Looking to add timeless character and charm to your walls? This guide walks you through everything you need to know about installing tongue-and-groove panelling in your home, from planning and measuring to cutting and installation, so you can achieve a professional finish every time.
What is tongue and groove panelling?
Tongue-and-groove panelling, sometimes called "farmhouse style," is popular in kitchens, bathrooms, utility areas, hallways, and children's bedrooms and playrooms. Recently, tongue-and-groove panelling has become very on-trend and is being widely used in domestic and commercial settings to enhance interiors and add character.
Some people prefer to install full sheets of MDF manufactured to look like individual upright panels, and while this is a perfectly serviceable solution, it is quite restrictive and standardised.
The wall panelling we manufacture and supply at Skirting 4 U consists of individual panels that lock together in the traditional way. Each piece is 3m long and 95mm wide. Being a full 3m length gives you the flexibility to install this at the perfect height for your project, as each panel can be cut to the size you choose.
Full lengths are great if you are doing the full height of the wall, or anything above the standard 1.2m you can achieve with a machine sheet panel. They also give a more authentic look than machined sheet material and are very easy to customise and install.
Getting started
Before you start installing tongue-and-groove panelling, you need to make an important decision: Will you mount it over your existing skirting boards or remove them first, fit the panelling, and then reinstall the skirting on top? This can offer a cleaner, more seamless finish, and the choice can make a big difference to the final look.
Of course, this is dependent on the skirting board you have in the property. Each panel is 9mm thick, so if the top edge of your skirting board exceeds this, you don't need to remove it first; the panelling can sit on the top edge of your skirting.
If the top edge of your skirting board is thinner than 9mm, the base of the panelling will protrude out further than the skirting. Although this isn't the most refined look, it causes no structural issues — so if the convenience suits you, proceed with confidence. As with most interior choices, it ultimately comes down to personal taste.
TIP: If your skirting's top edge is too thin, but you really don't want to remove it before installing panelling, you can install a scotia bead "upside down" on top of your skirting board to transition to a thicker edge.
If you decide to remove your skirting board before installing the panelling, read our guide on how to remove your skirting board.
Note: When installing tongue and groove panelling, it is important to consider how all the mouldings in the room will interact and impact each other. Architrave is perhaps the most important moulding to think about
Any mouldings you add to tongue-and-groove panelling will sit further forward than they would if they were fixed to the wall. If the panelling you install is 9mm thick, anything installed on top of it will naturally sit 9mm further forward than it would if fixed straight onto the wall.
If you are fitting skirting board on top of panelling, you need to consider how this will look when it meets your architrave. Ideally, the architrave should be thicker than your skirting board for a tidy finish. At the very least, it should sit flush with the skirting.
Skirting boards are typically 18mm thick, so once they sit on top of 9mm panelling, you'd need architrave over 27mm thick (30mm would be ideal), which would likely mean installing new architrave.
Similarly, if you are installing a dado rail along the top edge of your tongue-and-groove panelling, you need to consider how thick it will be and how it will look next to your architrave.
If the dado rail you've chosen is going to be placed atop the panelling, it can be fixed directly to the wall, which means it is unlikely to cause an issue.
A great way to finish tongue and groove panelling is with a thicker dado rail that has been rebated along its length so that the top of the dado sits flush with the wall and the base of the dado sits on top of the panelling, concealing the top edge of the panelling completely. To achieve this, your dado must be thick enough to accommodate a 9mm rebate to fit over the 9mm panelling. This might make the dado rail thicker than the architrave, so consider this while planning the install.
The issue with skirting boards being too thick can be addressed by either using a thinner (15mm) skirting board, which would work with architrave 25mm or thicker, or by increasing the thickness of the architrave. This can be achieved by installing new architrave, installing a plinth block at the base of the architrave to mask the transition point between skirting and architrave, or by installing hockey stick moulding around the existing architrave to make the outer edge thicker.
6 steps for installing tongue and groove panelling
Ready to transform your walls with classic tongue-and-groove panelling? The key to a flawless finish starts with planning; choosing the right height, calculating panel quantities, and precise cutting. Follow these straightforward steps to measure, cut, and fix your panels perfectly, finishing off with a neat dado rail or mini-shelf to complete the look.
1. Deciding on the panelling height
The first part of the installation process is to decide on the overall height you would like the panelling to be. For the popular farmhouse look, anything between 900mm and 1200mm is ideal, but we recommend cutting a length to size first and placing it on the wall to get a feel for how it will look before cutting all of your material!
Using a spirit level and pencil, draw a straight line across the length of the wall to act as a guide to line up with the top of each panel to ensure everything is installed to a consistently straight level.
2. Calculating how many panels are required
Measure the full width of the wall(s) you are installing the panelling on, and divide this measurement by 95mm, as this is the visible width of each panel. This will reveal how many panels are required to cover the wall.
Note: the true width of each panel is 103mm, but 8mm is inserted into the adjacent panel (the tongue that is inserted into the groove of the next piece of panelling) so it is essential not to factor this into your calculation and only use the measurement of what will be visible rather than the actual width of the panel including the tongue!
It is unlikely that the wall measurement will divide perfectly evenly, so you will likely need to cut one panel slightly slimmer to complete the wall.
This calculation tells you how many individual panels you need to cover the wall. The number of panels you will need to order will depend on the height of the panelling itself. Each panel is 3m long, so if you are not panelling from floor to ceiling, you can cut each length into two or three sections.
Assuming you intend to install panelling 900mm high, each length of panelling you order will provide you with three 900mm high panels.
So, for example, if your wall is 2500mm long and you are panelling 900mm high across the full wall, you would first divide 2500mm by 95mm (which gives you 26.3), then divide the answer by 3 (because each panel you purchase can be cut into three sections), which comes to 8.77. Finally, round this to the nearest whole number, which in this case is 9, and this is how many full panels you will need to panel the wall.
3. Cut each tongue and groove panel to size
Once you have decided on the panelling height you will install, you can begin cutting each full length down to size.
To make the process easier, we recommend a two-step approach:
- Cut each length into sections slightly larger than your intended final size, then trim each piece to the correct size. Trying to cut a full 3m length on a chop saw is cumbersome, so cutting the pieces oversized initially will make each one much easier to work with and help you trim them to size accurately.
- Take one of your slightly oversized panels. Use a tape measure and pencil to mark where it needs to be cut to the desired size. Then, use the saw to cut it to this size.
Repeat this cutting process until all the required pieces have been cut to the correct size.
TIP: To help you ensure each piece is cut to exactly the same size, we recommend clamping an offcut of MDF to the cutting platform after the first piece has been cut so that each subsequent piece will line up in the same place as the first. The block stops the material slipping backwards, so you can be confident that the distance between the panel's end and the saw's blade remains consistent. This is especially helpful if you are cutting a large number of individual pieces to size.
4. Fixing the panels to the wall
Depending on where the panelling is starting from, place the first panel into the left-hand corner of the wall or flush against the architrave. Ensure the top edge aligns with the height marking you made along the wall at the beginning of the process. Also, be sure that the "tongue" is facing to the right.
Using a nail gun, pin this piece in position at regular intervals along the panel to hold it in place. There is no "right number" of pins to use, and it will depend on the length of the pieces you are installing. In our example of 900mm high panels, we would fix it at 4-5 points along the panel.
TIP: Place the fixings in the tongue section of the panel. This way they will be hidden entirely in the "groove" of the next piece you install and save you from unnecessary filling before painting!
Take the next piece of panelling and interlock it with the piece you just installed, so that the tongue from the first piece sits correctly in the groove of this second piece. Ensure, as before, that the top edge of this second panel aligns with the first and is flush against your pencil line on the wall.
Next, secure it in place with a nail gun, making fixes along the length of the tongue.
Repeat this process to cover the wall until you reach the end. At that point, you will likely need to reduce the width of the final panel to fit the remaining gap between the previous panel and the end of the wall.
5. Trimming the final piece
In most cases, the final piece of panelling you install must be reduced in width to fit correctly in the remaining space on the wall.
To do this, measure the distance from the beginning of the tongue to the point on the wall where the panelling ends—usually an internal corner or architrave around a door.
Transfer this measurement to the final piece of panelling, remembering to measure from the groove inwards. You will discard the tongue side of this piece as it will not be needed to connect to any further pieces.
With the measurement marked on the panelling, use a straight edge to extend the marking along the full length of this piece of panelling, which will act as a guide for when you cut this piece to the correct length.
Using a hand saw, cut along your marking carefully. You will now have a narrower panelling piece with a groove on one side and a flat edge on the other.
Slot this final piece in position. It should be a tight enough fit between the previous panel and the wall to be sufficiently held in place with no additional fixing. However, you will need to decide based on your situation, so fix it as before with the nail gun if you feel it is necessary.
6. Capping the panelling
To tidy up and complete the top edge of your tongue-and-groove panelling, you will need to install either a dado rail or a square-edge piece of material (like a mini-shelf).
In this example, we will be installing a dado rail. What you install will depend on your budget and your style preference.
Begin by marking the dado rail where it needs to be cut to size. Then, measure the width of the wall where it will be installed and transfer this measurement to the dado rail using a tape measure and pencil. Finally, cut the length of the dado rail to size.
As before, use a nail gun to secure the dado rail in position by fixing it at regular intervals along its length.
TIP: If you place the fixings in the part of the dado rail design that looks like a "valley." This will help to hide the fixings.
If you removed your skirting board, now is the time to put it back in place over the panelling.
If you did not have skirting boards when you started this project and are installing new ones, you can read our guide on how to install skirting boards here.