Costs & advice
What actually drives a panelling quote in Shropshire
No price table, and here is the honest reason why — followed by everything that genuinely moves the number.
Last reviewed
Why there is no price table on this page
Every panelling website has one. "Feature wall from £450." They are usually pitched low because a low number gets the click, they rarely say whether painting is included, and they almost never say what wall they are assuming.
Then you get a real quote for £1,100 and conclude the fitter is chancing it — when actually the fitter looked at a bowed Victorian wall that needs battening out, four sockets that need an electrician, and a customer who wants it painted.
This service is new and does not yet have enough genuine completed-job data from Shropshire to publish ranges honestly. When it does, they will appear here with the date, the assumptions and the sample they came from. Until then, this page explains what moves a price — which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.
The big four
1. Panel count, not wall area
This is the one that surprises people. Panelling labour lives in the cutting, mitring and fixing of individual pieces, not in covering square metres. A wall divided into twelve small shaker panels has roughly three times the corners of the same wall divided into four large ones, and every corner is a mitre that has to close cleanly.
It is also why board and batten is usually cheaper than shaker for the same wall — vertical battens have almost no mitred corners at all.
2. What the wall is like
A flat, plumb, modern wall is quick. A wall that bows, leans or undulates has to be battened out and packed to a level plane before any panelling goes on, and the edges scribed to follow the existing surface. That can add a substantial amount of time, and it is the single biggest difference between panelling a Telford new-build and panelling a Shrewsbury townhouse.
Stand at one end of your wall and sight along it. If you can see it move, say so in your enquiry.
3. Whether painting is included
The most common reason two quotes look nothing alike. Painting panelling properly is not a quick job — priming the bare board, caulking every joint, filling and sanding the fixings, then two topcoats. On a full room it can be as much work as the fitting.
Three things can be quoted: fitted only, fitted and primed, or fitted and fully painted. Make sure you are comparing the same one.
4. Whether an electrician is needed
Sockets and switches on the wall have to be brought forward to sit flush with the new surface, which means extending the back boxes. That is notifiable work under Part P of the building regulations and needs a qualified electrician. It is a separate trade and usually a separate bill, and quotes vary in whether they include it, exclude it or assume you are sorting it.
Everything else
| Factor | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|
| Style | Board and batten is generally cheapest to fit, shaker mid, media walls and bespoke alcove joinery considerably more. |
| Material | Standard MDF, moisture-resistant MDF and solid timber are three quite different prices. Real-wood slat panels cost far more than foil-finished ones. |
| Height | Dado height is less material than full height, but the capping rail adds a detail that full-height panelling does not have. |
| Corners and openings | External corners, window reveals and door architraves are all detail work, and detail work is slow. |
| Skirting | Kept, packed out or replaced. Replacing it properly around a whole room is a job in itself. |
| Radiators | Panelled around, or removed and refitted, which brings in a plumber. |
| Stairs | Every panel on a raked run is a different shape, and the work happens off staging. Markedly slower per metre than a flat wall. |
| Access | Full sheets and three-metre lengths have to physically get into the property. Relevant in Bridgnorth High Town and central Shrewsbury in particular. |
| Listed status | Consent requirements, solid timber specifications and matched profiles all add cost — and survey time, because heritage work cannot be priced from a photo. |
| Waste and making good | Removing existing panelling, old dado rails or wallpaper first. |
| VAT | Whether the business is registered. A 20% difference people routinely forget to check. |
What a good quote should tell you
- Which walls, and how much of each
- The style, panel layout and height
- Material — and specifically which board in a bathroom or kitchen
- Whether battens are included for levelling
- What happens to the existing skirting
- Whether painting is in, and how many coats
- Whether electrical work is in, out, or assumed to be yours
- Who is moving the radiator, if it is moving
- Days on site and likely start date
- Waste removal
- VAT position, stated explicitly
- Deposit and payment schedule
If a quote is a single number and a date, ask for the rest in writing before agreeing to anything. A fitter who will not put the scope in writing is telling you something useful.
Getting a number you can rely on
Send the postcode, a photo of the wall straight on, one along the wall from a corner so its flatness is visible, and — the useful one — a picture of the look you are after. That gets you an informed conversation rather than a defensive ballpark.
Common questions about panelling costs
Why will you not give me a price per square metre?
Because panelling is not really priced by area. A four-metre wall with twelve small panels takes far longer than the same wall with four large ones, because the labour is in the cutting and mitring rather than the coverage. A per-square-metre figure would mislead you in both directions.
Why is one quote so much cheaper than the others?
Nine times out of ten it is painting. A quote for fitting only, with you or your decorator finishing it, is a completely different number from fitted-and-fully-painted. Check what each quote actually includes before comparing them — and check which board a bathroom quote is priced on.
Is it cheaper to buy a panelling kit and fit it myself?
On materials, obviously. Whether it works out well depends on your walls. In a modern house with flat, plumb walls a competent DIYer can get a good result. In an older property where nothing is square and everything needs scribing, it is where most self-fitted panelling starts to look self-fitted.
Should I expect to pay a deposit?
It is common, particularly where materials are being bought specially or anything is made to measure. What matters is that it is proportionate, set out in writing before you pay it, and that you know what happens to it if the job does not go ahead. Be wary of a large deposit demanded in cash up front.
Will VAT be added?
Depends on whether the business is VAT registered, which depends on its turnover. Plenty of smaller joinery businesses are not. Always ask whether a quoted figure includes VAT and get the answer in writing — it is a 20% difference and the most common misunderstanding in trade quotes.
Does the electrician cost extra?
Almost always, and it is usually a separate trade billed separately. Moving or extending sockets is notifiable work under Part P of the building regulations. Ask whether a quote includes it, excludes it, or assumes you are arranging it — all three happen.