Wall Panel 01R Concrete: a grey slat wall, measured up

Wall Panel 01R is the concrete finish in the 60cm slat range: HDF slats on a felt backing, 240cm tall, four panels to a pack. The range runs to oaks and walnuts on one side and greys, blacks, whites, marbles and metallics on the other, and this is the panel to look at if you want the slatted rhythm without the warmth of oak or walnut. The figures below are from the Wall Panel 01R concrete acoustic panel listing, including the part of it that contradicts itself.

The listed figures

The coverage is consistent with the panel size: 0.6m x 2.4m is 1.44m² and four panels give the 5.76m² quoted. The dimensions are best read as 60 wide, 240 tall and 1.5 deep, supported by the 240cm in the name, but they are not labelled on the listing, so check before cutting.

The finish, and a contradiction to settle first

The product name says concrete. The description text on the same listing says a walnut finish. The supplier code, AWS-WP0143, carries no colour in it, and the listing never says which of the two is right, so the written description is no guide at all to the colour here. Judge it on the photographs, and if the wall has to sit beside existing grey plaster, a concrete-effect floor or a dark kitchen, ask the shop to confirm the finish and whether a closer photograph can be arranged. There is no colour reference, no gloss level and no note on texture in the listing, so a concrete effect can mean anything from flat mid-grey to a mottled cast, and only the images will tell you which.

How many panels, and where the cut goes

A pack covers 2.4m of wall width at the full 240cm height. The sum to do before ordering:

• Measure the wall at the top and at skirting level and use the wider figure.
• Divide by 0.6, round up, and that is the panel count.
• Check the ceiling height. At 240cm this panel suits a wall up to that, and a taller wall needs a horizontal join or one of the 280cm panels in the slat and acoustic panel range.
• The 2.5cm slat and 1.5cm gap give a 4cm repeat, which is fifteen repeats across a panel by arithmetic from the published figures. Plan which end takes the trimmed panel, because a cut through a slat looks different from one through a gap.
• Remember the 1.5cm the finished surface stands off the plaster, at skirting, architrave and any socket.

Sound, described but not measured

Slats on a felt backing is the standard acoustic build, and the description says the panel absorbs sound and reduces noise. It publishes no absorption figure, no class and no decibel number, and nothing in it claims the panel stops sound passing through the wall. In a hard-surfaced room, a concrete-look slat wall is a reasonable way to take the edge off the echo. If a number has to go on a specification, ask the shop to get the supplier's test data.

The greys to compare it with

Concrete is not the only cool option here. Wall Panel 01B in light grey and Wall Panel 01C in dark grey are listed as plain greys on the same 60cm format, and they are the fair comparison if a named grey is easier to match than a concrete effect whose texture the listing does not describe. Wall Panel 32R in concrete is the same finish in the three-sided profile, so check its own figures if you want more depth in the slat. No adhesive is included, so add adhesive for wall panels, and ask which trim suits a 1.5cm panel, because this listing names none.

Delivery is free within 50 miles of the Glasgow store and £50 beyond. The images and the published figures are on the Wall Panel 01R concrete acoustic panel page, and anything the supplier has left out the shop can ask for before you order.