Wall Panel 17D Dark Oak: matching the oak you already own

Wall Panel 17D in dark oak is the wide-slat profile in the deepest of its wood tones. Most people looking at it already own something dark oak, a floor, a set of internal doors or a sideboard, so the real question is not what the panel looks like on its own. It is whether it will sit comfortably beside what is already in the room.

Judging the match against what you own

Wood tones rarely match across products, and a slatted wall makes a mismatch easier to spot, because the eye runs the slats and the floor side by side over a full 2.4 metre height. Three things decide it: how deep the brown is, whether it leans yellow or red, and whether the grain repeats or varies from slat to slat. A photograph on a screen settles none of the three, since your own screen has already changed the colour. Ask the shop what can be seen or sent before a full wall is ordered.

Where the match turns out to be close rather than exact, deliberate contrast is the easier answer. Walnut on the same profile, Wall Panel 17T, is the other dark wood finish in the group, though neither listing publishes a colour reference to compare the two by. The grey oak version, Wall Panel 17F, is named for the grey family rather than the brown, which stops the comparison with a dark oak floor being made at all.

What the finish description says, and what it leaves out

The listing calls this a Dark Oak finish on HDF slats with a felt backing. It does not say whether that finish is a wood veneer, a printed foil or a laminate, and those three wear, scratch and fade differently. There is no colour reference and no sheen level either. If the panel is going somewhere it will be touched, along a hallway or behind a desk, ask the shop which of the three it is before ordering.

The pack, and the wall it reaches

• Panel size as listed: 60 x 240 x 1.5cm per panel
• Four pieces per pack
• Area covered: 5.76m2 per pack
• Slat width 5cm, with a 1cm space between slats

Four panels at 60cm wide give a 2.4 metre run, and at the listed 240cm height that is the 5.76m2 quoted. A 3.4 metre wall therefore needs two packs, which leaves better than two panels over. Decide early where the offcuts go, because a panel cut down the middle of a slat looks wrong unless the cut edge lands in a corner, behind a door or under a trim.

What the wider slat changes

The 5cm slat and the 1cm gap repeat every 6cm. That is a calmer pattern than a narrow-slat panel, and it often suits a large wall in a small room, where a fine repeat can feel restless. It also means fewer gaps per metre of wall, which is worth holding in mind next to the sound wording. The description says the slats and felt backing absorb sound and reduce noise transmission, and that installation is straightforward. No absorption figure is published, nothing is given by frequency, and no fixing instructions appear on the listing, so treat the sound wording as description and confirm the fitting method for your wall.

Trims, adhesive and ordering

The trim named on this listing is Wall Panel PVC Trim Acoustic, ordered separately from panel trims and fittings; the panel adhesive is in the same place. Order the panels, the trim and the adhesive together rather than in instalments, so nothing holds up the fitting.

Figures, both photographs and the delivery options are on the Wall Panel 17D dark oak page, and the rest of the profile is in slat and acoustic panels. Delivery is free within 50 miles of our Glasgow store and £50 beyond.