Wall Panel 06A Oak Vertical: fit, coverage and what to ask

Most panels in this category are plain slats. Wall Panel 06A is a patterned one: the listing describes a vertical brick pattern on HDF with a felt backing, in an oak finish, four panels to a pack at 60 x 240 x 1.7cm each. It covers 5.76m² per pack. The pattern is the whole point of the panel, so look at the photographs on the Wall Panel 06A Oak Vertical acoustic pack page before you decide anything else.

Read the pattern, not the name

The product name calls this one Vertical. The description calls the design a vertical brick pattern. Those are two different mental pictures, and the listing does not give the size of the repeat, the slat width or the depth of the relief. On a feature wall the repeat is what you will be living with, so if you are matching the panel to a fireplace opening, an alcove or a television, send us the wall dimensions and ask for the repeat before ordering. We would rather answer that than have you set out a wall on an assumption.

Size, coverage and the packs you need

Four panels at 60cm wide give a 2.4m run, and at the 240cm panel length that is the quoted 5.76m². So wall width in metres, divided by 2.4, rounded up. A patterned panel is less forgiving than a plain one here: a cut that lands mid-pattern is visible, so plan where the cut falls, keep it at the edge the eye reaches last, and allow a spare panel if the wall is awkward.

The 1.7cm thickness changes the detailing

At 1.7cm this panel stands well off the wall compared with the thin PVC boards in the same category. That is worth planning for rather than discovering:

• Sockets and switches: the faceplate has to come forward to sit on the finished face. Have an electrician confirm the box depth and the extension needed.
• Door and window reveals: 1.7cm off a reveal is noticeable. Decide whether the panel stops short of the architrave or returns into the reveal.
• Skirting and coving: either remove and refit over the panel, or scribe the panel to it. Decide before you start, not halfway up the wall.
• Radiators and curtain poles: fixings now land 1.7cm further out, so check brackets and valve clearances.

What the listing claims about sound, and what it leaves out

The listing describes the panel as acoustic, built on HDF with a felt backing, and says it delivers sound absorption. It gives no absorption coefficient, no NRC or class rating and no test standard. If you are treating a room where the result has to be measured rather than noticed, ask us for the supplier's test data before you buy, and treat this panel as a finish that helps rather than a specified acoustic product until that data is in front of you. There is no fire classification on the listing either, which matters for an office, a studio or a let. The suggested settings are studios, offices and residential rooms; HDF with a felt face is not described anywhere as suitable for a bathroom or anywhere persistently damp.

The named finishing piece is the Wall Panel PVC Trim Acoustic, which is a separate item. No fixing method is given, so tell us your wall build when you order.

The alternatives worth comparing

If you like the felt-backed oak but want a different geometry, Wall Panel 08A Oak Blocks is the same thickness and coverage with a different pattern, listed as Blocks although its own description calls the design a mandala, so judge it from the photographs. If the pattern is a step too far for the room, Wall Panel 01A Natural Oak Acoustic is the plain slatted oak in the same HDF-and-felt build. And if your ceiling is above 240cm, Wall Panel 02WA Oak Acoustic at 280cm avoids a horizontal joint, though it is a plain slat rather than a pattern. Everything in the range is listed in Slat & Acoustic Panels.

Delivery is free within 50 miles of our Glasgow store and £50 beyond. When you know the wall, order the Wall Panel 06A Oak Vertical acoustic pack, or send us your measurements and the question about the pattern repeat and we will come back with both answers.