How Much Does Wall Panelling Cost in Ireland? 2026 Prices by Type and Room

Here is the surprise. On a typical MDF shaker job, the panels are the cheapest thing you buy. A Woodie's Shaker Panelling Kit for 1.2 m² costs €11.99, while one tin of B&Q primer and undercoat costs €37. Most of what you pay for is setting out, cutting, filling and painting.

Key Findings for 2026

How Much Does Wall Panelling Cost by Type?

The type of panelling sets your material cost per m². Prices below are live Irish retail prices we checked on 25 October 2026. We divided each pack price by the area the retailer says it covers.

Build Me calculation from Woodie's and B&Q Ireland prices, 25 October 2026. Materials only, before adhesive, filler, primer and paint.

MDF Shaker, Box and Beading Panelling

MDF shaker panelling is the cheapest look to buy and the most popular. You fix flat MDF strips to the wall in a grid, then paint strips and wall in one colour. Woodie's Shaker Panelling Kit holds six 1.2 m strips (63 mm x 9 mm). It covers about 1.2 m² for €11.99. Its wider MDF kit uses 97 mm strips and costs €16.99 for the same area.

Box or picture-frame panelling uses thin decorative mouldings instead of flat strips. Woodie's Decorative Dado Panelling Kit costs €34.99 and suits a 2 m run of wall. The pine Traditional Shaker kit costs €49.99 and covers about 2.49 m². That works out at about €20 per m².

In practice, fitted and painted MDF shaker panelling costs €70 to €120 per m² in Dublin (Build Me estimate). Picture-frame mouldings sit nearer €80 to €140 per m², because every corner is a mitre cut. The result is a large spread between DIY and fitted prices, which we cover below.

Tongue and Groove Panelling

Tongue and groove panelling uses vertical boards that slot together. It suits cottages, bathrooms (outside the shower), utility rooms and half-height hallways. Woodie's sells primed TVG cladding at €10.99 per 2.4 m length. Each board is 94 mm wide, and you need about five boards for every m² of wall. That puts material cost near €54 per m², over five times the shaker kit (Build Me calculation).

Here is why it costs more to fit as well. Boards usually go onto timber battens, so the fitter fixes a frame first. Each board then needs cutting at the top, the bottom and around sockets. A dado or capping rail finishes the top edge, and a new skirting often finishes the bottom.

Fitted and painted, tongue and groove costs about €100 to €160 per m² in Dublin (Build Me estimate). Moisture-resistant MDF tongue and groove costs less than solid timber and stays straighter in centrally heated homes. Solid pine suits a stain or oil finish. However, it moves with the seasons, so gaps may open between boards.

Wood Slat and Acoustic Slat Panels

Acoustic slat panels are timber-veneer slats bonded to a felt backing. They come as ready-made panels, so one panel covers a large area fast. Woodie's sells 2.4 m x 0.6 m acoustic panels in walnut, light oak, smoked oak and dark grey. Each costs €89.99, or 2 for €170. That is €59 to €62 per m². B&Q Ireland's FN Acustico walnut panel (2.4 m x 0.57 m) costs €90, about €66 per m².

Woodie's lists a noise reduction coefficient (NRC) of 0.80 for its walnut panel. By comparison, painted MDF strips do almost nothing for echo. So slat panels earn their price in open-plan rooms, home offices and media walls.

Fitted, acoustic slat panelling costs €110 to €170 per m² in Dublin (Build Me estimate). Bespoke slat walls built from loose hardwood battens cost about €150 to €250 per m². Each slat is cut, spaced and fixed by hand. Corners, sockets and light switches add cutting time to either option.

PVC and Waterproof Bathroom and Shower Panels

Bathroom and shower panels replace tiles rather than decorate a wall. B&Q Ireland sells PVC bathroom wall panels (2.4 m x 1 m) at €87, about €36 per m². Splashwall laminate MDF tongue and groove panels cost €153 for a 2420 x 585 mm board. That is about €108 per m². At the top end, Splashwall Elite MPC three-panel kits cost €1,600 to €1,700 for about 8.7 m².

The price gap reflects the core and finish. PVC is light, cheap and fully waterproof, but thin sheets can look plasticky and dent. MPC and laminate boards are rigid, so they look closer to stone or large tiles. All of them need the right trims, sealant and a sound, flat wall behind.

Fitted, PVC panelling costs about €70 to €110 per m² in Dublin (Build Me estimate). Premium laminate or MPC panels cost about €160 to €300 per m² fitted. Fitting over old tiles is often possible, which avoids the cost of stripping and replastering. Inside a shower, use only panels sold as waterproof for wet areas.

Panelling Kits and Peel-and-Stick Options

Kits package pre-cut strips for a set span, so you buy by wall length rather than area. Woodie's Modern Panelling Kit costs €22.99 for a 2 m span, with 900 mm vertical slats and a capping moulding. Its Slim Dado kit costs €39.99 for about 2 m². Kits cut waste and measuring time, which suits a first DIY project.

Peel-and-stick sits at the bottom of the price range. B&Q Ireland's D-C-Fix self-adhesive wooden slat film costs €12 for 0.9 m², about €13 per m². It is a printed film, not a real panel, so it gives the look without depth or texture. IKEA Ireland does not sell decorative wall panelling as such. Its LYSEKIL double-sided wall panel (119.6 x 55 cm, €45) is a kitchen splashback, at about €68 per m².

In practice, kits and films are DIY products. A fitter will charge much the same per m² for a kit as for loose strips. The saving comes from your own time, not from the trade price. Self-adhesive products also need a smooth, clean, painted wall to stay stuck.

How Much of the Price Is Materials and How Much Is Fitting?

Most of a fitted panelling price is labour and finishing, not panels. On MDF shaker panelling, materials are often under 20% of the fitted price. On acoustic slat or MPC bathroom panels, the materials share rises to around half. Panelling often costs less per m² within a wider home renovation, as the fitter is already on site.

The table below shows installed prices per m², including materials, fixing, filling, caulking and painting where the type needs paint. These are Build Me estimates for Dublin in 2026, including VAT at 13.5%. Small areas under about 5 m² usually price at the top of each range, or above it.

How Much Does Wall Panelling Cost Per Room?

Room size matters less than you might think. What changes the price is the number of corners, doors, sockets and radiators the panels must work around. These are Build Me estimates for fitted and painted panelling in Dublin in 2026.

Hallway and Stairs

Hallways are the most common panelling job in Irish semis and terraces. A typical hall in a 1930s or 1970s semi is about 4 m long, with two or three door openings. Half-height panelling on both sides covers 6 to 8 m². It costs about €650 to €1,100 fitted and painted (Build Me estimate).

Stairs change the maths. The panelling has to follow the slope of the stairs, so every strip end is an angled cut. The landing adds a second run of wall, and the stairwell often needs a stepladder platform or trestle. As a result, hallway, stairs and landing together cost about €1,500 to €2,800 for 14 to 20 m².

By comparison, the hall alone is the best value per euro of any room. It is the first thing visitors see, and it takes heavy wear from bikes, bags and buggies. Hard-wearing eggshell or satin paint on the panels makes scuffs easy to wipe off. Plan where the top rail sits before you start: about 1 m to 1.2 m high suits most halls and lines up with the stair handrail.

Bedroom Feature Wall

A panelled wall behind the bed is the most popular bedroom option. A wall 3.5 m wide and 2.4 m high is about 8.5 m². Full-height MDF shaker panelling on that wall costs about €650 to €1,050 fitted and painted (Build Me estimate). The same wall in acoustic slat panels costs about €950 to €1,450.

Here is why the gap is smaller than the materials suggest. Acoustic panels need no filling or painting, so the fitter spends less time per m². MDF shaker panelling needs caulk, filler, primer and two top coats, with drying time between each.

Lighting adds cost but often makes the wall. Wall lights or reading lights set into the panelling need an electrician to run cables before the panels go up. Plan any lights, sockets or a wall-mounted TV first. Moving a socket after the panels are fitted means cutting into a finished wall. Half-height panelling with a picture shelf on top is a cheaper middle option, at roughly half the area.

Living Room

In living rooms, panelling usually goes on one of three places. These are the chimney breast, a TV wall, or half height around the whole room. Acoustic slats on a chimney breast or TV wall cover 3 to 5 m². They cost about €500 to €850 fitted (Build Me estimate). Small jobs like this price above the per m² rate because set-up time is fixed.

Half-height panelling around a whole living room covers 12 to 16 m² once you allow for doors and windows. Box panelling or tongue and groove at that size costs about €1,100 to €2,100 fitted and painted. In practice, the cost rises with every bay window, radiator and alcove the panels must wrap around.

Period homes need extra care. Older walls are rarely flat or plumb, so the fitter may pack out panels or fix to battens. Original cornices, picture rails and skirting are worth keeping, and new mouldings should match their scale. B&Q Ireland's own ideas guide puts the trend plainly:

"More than just a trend, wall panels are here for the long run."

B&Q Ireland, 25 wall panelling ideas guide

Bathroom and Shower

Bathroom panelling is usually about waterproofing, not just looks. Three walls around a standard bath cover about 8 to 10 m². PVC panels on that area cost about €700 to €1,100 fitted (Build Me estimate). Laminate or MPC panels with a stone or large-tile look cost about €1,500 to €2,800 fitted.

By comparison, wall panels often cost less than retiling, because there is less grout, less adhesive and faster fitting. They also suit older bathrooms where a full strip-out would be costly. If the bath or pipework is also changing, compare full bathroom renovation costs first.

Decorative MDF panelling can still work in a bathroom, but only away from splashes. Half-height tongue and groove behind a toilet or basin is common, using moisture-resistant MDF and a bathroom-grade paint. Inside the shower, use only panels rated for wet areas with the maker's own trims and sealant. Good ventilation, such as a working extractor fan, protects every type of panel from condensation.

Worked Example: What Does a 4 m Hallway Cost to Panel?

This is a worked example, not a Build Me project. It shows how the numbers add up for a common job. The hall is 4 m long in a typical Dublin semi. Panelling runs 1 m high on both sides, minus two 0.8 m door openings. That leaves 6.4 m of wall, or about 6.4 m² to panel.

The result is a gap of about €400 to €750 between doing it yourself and hiring a fitter. The fitted price works out at about €100 to €155 per m². That is above the €70 to €120 room-sized rate. A small hall still needs the same set-up, cutting and drying time.

Most of the fitter's time goes on prep and finishing. A typical sequence is setting out with a laser level, cutting around sockets and the radiator, then filling nail holes. Every joint is caulked, then the primer and two top coats follow. Expect two to three days on site, mostly waiting for filler and paint to dry (Build Me estimate).

How Much Does Painting and Finishing Add?

Painting is where a panelling job is won or lost. Raw MDF soaks up paint, so it needs a primer before any top coat. B&Q Ireland sells Crown Quick Dry Wood & MDF primer and undercoat at €37 a tin. Its stated coverage is about 14 m². After priming, panelling needs two top coats in eggshell or satin, which wipe clean far better than matt emulsion.

Paint is getting dearer. CSO data shows wholesale prices for paints, oils and varnishes rose 9.2% in the 12 months to August 2026. Construction products overall rose 3.3% in the same period. So on a typical hallway, paint and sundries now cost more than the MDF strips themselves.

In practice, painting and finishing add about €25 to €45 per m² to a fitted price (Build Me estimate). That covers filling pin holes, caulking every joint, light sanding, priming and two top coats. Painting the wall above the panels adds a little more. Acoustic slat panels and laminate bathroom panels come pre-finished, so they skip this cost entirely. In a bigger job, panelling comes late in the order of a home renovation, after rewiring and plastering.

Is DIY Wall Panelling Cheaper Than Hiring a Professional?

DIY is cheaper on paper. In our worked example, DIY materials cost €199 to €266, against €650 to €1,000 fitted. That is a saving of about 60% to 75%. The catch is time and finish quality. A first-time DIYer often needs two or three weekends for a hallway. Uneven spacing or visible joints are hard to hide once painted.

Cutting MDF also creates fine dust. The Health and Safety Authority's wood working information sheet warns about dust from power tools:

"Certain machines, e.g. sanding machines, can generate particularly high levels of dust."

Health and Safety Authority, Wood Working information sheet, January 2022

Cut outdoors or use a saw with dust extraction, and wear a properly fitted dust mask. Professionals bring a mitre saw, laser level, nail gun and extraction, which makes the work faster and cleaner.

What Pushes the Price of Wall Panelling Up?

Two hallways of the same size can have very different quotes. These are the factors that move the price most. Each one adds time, materials or a second trade.

How Do You Get an Accurate Wall Panelling Quote?

A good quote names the panel, the area and the finish, so you can compare quotes fairly. These steps take most homeowners one to two weeks from measuring to a fixed price.

1. Day 1Measure each wall and note the height you want.Record each wall length, the panel height and every door and window opening.
2. Day 1 to 2Photograph the sockets, switches and radiators.Fitters price cutting and moving services separately, so clear photos avoid surprises later.
3. Day 2 to 3Choose the panelling type and the paint finish.Pick MDF shaker, tongue and groove, acoustic slats or bathroom panels, then eggshell or satin paint.
4. Week 1Ask two or three fitters for a fixed price per wall.Each quote should include materials, fixing, filling, caulking, priming, two top coats and waste removal.
5. Week 2Compare quotes on a per m² basis.Divide each quote by your area to spot prices far outside the typical range.

Will Wall Panelling Cost More in 2027?

Prices are likely to keep edging up rather than jump. These trends are tied to current Irish data and retail patterns.

• Paint keeps getting dearer: CSO wholesale prices for paints, oils and varnishes rose 9.2% in the year to August 2026. Since painting is a big share of MDF panelling, expect finished prices to rise faster than panel prices.
• Materials inflation stays steady: the CSO Building and Construction Index (materials and wages) rose 3.3% in the year to August 2026. Expect a similar 3% to 4% rise in fitted panelling prices into 2027 (Build Me estimate).
• Kit prices stay low: Woodie's runs multi-buy offers on its kits, such as 2 Shaker kits for €20. Retail competition should keep DIY kit prices close to today's levels.
• Acoustic panels go mainstream: Woodie's and B&Q Ireland now both stock acoustic slat panels at about €90 each. Wider choice tends to bring more offers, such as Woodie's 2 for €170 deal.

FAQ

Next Steps

1. This week: measure each wall, decide on half or full height and photograph sockets and radiators.
2. Within 1 to 2 weeks: choose your panelling type and paint finish, and work out a budget using the per m² tables above.
3. Within 2 to 3 weeks: get two or three fixed quotes per wall and compare them per m².
4. Before work starts: book any electrician or plumber to move sockets, lights or radiators.
5. On the day: clear the room, protect the floors and agree where off-cuts and waste will go.

Useful Tools and Resources

• Build Me renovation cost calculator: estimates the cost of a wider renovation that includes panelling.
• Build Me bathroom renovation calculator: compares a panelled bathroom against a full retile and refit.
• Woodie's wall panelling kits: current kit and acoustic panel prices, with coverage per pack.
• B&Q Ireland bathroom wall panels: PVC, laminate and MPC panel prices and sizes.
• B&Q Ireland, 25 wall panelling ideas: design ideas by room before you choose a style.
• HSA wood working information sheet: wood dust risks and controls when cutting MDF and timber.

How We Checked These Figures

We checked every retail price on the Woodie's, B&Q Ireland and IKEA Ireland websites on 25 October 2026. Per m² figures divide each pack price by the coverage the retailer states. Where a retailer runs a multi-buy offer, we show both the single and offer price. Material price trends come from the CSO Wholesale Price Index for August 2026.

Fitted prices are Build Me estimates for Dublin, including VAT at 13.5%. They are not quotes. Where sources disagreed, we used the retailer's live product page over search listings. We re-check these figures every quarter.

Sources

1. Woodie's, Wall Panelling Kits category (accessed 25 October 2026)
2. Woodie's, Shaker Panelling Kit, €11.99 (accessed 25 October 2026)
3. Woodie's, MDF Panelling Kit, €16.99 (accessed 25 October 2026)
4. Woodie's, Traditional Shaker Panelling Kit, €49.99 (accessed 25 October 2026)
5. Woodie's, Walnut Acoustic Wall Panel 2.4 m x 600 mm, €89.99 (accessed 25 October 2026)
6. Woodie's, Primed TVG Cladding 9 x 94 x 2400 mm, €10.99 (accessed 25 October 2026)
7. B&Q Ireland, PVC Bathroom Wall Panel 2400 x 1000 mm, €87 (accessed 25 October 2026)
8. B&Q Ireland, Splashwall Elite 3 panel MPC wall panel kit, €1,700 (accessed 25 October 2026)
9. B&Q Ireland, FN Acustico Walnut veneer acoustic panel 2400 x 572.5 mm, €90 (accessed 25 October 2026)
10. B&Q Ireland, Crown Quick Dry Wood & MDF primer and undercoat, €37 (accessed 25 October 2026)
11. B&Q Ireland, D-C-Fix wooden slats self-adhesive film, €12 (accessed 25 October 2026)
12. IKEA Ireland, LYSEKIL wall panel 119.6 x 55 cm, €45 (accessed 25 October 2026)
13. B&Q Ireland, Bathroom wall panels category, incl. Splashwall laminate and composite panels (accessed 25 October 2026)
14. B&Q Ireland, 25 wall panelling ideas (accessed 25 October 2026)
15. Central Statistics Office, Wholesale Price Index August 2026
16. Health and Safety Authority, Wood Working information sheet (January 2022)