Making your own partition wall
A room divider is ideal for dividing a room or screening off something. With a little creativity, you can make it a beautiful and practical addition to your interior. But how do you make a room divider yourself? In this article, we explain how to do it.
In this article:
- How to make your own partition?
- What items do you need to make a cut-to-size partition?
- How do you make a drawing or sketch for a partition wall?
- Fixing a partition wall
- What wood do you use for a cut-to-size partition?
- How do you connect the sheet materials in the partition wall?
- Examples of our handymen
- Partition wall in bathroom
- Partition wall with doors
- Room divider with bedside lamps
- Partition of existing cupboards
- Modern flower box as a partition wall
- Playful cabinet in existing opening
- Partition wall made of MDF
- Partition wall for boiler in bathroom
- Construction of MDF with pallet timber
- Room divider, kitchen unit and cupboard
- Room divider, bookcase and ottoman
- Partition wall around a piano
- Bookcase with bookcase
- Get started with your cut-to-size partition wall
How to make your own partition?
A partition wall, or room divider, can be seen in many households. It is an ideal way to divide up a large room, create storage space or create more privacy. You can also use a room divider to screen off something you would rather not see, such as a central heating boiler.
You can easily order the wood for your partition at . We offer a wide range of different types of wood. We will cut it to the nearest mm and deliver it quickly to your home. So you don't have to worry about crooked cuts and can fully focus on assembling your own dividing wall.
In this article, we tell you what to look out for when creating a partition wall and share inspiration from our handymen.
What items do you need to make a cut-to-size partition?
To make a dividing wall, you need several items. In general, you should consider the following materials:
- Squared paper, pencil, eraser, ruler: for an accurate sketch of the wall
- Cordless drill: to easily pre-drill holes and drive screws into your material
- Wood glue and possibly dowels: may be needed to firmly glue various parts of the partition wall together
- Primer and varnish: almost all the wood from has yet to be finished - primer first, then varnish
- Sandpaper: always handy to have on hand, with a coarse or small grain
- Tape measure: you will need it to measure the dimensions and mark off your wood
- Spirit level: to get the partition wall nice and level
- Screws: to join different wood materials together
How do you make a drawing or sketch for a partition wall?
Before you start working on your partition, you should make a sketch or a drawing. By sketching out your idea, you force yourself to think carefully about each element. What will your partition wall look like? Should the wall have certain functionalities, such as doors? Will the wall be completely open, completely closed or open on one side? How will you shape the construction?
Once you know what the room divider should look like, you can start drawing it in detail. In the drawing, make sure you have an accurate overview of all the measurements and materials required. With that overview, you can order all the wood precisely cut-to-size at .
A handy tip is also to tape off the outer dimensions of the partition wall on the floor with painter's tape. That way you can see exactly how big the wall is going to be.
You can make a sketch and a drawing simply on paper, with graph paper, a ruler, a pencil and an eraser. But, you can also use a 3D programme such as SketchUp or FreeCAD.
In the sketching phase, it is also smart to start thinking about how you will mount the partition wall. Will you use screws, dowels or corner anchors? Will you have (parts of) the material cut in for a nice blind assembly?
Tip: provide each plank with a unique mark (you can indicate this in our ordering process), which will save you a lot of puzzling when the wood is delivered to your home!
Fixing a partition wall
Are you making a partition wall that runs from the floor to the ceiling? Then it is smart to secure the wall to the ceiling. You can use an adjustable foot for this. You screw it to the top of your structure and then tighten it until it is tight.
You can also secure a partition wall in other ways. For example, by screwing it to a wall or into the ground. You will then need a rotary hammer, screws and matching plugs.
What wood to use for a cut-to-size partition wall
You can use different types of wood to make a partition wall. We see the following types of wood a lot in DIY projects by our handymen:
MDF
is a real all-rounder. Made of compressed wood fibres, this board is easy to work with and budget-friendly. MDF comes in many variants, such as MDF with lacquer backing, which you don't need to prime. But, there are also moisture-resistant variants for when you want to make a partition wall in the bathroom.
is a logical choice for creating a partition wall. It is widely used for furniture. Furniture panel is plasticised chipboard finished with a manufactured top layer and it is available in many varieties. Moreover, this panel material is easy to wipe down and easy to keep clean, which is handy when your partition is in the middle of the room.
How to connect sheet materials in the partition wall
An important part of making a dividing wall yourself is assembling the various wood materials. You can do that in several ways. We discuss four of them here.
Screws
You can simply fix the board materials together with screws. You pre-drill the wood first and after screwing, finish the holes neatly with wood filler or putty.
Corner joints
By using corner anchors or corner joints, you quickly screw different elements together. Again, you need to pre-drill the wood first. You cannot finish a corner joint, which makes it a less tidy solution.
Dowels
With dowels, you can create a strong, invisible connection. You carefully mark out the drill holes. Then drill them with a dowel drill set. Use a little wood glue to connect the dowels and the boards.
Lamellos
Lamello's have a larger gluing surface than dowels and therefore provide an even stronger joint. You do need a milling machine to make the recesses for the dowels in the wood.
Examples of our handymen
Need inspiration for your partition wall? And want more concrete tips from handymen who have gone before you? Then check out these DIY projects and take advantage of them.
Partition wall in bathroom
Handyman Baptiste created a beautiful bathroom partition with storage space made of water-resistant MDF. It looks robust!
Partition wall with doors
To create an enclosed workspace in the living room, handyman Remmelt made a partition wall with inconspicuous doors in it. Very handy, because this wall stores various items, such as a beamer and audio equipment. Check out his handy Sketchup drawing for the project!
Room divider with bedside lamps
Handyman Remko turned his bedroom into a hotel room by building in this beautiful room divider. He made an electrical connection and bedside lamps in it. It looks great!
Partition of existing cupboards
For a nice partition wall, you don't have to make everything yourself. Handyman Simon used two IKEA cupboards to create this partition wall. In one fell swoop, he created an extra room and a wall with storage space. Clever!
Modern flower box as a partition wall
To separate the sleeping and living areas in his studio, handyman Wout made this modern flower box as a room divider. For this, he used MDF with lacquer backing, which he had us mitre-cut. The whole thing looks great!
Playful cabinet in existing opening
Handyman Jan Willem made this playful, open cupboard in an existing opening. For this, he used oak and attached it with dominoes (a certain type of dowels). It does indeed look playful!
Partition wall made of MDF
How simple can it be? Order two large, cut-to-size sheets of MDF and glue them to an existing framework. That's what handymen Siem and Marina did for this project. This way, they remove the view from the living room into the bedroom.
Partition wall for boiler in bathroom
A central heating system in your bathroom is not a pretty sight. Handyman Denise thought so too, so she built a black wall in front of it. But with a door in it, so you can still reach the heating. Neat!
Construction of MDF with pallet timber
Handyman Harry wanted to reduce sound transmission in the office and also break up the space. So he built a structure out of MDF. The pallets give it a tough, individual character.
Room divider, kitchen unit and cupboard
A room divider, kitchen cabinet and cupboard all in one. That's this lovely DIY project by Robbert, made from MDF. The cabinet is secured to a wall at the back for strength.
Room divider, bookcase and ottoman
Handyman Peter proves that you can use all your creativity in a DIY project. He made not only a room divider, but also a bookcase and ottoman in one. Measuring was important though, because the ottoman has to be at the right height and, of course, enough books have to fit in it.
Partition wall around a piano
Handyman Koos made this partition around the piano from MDF with lacquer backing. He had the MDF mitred by us and made the joints with dowels and effervescent wood glue. A screw here and there adds strength. Koos' golden tip: 'Think carefully, make a design first, measure twice and check!'
Bookcase with shelves
To break up the room, handyman Peter made a compartmentalised bookcase. With his project, you will find a clear drawing of the whole thing. The result is very nice!
Get started with your cut-to-size partition wall
Are you ready to get started with your own cut-to-size dividing wall? In this article, we explained what to look out for and shared inspiration from our handymen.
Have a look at our complete wood assortment and think about which wood species you want to make your room divider from. Then order the perfect cut-to-size wood from . We will deliver it quickly to your home so you can start assembling your wall straight away.
Have fun with this job!
