Be inspired by this homeowners DIY panelled hallway transformation

You won't believe the final result

Now that friends and family won't be able to come beyond the front door in most parts of the country, a stylish hallway is essential. If yours could do with a spruce up, be inspired by this DIY panelled hallway.

Related: Wall panelling ideas – add character, cover uneven walls and insulate with architectural panels

Dad-of-one and Chef, Russell Tomlin transformed his small hallway with wall panelling. Carrying out all the work himself he managed to complete the transformation for just £128.

'I bought the house a year ago and wanted to make it my own,' Russell told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk. 'I used Houzz and Pinterest to get a couple of ideas and came across a panelled hallway.'

DIY panelled hallway transformation

hallway with grey wall and wooden floor

(Image credit: Russell Tomlin / Latestdeals.co.uk)

'I decided that's what I wanted – it's a very small hallway entrance and I wanted to make it look bigger and this was a great way of doing that.'

Russell ordered all the materials from B&Q, using the tools he already had at home. He had the pieces of wood cut down to fit in the car, but cut them all down to size at home with a table saw.

stair case with grey wall

(Image credit: Russell Tomlin / Latestdeals.co.uk)

'Measuring everything was the hardest part, especially the staircase with all the different angles,' he explains.

'The process is to start from the top and work down. It's slightly more work, but you know you are getting it nice and straight then.'

stair case with wooden floor and grey wall

(Image credit: Russell Tomlin / Latestdeals.co.uk)

Russell started by cutting and sticking the top panels down, making sure that everything was straight using a level. He then cut the next panels all the same size using the table saw. Before sticking them all down using a square ruler, measuring each as he went.

He worked his way down, cutting the next long pieces and stick them down, and then created the bottom panels.

'For the bottom panels, I cut three at a time, as they will probably be different sizes due to the uneven floor and walls,' Russell explains.

He sealed the edges with decorators chalk before painting them.

hallway with wooden floor and white door

(Image credit: Russell Tomlin / Latestdeals.co.uk)

'The end result was worth all the hard work: it took me about four days to do and the total cost was £128 for everything.'

'I'm very happy with it, and I hope it may even have added a bit of value to my house,' he adds.

Related: Savvy homeowners totally transforms kitchen with DIY worktops and stencilled floor

Have you been inspired by this DIY panel makeover?

Rebecca Knight
Deputy Editor, Digital

Rebecca Knight has been the Deputy Editor on the Ideal Home Website since 2022. She graduated with a Masters degree in magazine journalism from City, University of London in 2018, before starting her journalism career as a staff writer on women's weekly magazines. She fell into the world of homes and interiors after joining the Ideal Home website team in 2019 as a Digital Writer. In 2020 she moved into position of Homes News Editor working across Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc, Real Homes, Gardeningetc and Ideal Home covering everything from the latest viral cleaning hack to the next big interior trend.