Wall panels in Batumi: MDF, PVC and slat installation
We install wall panels in Batumi: MDF and slats, PVC, and acoustic panels on felt. PVC installation costs from 33 ₾ per m², MDF and slats from 66 ₾, and the panels themselves are bought separately. On external and uneven walls we fit panels on a frame with an air gap rather than with adhesive: in a damp winter, a cold wall behind a solid panel collects condensation. Sockets, lighting and fixing pads for a TV are planned before installation.
from 33 ₾/m²PVC panel installation, labour only: panels extra, MDF and slats cost more. The final price is confirmed once agreed.
- Timeline: 1–2 days for a 10–15 m² wall in MDF or slats once the panels have acclimatised; 3–4 days with a frame and lighting
- Warranty: A 2-year warranty on panel installation, the frame and fixings
Who it’s for
You want a feature wall of slats behind the bed or TV without any wet work
You rent out your apartment, and guests mark and scratch the wall behind the headboard every season
Your walls are uneven, and levelling and skimming them for paint takes a long time
You need to hide pipes, meters or cable while keeping access to them
Your living room with tiles and large windows echoes, and you want to soften the sound
What’s included
- measuring the walls and their moisture, and a layout with cuts where they won't show
- a galvanised steel frame, or fixing with adhesive on a level wall
- antifungal primer on external walls before installation
- sockets, switches and lighting cable brought out flush with the panels
- fixing pads for a TV, shelves and a headboard
- a removable section for access to valves, meters and the consumer unit
- trims, corners, skirting and junctions with the ceiling and windows
- filling the joints and painting primed panels, if needed
MDF, slats, acoustic or PVC
Panels go where paint isn't enough for a wall: by the head of the bed, where the headboard knocks the wall, behind a TV where you want texture, or where there is no time to wait for wet work. We choose the material by the room, because in an apartment by the sea it matters more than the pattern.
| Panels | Where they fit | What they don't like |
|---|---|---|
| MDF, laminated or paintable | Bedroom, living room, hallway, the wall behind a headboard | Water on the edges: they swell in a bathroom and by the entrance, where people come in wearing wet shoes |
| MDF or veneer slats | A feature wall, zoning a studio, the wall behind the TV | A damp wall and haste: if they aren't left to acclimatise in the room, they warp |
| Acoustic slats on felt | An echoey living room with tiles and large windows, a home office | Expectations of silence from the neighbours: that needs wall soundproofing |
| PVC | A glazed balcony, a storeroom, a toilet, a utility niche | Living rooms and direct sun: white plastic yellows over time |
In an apartment let for short-term rental, a panel behind the headboard and by the luggage rack saves the wall from the bed frame and suitcases. We covered the rest of the finishing for such apartments on the page about renovation for short-term rental.
Adhesive or a frame
We fix panels with adhesive only to a flat, dry and sound internal wall. Adhesive won't hide a deviation of a few millimetres under a two-metre straightedge: the panel will follow the wave, and the joints will open. Such a wall is first levelled, or we build a frame.
In Batumi an external wall is colder in winter than the air in the room, and a solid panel on adhesive traps condensation between itself and the wall. After a season mould appears there, and you only see it when the panel comes off. So we prime external walls with an antifungal primer and fit the panels on a galvanised steel frame, with a gap at the bottom and at the top so that air moves behind the cladding.
We don't use timber battens in a damp apartment, because they warp over time. The frame together with the panel usually takes 4–5 cm off each clad wall, more with thick slats, and we allow for this when planning the furniture layout.
Sockets, lighting and access to pipes
Sockets and switches are brought out flush with the panels, otherwise the plate sits crooked or sinks in. The back box is fixed to the frame, the cable runs inside the frame in flexible conduit, and we photograph the route before it is closed up. Lighting between slats is planned in advance together with its power supply. The power supply has to stay accessible, so we hide it behind a removable panel or in a neighbouring cupboard. The cable runs for all of this are laid by our electrical installation team before the cladding starts. A TV, shelves and a headboard aren't hung on the panel itself: for them we build a fixing pad of moisture-resistant plywood into the frame and mark its position on the diagram in the handover file.
Panels are a convenient way to hide meters, valves and a consumer unit in a hallway or toilet. In front of them we leave a removable section on magnets or clips that comes off without tools. Without it, the cladding will have to be broken open at the first leak.
When to fit panels
We fit panels when the wet work in the room is finished and the moisture meter shows that the wall has dried. The packs are brought into the room where the panels will go and left there for at least two days, or longer if the manufacturer's instructions ask for it. During this time the MDF and wood take on the humidity of the room. Panels fitted straight from the warehouse open up at the joints or bow within a month.
We clad the walls after the ceiling has been painted and the floor laid, and before the skirting boards. At the floor and the ceiling we leave an expansion gap, covered by the skirting or a thin profile. After fitting, primed panels are filled at the joints and fixings and painted in two coats.
The cost of installing wall panels in Batumi
MDF panel and slat installation costs from 66 to 84 ₾ per m², and PVC panel installation from 33 to 42 ₾. This is the labour price: you buy the panels yourself, or we buy them for you as a separate line in the estimate. As a guide to materials, PVC panels cost from 48 to 54 ₾ per m², MDF from 155 to 240 ₾, and acoustic slats on felt from 83 to 110 ₾. Painting primed panels adds from 30 to 36 ₾ per m².
The installation price goes up with a frame on an external or uneven wall, lots of cut-outs for sockets and pipes, and slats trimmed to fit reveals and a sloping ceiling. It comes down with a level wall where the panels go on with adhesive. The final cost is set after the site measurement and once the estimate is agreed.
What we check when handing over the cladding
We check the surface with a two-metre straightedge in several directions. The panels mustn't flex under your palm, and the joints run straight, with no steps. Slats are checked with a level for plumb and for spacing, especially at the ceiling, where a wall that leans out of true shows most. The fixings are hidden, and cut pieces go into the corners and under the ceiling, not in the middle of the wall.
We check the sockets with a tester, and take the removable section off and put it back in front of you or on video. The product code and batch of the panels go into the handover file, and we leave a couple of spare panels in the storeroom for replacements.
Stages and timelines
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Measurement and layout
1 day
We measure the walls and their moisture, draw the panel layout, and mark the sockets, fixing pads and removable sections.
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Purchase and acclimatisation
2–3 days
We bring panels from one batch and leave them in the room where they will be fitted for at least two days, or as the manufacturer's instructions say.
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Wall preparation and frame
1–2 days
We prime the wall, and on external and uneven walls build a galvanised steel frame with an air gap.
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Electrics and fixing pads
1 day
We fit the back boxes, run the lighting cable in flexible conduit, fix the pads for the TV and shelves, and photograph everything.
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Panel installation
1–3 days
We fit the panels and slats, trims and corners, leave gaps at the floor and ceiling, and make the removable section.
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Painting and handover
1–2 days
We fill the joints of primed panels, paint them in two coats, fit the sockets and skirting, and hand over the cladding against an acceptance certificate.
Local specifics in Batumi
Apartments by the sea often stand closed from autumn to spring, and the humidity in them stays high for months. MDF takes it up through the edges and at floor level, so in hallways and corridors we fit skirting made of moisture-resistant polymer and close the panel ends with a profile, and in an empty apartment we recommend leaving a dehumidifier running, or an air conditioner in dry mode.
Laminated panels and veneer by panoramic windows fade in the sun over time. On the sunny side we recommend paintable panels: a faded area can be repainted, whereas a laminated panel would have to be replaced.
In a new build a frame beats adhesive for one more reason. Floor slabs deflect for the first few years, and the plaster cracks where partitions meet the slab. A panel on a profile with a gap at the ceiling doesn't notice this, while a glued panel above such a crack can come away.
Materials and brands
We choose the panel brand from what is sold in Batumi and Tbilisi: in a few years a damaged panel is easier to replace from the same collection. We use moisture-resistant MDF with a finish on the face and sealed edges, and PVC with dense internal ribs that don't give when pressed with a finger.
The frame is built from Knauf galvanised profiles, and the wall under it is primed with an antifungal primer. Primed panels are painted in two coats of washable interior paint, for example Caparol or Chromodomi.
What makes up the cost
Timeline: 1–2 days for a 10–15 m² wall in MDF or slats once the panels have acclimatised; 3–4 days with a frame and lighting
- the material and grade of the panels themselves, which are a separate line
What raises the cost
- a frame on an uneven or external wall instead of adhesive
- lots of sockets, lighting in the slats and cut-outs for pipes
- slats trimmed to fit reveals, corners and a sloping ceiling
- removable sections and fixing pads for heavy equipment
What lowers the cost
- a level, dry wall, with panels on adhesive and no frame
- PVC panels on a balcony or in a storeroom
We prepare the exact estimate from measurements and photos. It’s free and comes with no obligation.
Get an estimateGuarantees
A 2-year warranty on panel installation, the frame and fixings. If a panel comes away, a joint shifts or a fixing fails through our fault, we redo the work at our own expense. Cable inside the frame, if we laid it, carries the 5-year warranty on concealed wiring, and we photograph its route before closing up. MDF edges swollen by a leak or spilt water are not covered by the warranty, and the panels themselves carry the manufacturer's warranty.
Questions and answers
How much does wall panel installation cost per m² in Batumi?
MDF panel and slat installation costs from 66 to 84 ₾ per m², and PVC panel installation from 33 to 42 ₾. This is labour, and the panels are paid for separately: PVC from 48 to 54 ₾ per m², MDF from 155 to 240 ₾, and acoustic slats from 83 to 110 ₾. A frame on an external wall and cut-outs for sockets and lighting push the installation price towards the upper end.
We send a preliminary estimate from photos and dimensions within 24 hours on business days. The final cost is set after the site measurement and once the estimate is agreed, when it is clear whether the wall is level and whether the job can be done without a frame.
Can wall panels be glued over wallpaper or old paint?
Not over wallpaper. The adhesive holds onto the paper, the paper holds onto the old paste, and under the weight of the panel the wallpaper comes away with it. We strip the wallpaper and prime the wall, and if there are cracks underneath or the plaster is crumbling, we repair it first.
Over sound paint panels can be glued after a check: we score the paint and try to pull it off with tape, sand off any gloss and prime. If the paint comes away or the wall is uneven, it is simpler to build a frame: it doesn't care what is on the wall, and it is often quicker than repairing the base.
Are PVC panels suitable for a bathroom and toilet?
For a toilet, and for bathroom walls outside the splash zone, yes: plastic isn't affected by steam and is easy to wash. We fit the panels on a galvanised steel frame and prime the wall underneath with an antifungal primer. Junctions with the bath and the floor are sealed with silicone, otherwise water runs behind the cladding and stays there for weeks.
We don't fit PVC panels in the shower area. Splashes get into the interlocking joints, mould grows behind the panel, and there is no waterproofing under it. There we lay ceramic or porcelain tiles over a liquid waterproofing membrane, as in any bathroom we do.
Can slats be fitted on a ceiling?
Yes, ceiling slats often continue a feature wall or mark out the area above a table. Overhead we don't fix them with adhesive: we build a frame from profiles, fix it to the floor slab with anchors, and fix the slats to the frame. We work out the spacing of the fixings from the panel weight given in the data sheet.
Light fittings are built in between the slats, and their positions and cable runs are decided before installation, just as on a wall. If the room has a stretch ceiling, the area for the slats is left without film and the slats are fixed to the slab: they can't be hung on the film.
Do acoustic panels help with noise from the neighbours?
Hardly at all. Slats on felt absorb sound reflected inside the room: in a living room with tiles, bare walls and large windows the echo goes, and speech becomes clearer. Sound coming from the neighbours through the wall isn't stopped by thin felt.
That needs wall soundproofing, and acoustic slats can then go on top of it. If you want panels for the sound in the room itself, one wall or part of one, opposite the sofa or the TV, is usually enough.
Further reading
Send a photo of the wall and an example of the panels, and we'll price the installation within 24 hours on business days
We reply within an hour during business hours. Message us or leave a request: we’ll call you back, go over the details and suggest the next step.
Mon–Fri 10:00–19:00, Sat 11:00–16:00