Step 2 What look are you after?
Pick the closest. If you have seen something you like but do not know what it is called,
choose the last option and send the picture — that is genuinely the easiest way.
Shaker panels Square or rectangular frames, then painted Board and batten Vertical battens, period or country look Timber slat wall Contemporary slats on a felt backing Wainscoting / dado height Lower third of the wall with a capping rail Picture or dado rails only Rails and mouldings, no panels Media wall Recessed TV, often with an electric fire Alcove units or shelving Built into a chimney recess Period / solid timber Matching or repairing existing historic joinery Show me the options Send a photo and we will suggest what suits
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Step 3 Which room, and how much of it? Worth flagging for a bathroom or kitchen
Panelling works well in these rooms, but only with moisture-resistant board in the right
places and decent ventilation. Standard MDF in a splash zone swells and the joints open
up, usually within a couple of years. Tell us about the extractor and how close the wall
is to the bath or shower.
How much are you panelling? Chimney breast only One wall Two walls The whole room Hall, stairs and landing More than one room I’m not sure yet
How high should it go?
Not sure is a perfectly good answer — proportion depends on your ceiling height, and it
is the thing most worth getting advice on.
Dado height Roughly a metre, with a capping rail Three-quarter height Up to picture rail level Full height Floor to ceiling Not sure — advise me
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Step 4 Tell us about the wall
This is the part that changes the job most, and the part nobody usually asks about.
Useful to know about that wall
Plasterboard stuck to masonry leaves a void behind the board. Anything heavy — a
television especially — has to be fixed through to the masonry with that void packed
out, not screwed into the board or the panelling. It is entirely doable, it just has to
be planned before the panels go on rather than afterwards.
What is on the wall at the moment? Tick everything that applies.
Power sockets Light switches A radiator TV aerial or media points Thermostat or controls Coving or cornice Skirting I want to keep A window reveal A door frame Nothing on this wall
About those sockets and switches
They need bringing forward to sit flush with the new surface, which means extending the
back boxes. That is electrical work under Part P of the building regulations and wants a
qualified electrician rather than the panel fitter improvising. It affects both the price
and the running order, so it is better known now.
What condition is it in? Flat and sound Noticeably uneven or bowed Newly plastered Currently wallpapered Has panelling on it already Has had damp or a leak I’m not sure
Please deal with the damp first
Panelling over a wall that is still getting wet hides the problem rather than solving it.
MDF is unforgiving about moisture — it swells, the joints open and the paint lifts,
usually long after the fitter has gone. Find the cause, fix it, let the wall dry, then
panel it. We would rather tell you that now.
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Step 6 Finish, timing and where to reach you When would you like it done? As soon as practical Within two weeks Within one month One to three months More than three months Just researching for now
Your details Best time to reach you Any time Mornings Afternoons After 5pm Weekends
Anything else worth knowing?
A colour you have in mind, a deadline you are working to, access or parking, or
anything the photos do not show.
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Nearly there Check your details Email me occasional interiors and panelling ideas. Entirely optional, and not needed
to get a quote.
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