155: Ways to Panel Your Walls Like a Pro.

Wall panelling has been making its way into Pinterest perfect living rooms for a while now and for good reason. It’s a classic, simple and stylish way to bring texture and character to your space. It’s the grown up version of a wallpapered feature wall, and it’s certainly more interesting.

Whether you're into the clean lines of shaker style, the modern sophistication of slat walls, or the timeless elegance of wainscoting (don’t worry I’ll explain), it’s actually a great way of adding character to your home.

But it’s not just for Pinterest, or Instagram or stately homes. It’s for you too.

And whilst you can get the professionals in, it’s actually pretty easy to DIY. I’m walking you through how to plan it out, cut your MDF sheets efficiently, and make sure you get a perfect finish.

Step 1: Choose Your Panelling Style

Before we get into the "how," let's start with the "what." You can do whatever you want, the walls are your oyster, but it’s one of those things where there’s so many different ways to do it that it can be overwhelming. So let me break it down for you - here are 4 styles you can choose from:

1. Shaker Style: Simple & Clean

If you want something simple to dip your toes into the panelling game then shaker style is for you. It’s all about straight horizontal and vertical lines with rectangular panels. It adds a certain warmth to your space and with it’s perfect symmetry, it feels suitably traditional and cosy.

2. Traditional Parisian - French and Fancy

French panelling (or boiserie) is my panelling of choice. It’s beautiful and adds more than a little bit of drama. The best part is that you can make every wall a feature in a way that doesn’t feel too much. If your room feels a little bare or you’ve always dreamed of sipping a latte in your Parisian-style apartment, this is it. I’ve used it in my own home and every time I look at it, I love it.

3. Slat walls: Sleek & Functional

Ok, we’ve all seen the acoustic panels and we all agree they look good, so based on the market at the moment - these panels are here to stay. Sleek and modern with the added bonus of adding warmth and texture to the room they’re easy to install and get hold of, it’s a quick win. But if you don’t want the wooden vibe, and instead are looking for a way to add texture without upending your colour scheme, then an MDF version is simple to DIY.

4. Wainscoting - a hybrid approach.

Don’t fancy giving up a whole wall? Try wainscoting - that means just the lower half or lower third of your walls. You can do this in every style, from boiserie to beadboard (vertical strips, interlocked with tongue and groove), so it’s super versatile. The top half of your walls you can paint or wallpaper and whilst it works in every room, it’s ideal for spaces like the hallway or cloakrooms.

Step 2: Planning Your Panelling

Before you start going wild with a saw and some adhesive, take a moment to plan. I am generally a bit gung-ho when it comes to DIY in my own house, always eager to get started, but trust me, you’ll thank yourself later when all the pieces fit together perfectly. Here’s how I approach it:

• Measure twice, cut once. Always, always measure your wall space carefully. The height, the width, where your doors and windows are—everything. You don’t want to end up with a panel awkwardly half-covered by a light switch. You’ll also need to know how far up your walls you want to come with your panelling and the size you want each panel to be.

• Draw it out. Sketching it out helps visualise where each panel will go. If you’re not overly handy with a pencil then I’d recommend getting a laser line and some masking tape. Plan out your design and see what it looks like, this way you can easily adapt this before you commit to it.

With Shaker and French-style panelling, spacing is key. You want your panels to be evenly distributed. For shaker strips I’d recommend around 60- 70mm width. With slat walls, I’d recommend spacing your slats about 1cm to 2cm apart for that modern look, with each slat measuring 30-35mm wide.

Step 3: Optimising Your materials

Now that you know how many panels you need, let’s talk materials.

For French style panelling, look at decorative mouldings, or even picture rail if you want a chunkier feel. This is probably the most expensive option as the beading cost can quickly add up. You’ll also want to invest in a mitre block to get those perfect 45 degree cuts to make your squares.

For all other panelling, you can buy ready to go kits although if you want something perfectly bespoke then MDF is a DIYer’s best friend. It’s easy to cut, lightweight, and holds paint well. It’s not an expensive option but here are a few tips to optimise your sheets:

• Go for the big sheets. MDF typically comes in 2440mm x 1220mm sheets. Depending on your panel sizes, you can map out your cuts to reduce wastage. You can do this manually or there’s an app for that. Google a “cut list optimiser” and it will do the hard work for you.

• Use a table saw or circular saw. These give you the straightest cuts. If you don’t have one, don’t panic—many DIY stores will cut the MDF for you. Just make sure to plan your cuts first so you can tell them exactly what you need. Places like B&Q will let you have the first 5 cuts for free and after that it’s about 50p a cut.

You’ll also need adhesive (something like Pink Grip or No More Nails, will work just fine) and if you want to neatly finish your edges, you’ll need some decorators caulk that can be painted over. It may also be worth getting some wood filler to disguise any joins before painting.

Step 4: Installing

Once you’ve mapped everything out and got all your lines and cuts straight, you’ve done most of the hard work, now you just need to stick it on your walls.

Follow your guides and apply adhesive (with a caulk gun) to one side of the MDF or beading. Once your strip is up, use your laser line or spirit level to check it’s straight. Hold it firmly to the wall for a good few seconds and that should be enough to stick it without it slipping. If you’re doing slat walls use a spare slat as a spacer to get nice, even lines.

Once it’s up you can use your filler and caulk to smooth off the edges both inside and outside the panels ready for painting. Note that:

• Primer is a must. MDF is like a sponge and will soak up all your paint, so be sure to use a good primer. It’s not fun, but it is necessary.

• Choose the right paint. Satin finishes work beautifully on panelling because they give just a bit of sheen without being too shiny but once it’s primed you can paint it as normal in whichever emulsion you choose.

Panelling might seem like an intimidating project, but once you’ve broken it down into steps, it’s totally doable—even for DIY novices. Plus, the impact it makes is well worth the effort. What do you think, will you give it a go?