Aluminium I Strip WP 05/07/11: joining panels mid-wall

Long walls need more than one panel, and wherever two panels meet there is a seam. Push them tight together and the join still shows, because the cut edges are never identical and the wall behind them is never perfectly flat. The Aluminium I Strip for WP 05/07/11 sits in that seam and turns an accident into a line.

Plan where the joins land

A join is a visual event. Put four of them at random across a wall and the eye finds them all. Decide the spacing before cutting anything:

• Centre the first panel on whatever the wall is actually about: the bed, the television, the fireplace. Work outwards from there so the joins fall symmetrically.
• Keep joins off the sightline from the door, which is the view the room gets most often.
• Spacing the strips evenly turns them into part of the design. Spacing them by chance leaves them looking like repairs.
• If you would rather have no mid-wall join at all, measure the wall before choosing a panel, not after.

The figures on the page

Thirty metres of strip in one pack is more than a large room is likely to ask for, so the quantity is rarely the constraint. The description states that the aluminium strips suit any of the PVC wall panels in the range, and all three finishes are listed against panels 05, 07 and 11.

Choosing a finish you will not regret

Vertical metal lines across a panelled wall are the most visible trim in the room, far more so than an edge tucked into a corner. Silver reads as the quietest of the three against grey and white panels. Black is the most forgiving if the panel pattern is busy. Gold is a statement, and works best when something else in the room, a handle or a light fitting, already carries it.

What to check on arrival

Aluminium takes a knock in transit, so unwrap the lengths and sight down each one before the panels go up. Check the finish is consistent across all ten pieces, since a join strip from a different batch will show up next to its neighbour. The listing does not publish a profile width or depth, nor how the strip is fixed, so if you are planning the fixing sequence in advance ask the shop for those details first.

The rest of the set

A wall with mid-run joins almost always needs an edge somewhere too, which is the Aluminium End Strip, and a return at the corner, which is the Aluminium Corner Strip. All of them live in Trims & Fittings beside the boards in Wall Panelling. Delivery is free within 50 miles of the Glasgow store and £50 beyond that.

Mark your joins on the wall, then order the Aluminium I Strip in the finish that suits the panel you have chosen.