What carpentry costs
Wall Panelling Cost: UK Prices per m² by Panel Type
Wall panelling materials are priced per square metre, and a carpenter's time to fit the panels and the decorating come on top. Below are the prices for standard, oak and bespoke panelling and wainscoting, what MDF sheets cost, the hourly rates for fitting and decorating, a worked example for one feature wall, how long the job takes and what each quote should state.
Wall panelling cost per m² by panel type
Checkatrade’s wall panelling cost guide prices the materials for each type of panelling per m², excluding VAT, and says the cost of installation is added on top.
| Panelling materials, per m² excluding VAT | Low | High | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wall panelling | £50 | £400 | £225 |
| Oak wall panelling | £100 | £450 | £275 |
| Bespoke wall panelling | Not given | Not given | £295 |
| Wainscoting | £50 | £400 | £225 |
Wainscoting is priced the same as wall panelling, at £50 to £400 per m² with a £225 average, excluding VAT, in the same guide.
Oak and bespoke wall panelling cost
Oak wall panelling costs £100 to £450 per m² for the materials, around £275 on average, excluding VAT, Checkatrade says. Bespoke oak is the dearest panelling, according to the same guide.
Bespoke wall panelling averages £295 per m², excluding VAT, in Checkatrade’s price table, which gives no low or high figure for it.
MDF wall panelling and feature wall kits
MDF panelling is typically the most affordable type, and a standard 8ft x 4ft sheet of 18mm MDF costs around £17 to £25 per board, according to Checkatrade.
For a feature wall, Checkatrade points to shaker-style MDF kits plus a day’s labour to fit them. A carpenter pricing that day needs the size of the wall, the panel style and whether the painting is part of the job.
Describing a panelled feature wall when you ask for a price
Do this
Supply and fit shaker-style MDF panelling across the wall behind the bed, 4m wide and 2.5m high, then prime, undercoat and gloss it, with the panels, the fitting and the decorating priced separately
Not this
How much to panel a wall in the bedroom?
Fitting and decorating costs for wall panelling
Media walls and wall panelling are among the jobs a carpenter can help with, Checkatrade says. Fitting is added to the price of the panels, and Checkatrade’s wall panelling guide gives a carpenter’s hourly rate as £25 to £40, around £35, excluding VAT.
Checkatrade’s carpentry prices guide, which covers carpentry work in general, puts a carpenter’s day rate at around £300 and the hourly rate at around £37.50.
Decorating the panels with primer, undercoat and gloss is extra, at £25 to £35 an hour, around £30, excluding VAT, Checkatrade says.
Agree who paints the panels before you book
Decorating is extra to fitting, so a quote for the fitting alone leaves the primer, undercoat and gloss as a second bill, at around £30 an hour excluding VAT.
Cost of panelling a feature wall
The panels are priced by area and the decorating by the hour, so start with the size of the wall. A wall 4m wide and 2.5m high is 10 m², and at the averages in Checkatrade’s wall panelling guide it works out as below, before the carpenter’s fitting time is added.
Panels and decorating for a 10 m² feature wall
| Wall panelling, 10 m² at £225 per m² | £2,250 |
|---|---|
| Primer, undercoat and gloss, 8 hours at £30 an hour | £240 |
Total £2,490
All figures come from Checkatrade's wall panelling cost guide and exclude VAT. Leaves out the carpenter's time to fit the panels, at £25 to £40 an hour.
Across the full £50 to £400 per m² range, the panels for the same wall cost £500 to £4,000, and oak panels at the £275 average come to £2,750, all excluding VAT, on Checkatrade’s prices.
How long wall panelling takes
Most wall panelling jobs take one to two days, Checkatrade says.
| Panelling job | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Simple MDF feature wall | Around 1 day |
| Full-room tongue and groove | 1 to 2 days |
| Bespoke or geometric design | Around 1 to 3 days |
A bespoke design costs more in panels and in time, in Checkatrade’s guide, with bespoke wall panelling averaging £295 per m², excluding VAT, against £225 for wall panelling in general, and bespoke or geometric designs taking around one to three days to fit.
Before you compare panelling quotes
Panelling quotes can be compared only when they price the same job and include the same things. A quote that prices the panels per m² and the fitting and decorating by the hour can be checked line by line against Checkatrade’s figures. Those figures exclude VAT, so check whether a quote includes VAT before you set it against them.
What each panelling quote should state
- The area priced, in m²
- The panel type, such as MDF, oak or bespoke panelling
- The design, such as shaker-style, tongue and groove or geometric
- Whether the price covers the panels, the fitting or both
- Whether primer, undercoat and gloss are included
- How many days the job will take
- Whether the figures include VAT
Nottingham firms that fit and make wall panelling
Among the Nottingham carpenters and joiners we compare, Conlan Carpentry & Joinery in Long Eaton, with over 14 years of experience in the trade, fits wall panelling across Nottingham, Derby and the surrounding areas. It also designs, makes and fits bespoke fitted furniture, from alcove units to media shelving.
West Bridgford Joinery in Sneinton makes its Peak Profiles panelling in its own workshop, and says the panelling costs from £150 per square metre with a 6 to 8 week lead time.
Common questions
How much does wall panelling cost per m²?
Wall panelling costs £50 to £400 per m² for the materials, around £225 on average, excluding VAT, according to Checkatrade. Fitting is added on top at a carpenter's hourly rate of £25 to £40, and decorating the panels costs £25 to £35 an hour, both excluding VAT.
How much does oak wall panelling cost?
Oak wall panelling costs £100 to £450 per m², around £275 on average, excluding VAT, Checkatrade says. Bespoke oak is the dearest type of panelling, and bespoke wall panelling averages £295 per m², excluding VAT.
What is the cheapest type of wall panelling?
MDF panelling is typically the most affordable, Checkatrade says, with a standard 8ft x 4ft sheet of 18mm MDF at around £17 to £25 per board. For a feature wall it points to shaker-style MDF kits plus a day's labour to fit them.
How much does it cost to panel a feature wall?
At Checkatrade's averages, the panels and decorating for a 10 m² feature wall come to £2,490 excluding VAT, with £2,250 for the panels at £225 per m² and £240 for 8 hours of decorating at £30 an hour. The carpenter's time to fit the panels is added on top, at £25 to £40 an hour.
How much does a carpenter charge to fit wall panelling?
Around £25 to £40 an hour, £35 on average, excluding VAT, in Checkatrade's wall panelling cost guide, charged on top of the panels. The same guide says a simple MDF feature wall takes around one day and most panelling jobs one to two days.
How long does it take to fit wall panelling?
Most wall panelling jobs take one to two days, Checkatrade says. A simple MDF feature wall takes around one day, full-room tongue and groove one to two days, and bespoke or geometric designs around one to three days.
Is painting included in the cost of wall panelling?
Not in Checkatrade's prices, where decorating the panels with primer, undercoat and gloss is extra at £25 to £35 an hour, around £30, excluding VAT. Agree who does it before the work starts, so the painting does not arrive as a second bill.
Where the figures come from
- Checkatrade, wall panelling cost read 2026-09-17
- Checkatrade, carpentry prices guide read 2026-09-17
- Checkatrade, how to hire a carpenter read 2026-09-17
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