Traditional Wall Panels

Traditional wall panelling is a set of white primed profiles fixed to a flat wall and then painted, turning plain plaster into joinery. Every panel in this collection comes from the Deanta range, arrives primed and ready for colour, and is designed to be installed with grab adhesive and basic hand tools rather than in a joiner workshop.

The four profiles

Shaker

A plain square framed panel with no beading. Shaker is the customisable profile in the range, which means the height can be cut to suit the room rather than being fixed by the design. That flexibility makes it the safest choice for awkward ceiling heights, for half height dado runs, and for staircases where the panel line has to follow the string.

Hampton

An Edwardian layout with a finer frame than Shaker. Hampton is a set height unit, so its vertical dimension cannot be altered, and a single pack covers 2400mm of wall. The pack contains two versions of the vertical member: one with two tapered edges for the middle of a run, and one with a single tapered edge for the end of a row. A bullnose moulding is available separately to cap the top edge.

Balmoral

The decorative option, with ornamental beading inside the frame for a Jacobean feel. Balmoral suits dining rooms, formal hallways and any space where the panelling is meant to be noticed rather than to sit quietly. A Balmoral pack also covers 2400mm, and it takes the same separate bullnose moulding.

Madingley

A Tudor arrangement built from six pieces per pack at 390mm each. Madingley is also a set height design, and a single pack covers 2340mm of wall, so it needs checking against your ceiling height before you order.

Bullnose moulding

A 45 x 25 x 2400mm rounded profile supplied in a two pack. It is not included with any panel. It is bought alongside Hampton or Balmoral to finish the top edge of a run, or to form a dado rail where the panelling stops at half height.

How much to order

Measure the total width of wall to be panelled in millimetres and divide by the pack coverage. Shaker, Hampton and Balmoral packs work to 2400mm and Madingley to 2340mm. Round up, and add a spare pack if the room has more than two internal corners, because cut pieces from one corner rarely fit the next. Check the ceiling height at both ends of the wall before ordering a set height profile, since older houses often vary by 20mm or more across a single room.

Fitting and painting

Panelling wants a dry, sound and reasonably flat wall. Mark the panel centres and the top line in pencil first, use a long level rather than measuring down from a ceiling that may not be true, and fix with grab adhesive, adding pins to any piece that wants to spring. Fill the joints, sand lightly, then apply two coats. Because the panels are primed rather than finished, the paint you choose determines how well they wear, so use an eggshell or satin in hallways and anywhere that gets touched. Preparation detail is in our installation information and cleaning guidance is in product care.

Finishing at floor and door level

The junctions are what make panelling look built in rather than applied. At the floor, either run the panels down and return the skirting against them, or stop the panels on top of a deeper skirting. At doorways, a wider door architrave gives the panel edge a clean stop. Where panelling and doors are painted the same colour the room reads as one piece of joinery, which is the argument for pairing it with internal white primed doors.

Traditional or acoustic panelling

These profiles are decorative. They add relief and shadow but they do not absorb sound in any meaningful way, because there is no soft layer behind them. If echo, video calls or music are the reason you are panelling, look at acoustic wall panels instead, and see wall panelling for both families side by side. The wall panelling guide compares the styles and explains where each one sits historically.

Common questions

Can these panels be stained rather than painted?

No. They are primed profiles intended for paint, and a stain will not take evenly over primer.

Will panelling make a small room feel smaller?

Not if it is painted the same colour as the wall above it. Contrasting colours are what shrink a room, rather than the relief itself.

Can panelling go behind a radiator?

Leave the radiator area clear, or take the radiator off and refit it on spacers. Panelling boxed in tight against a heat source will move.

How long does a feature wall take to fit?

Usually a day for fixing and a further day for filling and painting, assuming the wall needs no making good.

Is a dado rail needed?

Only where the panelling stops at half height, and the bullnose moulding performs that job.

How are the packs delivered?

Packs are 2400mm long, so see delivery for lead times and vehicle access, or contact us if the room needs something outside the standard sizes.