Panelling is unusual among home improvements because there is no product to inspect before you buy. You are buying somebody's setting out, their patience with filling, and their willingness to redo a piece that is 2mm out. Two fitters can use identical materials and produce very different walls.
This guide is written from the fitting side of the fence. It sets out what genuinely distinguishes good panelling work, what to ask, and where quotes hide the difference.
Look at real walls, not renders
Any fitter worth booking has photographs of finished work in real houses, not computer visuals and not supplier catalogue images. Ask for photographs of the specific style you want, ideally taken in daylight and from an angle rather than square on.
Angled photographs matter because that is where poor setting out shows. Square-on shots flatter everything. Look along the wall: are the batten shadow lines parallel? Do the panels look the same width? Is the top rail level relative to the ceiling?
Better still, ask whether there is a completed job you can look at. Many homeowners are happy to show a hallway to someone considering the same work.
The questions that actually reveal quality
These are the ones that separate a fitter who has thought about your wall from one who is quoting by the square metre.
- How will you set out the panel widths, and what happens at the corners?
- What thickness and grade of board are you using?
- Are you fixing direct to the wall or on battens, and why for my wall?
- How are you handling the existing skirting and architrave?
- How do you deal with sockets and switches?
- Is the wall left filled, caulked and sanded ready for paint?
- Is decoration included, and by brush or spray?
- How many days will the room be out of use, and who clears the dust?
Reading a quote properly
A one-line quote saying 'supply and fit panelling to lounge — £1,100' tells you nothing. A useful quote names the material and thickness, the height, the number of panels, whether skirting is being replaced, and whether the wall is left paint-ready.
When comparing, put the quotes side by side and identify what the cheapest one has excluded. Almost always it is one of three things: the filling and caulking, the skirting, or the making good afterwards. None of those are optional; they just move onto your list instead.
Be wary of a quote given without anyone seeing the wall. Panelling prices depend on how square the room is, and nobody can tell that from a photograph.
Warning signs
Most problems announce themselves before work starts. Trust that.
- A large deposit demanded up front — materials for a panelled room rarely justify more than 20 to 30 per cent
- Cash-only, no written quote, no address
- No public liability insurance
- Reluctance to visit and measure before quoting
- Pressure to decide today for a discount
- Vague answers about how the corners and edges will be handled
- A portfolio of images that also appear on other companies' websites
Trades, guarantees and insurance
Panelling is carpentry, so there is no compulsory licensing scheme in the UK. That means credentials vary. What you should expect as a minimum is public liability insurance, a written quote on headed paper or email with a company name and address, and a clear statement of what happens if something is not right.
A reasonable workmanship guarantee for interior joinery is twelve months. That covers joints opening, fixings showing or filler shrinking — the things that reveal themselves in the first heating season. It does not cover damage or later decoration.
If a fitter is moving sockets or adding lighting into a media wall, that electrical work must be done by a competent electrician and certified. Ask who is doing it.
Timescales and what to expect on site
A single feature wall is typically one day to fit, plus a return visit or a second day for filling and sanding. A hallway and stairs is usually two to four days. A media wall with recesses, cable routes and lighting is a week or more.
Panelling generates a lot of fine MDF dust. A good fitter cuts outside or uses extraction, sheets the floor and the doorway, and leaves the room swept. Ask which of those is included rather than assuming.
You should also agree who is decorating. If the fitter is not painting, the wall should be handed over primed or at least filled, caulked and sanded, so the decorator is not doing preparation they have not priced for.
Paying sensibly
A deposit to cover materials is normal. The balance should be due on completion, after you have looked along the wall in daylight. Avoid paying in full before the filling and caulking is done, because that is the stage most likely to be rushed.
Keep the paper trail: written quote, any variations agreed in writing, and an invoice. If something needs putting right later, that record is what makes it straightforward.
Common questions
- How much deposit should I pay a panelling fitter?
- Enough to cover materials, usually 20 to 30 per cent. Anything approaching half the value before work starts is worth questioning.
- Do panelling fitters need to be qualified?
- There is no compulsory scheme, so judge by finished work, insurance and a clear written quote. Any electrical work must be done and certified by a competent electrician.
- Should the quote include painting?
- It can go either way. What matters is that it is stated, and that if painting is excluded the wall is handed over filled, caulked and sanded ready for paint.
- How long does wall panelling take to fit?
- A single feature wall is usually one to two days. A hallway and staircase is two to four. A media wall with lighting and recesses takes a week or more.
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