Shaker panelling is a grid of flat strips on the wall: upright stiles and level rails, with the wall painted between them so each gap reads as a panel. The strips are easy to fit; what makes it look right is setting it out so every panel on a wall is the same width and nothing lands awkwardly on a socket or a corner.
How high
- Dado height, about 900 to 1200 mm, is the classic: roughly a third of the wall's height. Line the top up with the window sills if they're close.
- Two-thirds height, about 1500 to 1800 mm, with a shelf ledge on top, suits bedrooms behind a bed.
- Full height up to the ceiling makes a feature wall.
The strips
Most shaker panelling is cut from MDF, 6 to 12 mm thick, in strips about 70 to 95 mm wide; the same width for stiles and rails looks tidiest. The bottom rail sits on top of the skirting, or replaces it, and the top rail is often capped with a moulding or a narrow shelf.
Working out the panel widths
Each stretch of wall, from corner to corner, or to a door or window, is set out on its own, with a stile at each end and one between every two panels. Pick roughly how wide you'd like the panels (400 to 600 mm is usual), then:
- Take one stile's width off the length of the wall.
- Divide what's left by your panel width plus one stile, and round to the nearest whole number. That's how many panels.
- The panel width is the wall's length, less one more stile than there are panels, divided by the number of panels.
For example, a 3600 mm wall with 70 mm stiles and panels of about 600 mm: (3600 − 70) ÷ 670 = 5.3, so 5 panels; (3600 − 6 × 70) ÷ 5 = 636 mm each. The wall panelling calculator does this for every stretch, draws it, and gives the lengths to buy.
Do the walls either side of a corner or a chimney breast together and see them side by side: panels of similar widths round a room look deliberate.
Sockets, switches and radiators
Mark every socket, switch and radiator bracket before you start. Move the panel width a little so a stile doesn't land half over a socket; a socket in the middle of a panel looks right, one cut into a stile doesn't. Sockets need extending forward by the thickness of the strips, or the faceplate won't sit flat: that's work for an electrician. Radiators can usually come off and go back on spacers.
Fitting it
Fix the bottom rail first, level, then the stiles plumb, then the top and middle rails between them. Grab adhesive and pins hold the strips; fill the pins, caulk every joint and the edge against the wall, and prime the cut MDF edges before painting, as they soak up paint. On a very uneven wall, line it with thin MDF sheet first and fix the strips to that.
Plan it in JoinerKit
In JoinerKit, add wall panelling, choose shaker, set the height, the strips' width and roughly how wide the panels should be, and list the stretches of wall. It draws it on the wall with the room's doors, windows and furniture, and gives the cutting list and the lengths to buy.
Questions
What height should shaker panelling be?
Dado height, about 900 to 1200 mm (roughly a third of the wall), is the classic. Two-thirds height suits a bedroom wall behind a bed, and full height makes a feature wall.
How wide should shaker panels be?
Usually 400 to 600 mm, all the same width on each stretch of wall. Work out how many fit, then share the wall between them equally.
What MDF do I use for shaker panelling?
Strips of 6 to 12 mm MDF, about 70 to 95 mm wide, with the same width for the stiles and the rails.