Shaker Panel Walls: Spacing, Sizes & MDF Kits

Shaker panel walls use flat boards, not decorative moulding, to frame plain recessed-looking panels. The style comes from simple Shaker furniture and it is the most popular panelling look in modern UK and US homes.

Shaker vs picture frame panels

Shaker uses wide flat boards (about 3 inches) that form a grid, so the panels look inset. Picture frame panels use thin profiled moulding on a flat wall. Shaker is cleaner and more contemporary; picture frame is more traditional.

Full height or half height

Full-height shaker grids work as a feature wall. Half-height shaker with a shelf ledge at about 4 ft suits hallways and dining rooms and leaves room for art above.

Example layouts with real measurements

8 ft wall, 8 ft ceiling

On an 8 ft wall use a 4 × 3 shaker grid: panels 1' 8" (51 cm) wide by 2' 2.5" (67 cm) tall, framed with 3" boards. Total about 72 linear ft with waste.

11 ft wall, 8 ft ceiling

On an 11 ft wall use a 5 × 3 shaker grid: panels 1' 11" (58 cm) wide by 2' 2.5" (67 cm) tall, framed with 3" boards. Total about 93 linear ft with waste.

Common questions

How far apart should shaker panels be?

The gap between panels is simply the board width, usually 3 to 3.5 inches (70 to 90 mm). What matters is that every panel is the same size: divide the wall width by the panel count after subtracting the boards.

What size boards are used for shaker panelling?

Flat MDF boards 70 to 95 mm wide and 9 to 12 mm thick. Thinner boards look flat when painted; thicker boards add weight without improving the look.

Should shaker panels be square?

Near-square panels around 24 inches look the most modern. Tall rectangles suit traditional rooms, and wide rectangles suit low walls under windows.

Get it pre-cut

Every Trim Wall Haus kit ships pre-cut, numbered, factory primed and ready to paint.

Shop all shaker panelling kits · Plan your wall free

Measured layouts by wall size: 10 ft shaker wall · 12 ft shaker wall · all sizes