Wall Panel 81E Black: 16 narrow planks, 5.76m² per pack

The Wall Panel 81E in black is a seamless PVC panel the shop supplies, and it is sold by the pack rather than the plank. One pack holds 16 pieces at 15 x 240 x 1.8cm and the listing gives the coverage as 5.76m². Sixteen narrow planks behave quite differently on a wall from four wide boards, so it is worth reading those figures properly before you order.

What one pack contains

The three numbers agree with one another, which is a good sign on any panel listing: 16 planks at 15cm wide make a run 240cm across, and 2.4m wide by 2.4m high is 5.76m². Read the panel size as width, length and thickness. That is the obvious reading here, but the dimension order is not spelled out, so confirm it with the shop if your setting-out depends on the 1.8cm face.

Working out how many packs

Measure the wall at both ends and in the middle rather than once. Rooms are rarely the same height corner to corner, and with 240cm planks a ceiling a few centimetres over that length forces a decision rather than a trim. Then multiply width by height in metres and divide by 5.76.

• A wall 3m wide and 2.4m high is 7.2m², so it takes two packs and leaves you with planks over.
• A chimney breast 1.2m wide and 2.4m high is 2.88m², exactly half a pack.
• Keep a plank or two back for mistakes. Narrow planks are easy to over-order and hard to match later.

If the ceiling is higher than 240cm you will need a horizontal joint or a band of something else above. The listing names a trim for the 81 system but does not describe a joining strip for a mid-wall break, so ask before you commit to a tall wall.

What a 15cm plank does that a wide board does not

A narrow plank lets you take up a wall that is out of square gradually. Instead of one awkward tapered cut at the end of a 60cm board, you can scribe the first and last plank and lose the discrepancy where nobody looks. Fifteen joints across 2.4m also give the wall a visible vertical rhythm, which suits an alcove or a full-height run behind a bed and can look busy on a short return.

Black is the finish that shows the most. Dust sits on a dark face, and a wall with any undulation in it will read in raked light from a window or a downlight. Hold a sample against the wall at the time of day the room is actually used before you order the lot.

What this listing does not tell you

Plainly, so you can ask the right questions:

• No fire rating or moisture rating is stated, so do not assume either. If it is going near a hob, a shower or a flue, ask first.
• No fixing method is named. The shop does supply adhesive for wall panels, but this panel's own listing does not say that is what it wants, so check rather than guess.
• Nothing about batch-to-batch colour consistency. Order the whole wall in one go.
• No cleaning instruction and no acoustic figure. This is a flat seamless board, not a slatted acoustic panel, so do not expect it to do anything for sound.
• The finish is described as wood-effect while the colour is named Black. Ask for a photograph or a sample if you need to know how much grain actually shows.

What it sits with

The same 16-piece 81 system runs in other finishes, which is useful if you want a matching plank width in an adjoining room: 81A in oak and 81B in walnut. If you want black with fewer pieces to a pack and fewer joints, 82E Black Seamless comes 12 to a pack at the same 240cm length; its listing gives a different thickness and a different coverage figure, so read both on its own page rather than carrying these across. The rest of the range sits in Slat & Acoustic Panels.

When you have your measurements and your pack count, the figures and photographs are on the Wall Panel 81E - Black - Seamless page, and the shop can confirm the fixing and the lead time before you book anyone to fit it. Delivery is free within 50 miles of our Glasgow store and £50 beyond.