Cecelia Mullins
Panelling walls in your home is a really easy and very cost-effective way to transform a bedroom, living room or bathroom. In fact, you can transform any room in your home with MDF Wall Paneling but it takes a bit of measuring, calculating and planning before you get your hands dirty.
We opted for 9mm as that worked best with the depth of our skirting boards. Take the width of the wall and subtract the figure in step 3.
This will leave you with the total sum you have to play with for the gaps between the wall panels. Divide that figure (320cm in my case) by the number of gaps you’ll be left with.
Taking into consideration other items in the room such as window sills, bed heads, etc. Take your chosen height of wall panels (this will help keep the cuts to a minimum) and then work out how many you can fit across the width of your room. MDF Board and Batten Wall Panelling Calculator
For this, you’ll need a tape measure, a pencil and a spirit level (the bigger the better!)
This stage is important as it’ll highlight any incorrect measurements you may have made as well as any issues with plug sockets or light switches. I then took the sheets of MDF to the cutting area and gave over the measurements.
I have been told that not every B&Q offers this service so it’s worth checking first. You could opt for the glue and nail gun option.
This option is by far the quickest & easiest but if you like to change the décor in your home regularly (like me) this option may in the long run cause you to need to re-plaster the wall behind the panelling as removing the glued-down panels may bring the plaster off along with it. Now, this option takes a bit longer but will save you money and time in the future should you decide you don’t like it anymore. First, you need to drill 3 holes in your panel top, middle and bottom. (You may only need a screw at the top and bottom of the panel if your walls are straight!
The reason for this is the panel may bow in the middle if the wall isn’t straight. Now you need to use a countersink drill bit to create a small cavity so your screws sit flush in each drilled hole of the panel. Your next step is to caulk all the edges and fill all the holes with poly filler so you get a nice finish when you paint them. Once everything is dry, sand back the poly filler and repeat if needed.
The screw holes will show if you don’t do this properly (I speak from experience!) I really would advise that you don’t skip this step because you will regret it later!
We used eggshell paint as it covers imperfections brilliantly. Now it’s time to sit (or lay) back and admire all your hard work!
This is my Tongue and Groove Panelling in my hallway which I love too! If you enjoyed reading this blog do scroll to the bottom to subscribe. You can also find lots more inspiration over on my Instagram Page @greenbank_interiors You can also follow me over on Instagram for lots more interior inspiration and DIY tips ~ click here.
