door architraves
- How to paint an interior door
- Maintaining painted doors
- A complete guide to internal door finishes
- Traditional versus modern internal doors
- How to measure a door
- What it costs to fit an internal door
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Still not sure?
If you are unsure how many packs a wall needs, or whether acoustic panels or traditional mouldings suit the room better, get in touch with our team with the wall dimensions and the ceiling height. Working out the panel count before you order is the single most useful thing anybody can do for you on this job.
Product counts, sizes and prices shown here are correct at the time of writing and are subject to change. Follow the manufacturer instructions for any adhesive, filler or paint you use. Electrical work should be carried out by a qualified electrician, damp should be diagnosed by a qualified surveyor or damp specialist, and listed building or conservation area restrictions should be confirmed with your local planning authority.