Slat Wall FAQ’s

Title slide slat wall FAQ's

What size is a standard, full-size sheet of slat wall?

A standard size full sheet is 2400mm x 1200mm.  This can be custom-made to smaller sizes if you require.

In what orientation can slat wall be installed?

Slatwall can be installed in 2 different orientations, Portrait or Landscape.  Portrait orientation for a full-size sheet of slat wall measures 2400mm high x 1200mm wide, or as some refer to it 2.4m x 1.2m.  In portrait orientation the slat wall extrusions will run horizontally across the shortest length of the board.  

Landscape orientation is 1200mm high x 2400mm  wide, or 1.2m x 2.4m. In Landscape orientation slat wall extrusions will run horizontally along the longest length of the board.  The structural strength of both Portrait and Landscape will be similar so either is an acceptable way to install slat wall.

Can the Slatwall orientation affect the appearance of the wall?

There is a common misconception that when a wall height of 2.4m is required to be sheeted in slatwall the best way to do this is to run the long edge of the slat wall vertically. However, this can result in having twice as many visible joins in the slat wall.

The reason is because installing slatwall sheets in a landscape orientation allows for two sheets to be stacked on top of each other, using a half groove cut on each long edge and the metal slatwall extrusion to lock the two panels together when they are stacked.  The join is then hidden behind the metal of the extrusion.  This means a whole area 2.4m high x 2.4m long appears seamless without any joins.  If this same area was clad with two sheets in portrait (vertical) orientation then a visible vertical join line would run top to bottom right down the centre. 

Most skilled installers should obtain a tight close join with no gap and the sheet butt-join should have minimum visibility.  However, if there are inconsistencies in the underlying wall, minor errors occur during installation, the extrusions do not line up at joints or there is movement in the building over time then the joins can be noticeable.  For this reason, it is recommended to keep sheet joins to a minimum to maximise the presentation of your display area. 

Orientation of slat wall when using wood grains or patterns

If the sheet of slat wall board has a grain or line patterning in the colour or finish, such as wood-grain finishes, it is important to remember that most woodgrain or linear-grain board has the grain running along the length of the sheet. This means the lines or grain runs parallel to the longer edge of the sheet. 

If you wish the grain of the board to run from side to side or horizontally along the wall you are making then the slat wall sheets will need to be laid in Landscape orientation (2.4m wide by 1.2m high).  Alternatively, if the grain is required to run vertically, or from top to bottom of the wall, the sheets will need to be installed in Portrait orientation (2.4m high by 1.2m long or wide).

Which spacing between the grooves in the slat wall should I use?

Many retailers often ask the question, what’s the difference in the spacing of the grooves in slatwall and why are there so many different groove spacing options?  The reason for this is primarily to allow you to maximise the available area you have to display the specific types of products you sell.  There are two main factors to consider:

1. What is the size range of the items you will sell?

2. How much space do you need around these items so the product display does not look too cluttered?

Remember that shoppers in bricks and mortar stores of today are buying with their eyes and having product visible is critical in today’s world of omni-channel retailing.  If the spacing is too wide and smaller hang-sell items are used there can be dead spots or unusable space on the wall. Therefore, your groove spacing should allow for maximisation of your display or retail area. By choosing the ideal spacing this helps eliminates these dead spots allowing more stock to be presented. 

We offer a wide choice of spacing including custom groove spacing and even also custom part grooving where a sheet is only partially grooved.  Talk to us we will match the spacing to your needs.

Can Advanced Display Systems suggest a spacing?

The sales team at Advanced Display Systems have years of experience helping retailers in this area and we are more than happy to provide advice.  We have manufactured slat wall for many areas of retail from fashion to electronics, automotive, sporting goods, pharmaceutical and much more.  While there is no one-size-fits-all solution our experience does help us to know what spacing is generally used by each industry.   If you are able to visit our showroom, we have a wide range of spacing available to test merchandise and replicate retail layouts to ensure you have the correct slatwall optimised for your retail area.

How is the spacing between the slat wall grooves measured?

The spacing is measured from the centre of one groove to the centre of the next groove. Hence the term in the industry known as slatwall centres.

What is the range of sizes available for spacing?

At Advanced Display Systems we generally manufacture as small as 50mm centre grooving up to 200mm centre grooves as popular sizing.  However, we can custom create as large a centre spacing as you wish, and we have manufactured as big as 600mm for custom projects.

Does spacing affect the cost of the slatwall? 

From a financial point of view, the more grooves a sheet contains the higher the cost.  This is because more machining or processing is required, therefore more time and labour is needed to manufacture, and the are more extrusions required which increases the amount of aluminium or PVC fittings used in the board. 

Does the groove spacing affect the strength of the wall?

From a strength aspect the 50mm centre spacing does not quite have the same strength as larger spacing.    This is because when the T-shape groove in the slatwall is cut/routed during manufacture a larger piece of material is removed under the surface than what you see from the face.  The board or substrate is one of keys to the strength of the slatwall therefore a certain amount of material must remain to keep the structural integrity of the slatwall. 

At 50mm centres Advanced Display Systems deems this the minimum spacing between the grooves. For this reason we strongly advise 50mm centre spacing slatwall be used only in lightweight hang-sell applications. All larger spacing from 75mm centre up have equal strength. 

Should I use PVC plastic or metal slat wall extrusions in the slat wall grooves?

When slatwall is manufactured a portion of the board is removed and the T shaped groove remains. This groove is then reinforced with either an aluminium extrusion or a PVC plastic extrusion. The extrusion is key to the structural integrity of slatwall.  The main reason aluminium extrusions are preferred is their strength benefit, whereas PVC has a clear cost advantage over powdercoated aluminium.  A good quality aluminium extrusion provides excellent holding power and strength when combined with quality board substrates and correct installation methods.  In terms of any cost-saving from using PVC extrusions it is important to note that could be quickly disappear if the plastic fails and results in damage to the slat wall.  Read our article on how to repair slat wall to understand why.

What colour do the slats / slat wall extrusions come in?

As aluminium has a standard shiny metal finish as we know it straight from milling, this finish is referred to as mill finish and is standard in most slatwall sheets. Advanced Display Systems also has aluminium in stock powdercoat colours of white and black. Any powdercoat colour can be custom run to clients specification. 

The PVC extrusions are available in both white and black as well. 

 

If you have any questions, or wish to obtain a recommendation of a quality shop fitter, feel free to call our team on (07) 3861 8888, or send us an email to info@advdis.com.au, and we will be happy to assist. 

 

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