Why how you store your panels matters as much as how you fit them.
Our panelling, dado rails and mouldings are made from MDF, HDF and solid pine — natural, wood‑based materials that respond to the humidity and temperature around them. This page explains what that means in practice: how to store your order before fitting, how to protect it from moisture, what movement to expect, and how to keep conditions stable once it's on your wall.
Last updated & effective: 25 June 2026
Why MDF and pine respond to humidity
It's a natural property of the material, not a fault — and it's manageable with the right storage.
Every panel we make starts as MDF or HDF — engineered wood fibre bound with resin — or, for our dado rails and mouldings, solid pine. Both are hygroscopic, meaning they naturally absorb moisture from a damp room and release it again as the air dries out. That's true of essentially all wood‑based building and joinery products, including skirting boards, doors and solid wood furniture, not just ours.
In practice, this means your panels can change very slightly in size between a humid summer and a dry, centrally heated winter. Keeping your panels in stable, dry, indoor conditions — both before and after fitting — keeps that natural movement to a minimum and gives you the flat, smooth finish you're expecting.
The short version
Keep panels indoors, dry, flat and out of direct heat or sunlight until you're ready to fit them. Let them sit in the room they'll be installed in for at least 24–48 hours beforehand. After fitting, keep that room's temperature and humidity reasonably stable. That's almost all of what's below, in one paragraph.
Optimal storage conditions
As a general guide — similar to the conditions recommended for solid wood flooring, doors and furniture by UK timber industry bodies.
Do this
- Store indoors, in a dry, heated or at least temperature‑stable room.
- Lay panels flat and fully supported along their length, raised off a cold concrete or stone floor on battens or a pallet.
- Keep panels in their original packaging until shortly before you're ready to fit them.
- Let panels sit unwrapped in the room they'll be fitted in for 24–48 hours before installation.
Avoid this
- Storing panels in an unheated garage, shed, loft or outbuilding, especially over autumn and winter.
- Propping panels against a wall on one corner or edge for extended periods, which can cause bowing.
- Stacking heavy items on top of unsupported panels, which can cause dents or warping.
- Positioning stored panels directly against a radiator, fireplace, or in strong direct sunlight through a window.
Protection from moisture
Direct contact with water or prolonged damp conditions is the single biggest risk to wood‑based panelling, before or after fitting. Standard MDF is not waterproof, and our moisture‑resistant (MR) MDF range is exactly that — moisture resistant, not waterproof — so the same core precautions apply to both.
If your delivery arrives in wet weather, check the outer packaging for visible damp before fully unwrapping it. If the packaging feels damp but the panels themselves look unaffected, let them stand indoors, loosely covered, in a dry room for a day before storing them as normal. If you're at all concerned a delivery has been damaged by water in transit, contact us with photos and we'll advise.
- Never store panels in a garage or outbuilding with a damp concrete floor, or anywhere prone to flooding.
- Don't leave panels in a car overnight — overnight temperature drops can cause condensation inside the packaging.
- Don't unwrap panels in a steamy bathroom or straight after a shower — let the room ventilate first.
- Never hose down, submerge or pressure‑wash any panel, including our MR moisture‑resistant range.
Expansion & contraction — what's normal
Small seasonal movement is expected and isn't a sign of a faulty panel.
Why panels move slightly with the seasons
As relative humidity rises in summer or in a less‑heated room, wood fibre boards absorb a small amount of moisture and expand marginally. In a dry, heavily heated winter room, the reverse happens and they contract slightly. This is a normal, well‑understood characteristic of every wood‑based board product, including ours, and it's the reason we recommend the storage and acclimatisation steps on this page rather than fitting straight from a cold delivery van.
What you might notice over time
You may occasionally see a hairline gap open at a panel join during a dry winter, which typically closes again as humidity rises in warmer months. This is why we recommend a flexible decorator's caulk rather than a rigid, brittle filler at joins and skirting lines — it can move with the board instead of cracking. If a wall has just been freshly plastered or screeded, wait until it's fully dry before fitting, since wet trades release significant moisture into a room for several weeks.
Climate control recommendations
Keeping conditions steady matters more than hitting an exact number.
Stable heating
In older or solid‑walled UK homes, gentle, consistent background heating through autumn and winter does more for panel stability than occasional bursts of high heat, which can dry surrounding air quickly and unevenly.
Ventilation in wet rooms
In bathrooms, kitchens and utility rooms, run the extractor fan during and after showers, baths or cooking. Even moisture‑resistant MR MDF benefits from a room that doesn't sit in prolonged condensation or steam.
Dehumidifiers where needed
If a room is persistently damp — common in some older properties, cellars or poorly ventilated extensions — a dehumidifier can help keep relative humidity within the range above, both for your panelling and the rest of your home.
Once it's fitted & painted
Day‑to‑day care that keeps your finished panelling looking right for years.
How this relates to our returns & guarantee
Transparency on what's covered, and what's down to storage conditions after delivery.
Our standard 30‑day money‑back guarantee and returns terms cover the product as we manufacture and dispatch it — genuine manufacturing faults, damage that occurred in transit, or items that don't match what you ordered. Full details are in our Refund Policy, linked below.
Damage that results from how an order was stored after delivery — for example, panels left for weeks in an unheated, damp garage, or exposed to standing water or flooding — isn't a manufacturing fault, and wouldn't ordinarily be treated as one. That said, every situation is different, and we look at each case individually rather than applying a blanket rule, so please get in touch if something doesn't look right.
If you're ever unsure
Email us a couple of photos and a short description of how the panels have been stored, and we'll give you honest, specific advice — whether that's a fix, a replacement, or simply reassurance that what you're seeing is normal seasonal movement.
Storage & humidity FAQs
Quick answers to what customers ask us most before and after delivery.
Can I store my panels in the garage until I'm ready?
We'd recommend against it, especially over autumn and winter. Most UK garages aren't heated and can have a damp concrete floor, both of which work against the panels' stability. An indoor cupboard, spare room or under‑stairs space is a much better short‑term home.
Do painted or pre‑finished panels still need to acclimatise?
Yes. Paint and primer slow moisture exchange a little but don't stop it entirely, so the same 24–48 hour acclimatisation period in the fitting room still applies, even to pre‑primed or painted kits.
My delivery feels slightly damp on arrival — what should I do?
Check whether it's just the outer packaging or the panels themselves. If it's only the packaging, let it stand indoors, loosely covered, for a day before storing as normal. If the panels feel damp or look discoloured, photograph them and contact us before fitting — we'll advise on next steps.
Does moisture‑resistant MR MDF need the same care as standard MDF?
Largely yes. MR MDF is more tolerant of humidity and condensation, which is why we recommend it for bathrooms and kitchens, but it is moisture resistant rather than waterproof. The same storage, acclimatisation and "no direct water contact" guidance on this page still applies.
A small gap has appeared at a panel join after a few months — is that a fault?
Usually not — this is the kind of minor seasonal movement described above, often most noticeable during a dry winter with the heating on. A flexible decorator's caulk at the join will usually resolve it. If the gap is large, sudden, or the panel itself looks warped or damaged, contact us with photos and we'll take a proper look.
Get in touch & company information
Not sure if your storage space is suitable, or want a second opinion before you unwrap a delivery? We're a small UK team and reply directly — no call centres, no chatbots pretending to be human.
Contact us
- Office Phone+44 33 0043 9923
- Emailinfo@lunaireworks.com
- Live ChatAvailable on the website during business hours
- Business HoursMon–Fri, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM (GMT, UK)
Registered company details
Lunaire Works is a trading name owned and operated by STERZEAL HATS LIMITED, a company registered in England and Wales.
- Registered company nameSTERZEAL HATS LIMITED
- Company registration no.13249070
- VAT numberGB433989551
- EORI numberGB084160128000
- Registered address126 Newark Avenue, Peterborough, PE1 4NP England, United Kingdom
Got a delivery on the way?
Keep it dry, keep it indoors, and give it a day or two in the room before you fit it. If anything about your space or your order doesn't feel right, just ask us first.
