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Architectural joinery
Wall Panelling & Wainscoting
Shaker, board-and-batten or raised panel, set out to the room's real lines.
- Free measured survey
- Fixed written quote
- Workshop-made, site-fitted
- 10-year workmanship guarantee
- Fully insured
The difference between a fitted job and a fitted-looking job is the setting out. For wall panelling & wainscoting in your home we rod the job first, so what arrives on site already accounts for the bows, the skirting and the ceiling line.
How we build it
Moisture matters more than most people expect. Timber is conditioned before machining, and anything going into a kitchen, utility or bathroom is specified in materials that will not swell at the bottom edge. That is why the base of a well-made unit still closes cleanly after five winters.
Finish and materials
You can have it primed for your own decorator, sprayed in any RAL or heritage colour, or left in oiled timber. Oiled finishes can be refreshed at home; sprayed finishes are harder wearing and are what we recommend for kitchens and anything at knee height.
| Typical guide price | from £320 per linear metre, fitted |
|---|---|
| Typical lead time | 3–4 weeks from signed drawings |
| Typical construction | MR MDF, hand-painted |
| Guarantee | 10 years on workmanship |
Guide prices are indicative. Real cost depends on the run length, ceiling height, finish and what goes inside. The indicative price tool gives you a range in about a minute, and a free survey turns it into a fixed written quote.
Where we fit wall panelling & wainscoting
We survey and fit across 76 counties. Pick your area for local detail:
Often specified alongside
Skirting, Architrave & Mouldings
Profiles matched to the originals and run to length, mitres cut on site.
See detailWindow Seats & Bay Seating
Storage seating scribed into a bay, with a lid that lifts and stays.
See detailHome Offices & Studies
Desk, shelving and cable management built as one continuous run.
See detailStraight answers
Wall Panelling & Wainscoting — common questions
Which panelling style suits a modern house?
Board and batten or a simple square shaker grid. Both are geometric and flat, which reads contemporary. Raised and fielded panels look wrong outside a period setting.
How high should panelling go?
Dado height at roughly one third of the wall — usually 900mm to 1,100mm — for a traditional room. Full height for drama in a hallway or behind a bed. Two thirds height reads awkward and is worth avoiding.
Is it fixed to the wall or built as panels?
Both methods work. On a flat wall we fix rails and stiles directly. On an uneven wall a backing board goes on first, which costs a little more but gives a perfectly flat face.
Can panelling go over a chimney breast or around a radiator?
Yes. Setting out is the whole job here — the panel widths are calculated so the divisions land sensibly either side of features rather than a half panel appearing at a corner.
What material do you use?
Moisture-resistant MDF for painted work. It has no grain to raise, takes a crisp arris and will not move. Solid timber panelling is available for a natural finish but needs framing that allows the panels to move.
Does it need to be painted on site?
Panelling is usually installed primed and painted in place, because the fixing and filling has to happen first. We can supply it sprayed if a decorator is doing a cut-in only.
Will it make the room feel smaller?
It adds 18 to 25mm to the wall, which nobody notices. Visually, painting the panelling the same colour as the wall above makes the room feel larger, not smaller.
Can sockets and switches stay where they are?
They need extending forward by the panel thickness with a spacer collar — a small electrical job. We mark the positions and cut the apertures to suit.
Start with a measurement
Tell us the space — we’ll tell you what it costs
Every quote starts with a free measured survey, so the price you get is the price you pay. No deposit is taken until you have drawings you are happy with.