diff --git a/packages/nodes/src/slab/geometry.ts b/packages/nodes/src/slab/geometry.ts
index 851660ec..6b3c241d 100644
--- a/packages/nodes/src/slab/geometry.ts
+++ b/packages/nodes/src/slab/geometry.ts
@@ -10,8 +10,17 @@ import {
   resolveMaterialRef,
   resolveSlotDefaultMaterial,
 } from '@pascal-app/viewer'
-import { FrontSide, Group, type Material, Mesh, type Texture } from 'three'
-import { SLAB_SLOT_DEFAULT } from './slots'
+import {
+  BufferGeometry,
+  Float32BufferAttribute,
+  FrontSide,
+  Group,
+  type Material,
+  Mesh,
+  type Texture,
+  Vector3,
+} from 'three'
+import { SLAB_SIDE_SLOT_DEFAULT, SLAB_TOP_SLOT_DEFAULT, type SlabSlotId } from './slots'
 
 /**
  * Stage B builder for slab. Reuses `generateSlabGeometry` (pure
@@ -33,38 +42,92 @@ type SlabMaterial = Material & {
 
 const slabMaterialCache = new Map<string, Material>()
 
-function getSlabMaterial(
+function getSlabSlotMaterial(
   node: SlabNode,
+  slotId: SlabSlotId,
   shading: RenderShading,
   textures: boolean,
   colorPreset: ColorPreset,
   sceneTheme: string | undefined,
   sceneMaterials: GeometryContext['materials'],
 ): Material {
-  // Textures-off mode takes the themed 'floor' role colour — the guaranteed
-  // escape hatch, independent of any slot override. createSurfaceRoleMaterial
-  // returns a shared cached material. FrontSide — DoubleSide on the role
-  // material's NodeMaterial poisons the MRT scene pass (see `materials.ts`
-  // line 77 / glazing fix 9400f1c5). Slab side faces still render correctly
-  // because `generateSlabGeometry` produces outward-facing normals.
+  // Textures-off mode takes the themed 'floor' role colour for every face — the
+  // guaranteed escape hatch, independent of any slot override. FrontSide —
+  // DoubleSide on the role material's NodeMaterial poisons the MRT scene pass
+  // (see `materials.ts` line 77 / glazing fix 9400f1c5). Slab side faces still
+  // render correctly because `generateSlabGeometry` emits outward-facing normals.
   if (!textures) {
     return createSurfaceRoleMaterial('floor', colorPreset, FrontSide, sceneTheme)
   }
 
   // Unified slot override — shared scene material or catalog `library:` finish.
-  const slotRef = node.slots?.surface
+  const slotRef = node.slots?.[slotId]
   if (slotRef) {
     const resolved = resolveMaterialRef(slotRef, sceneMaterials, shading)
     if (resolved) return resolved
   }
 
-  // Legacy inline material / preset, for scenes painted before the slot model.
-  if (node.materialPreset || node.material) {
+  // Legacy inline material / preset (pre-slot-model scenes) applied to the whole
+  // slab — map it onto the top face only; sides take their own default.
+  if (slotId === 'surface' && (node.materialPreset || node.material)) {
     return getLegacySlabMaterial(node, shading)
   }
 
   // Declared slot default — a catalog `library:` finish or a flat colour.
-  return resolveSlotDefaultMaterial(SLAB_SLOT_DEFAULT, shading, 0.8)
+  const slotDefault = slotId === 'side' ? SLAB_SIDE_SLOT_DEFAULT : SLAB_TOP_SLOT_DEFAULT
+  return resolveSlotDefaultMaterial(slotDefault, shading, 0.8)
+}
+
+// Split the merged slab buffer into top-facing (floor) and everything-else
+// (vertical walls + underside) sub-geometries by per-triangle face normal, so
+// the two paintable slots get distinct materials + raycast tags. De-indexes
+// into per-face triangles (slabs are flat-shaded, so no shared-vertex seams).
+function splitSlabFacesByFacing(geometry: BufferGeometry): {
+  top: BufferGeometry
+  side: BufferGeometry
+} {
+  const position = geometry.getAttribute('position')
+  const uv = geometry.getAttribute('uv')
+  const index = geometry.getIndex()
+  const triangleCount = index ? index.count / 3 : position.count / 3
+
+  const top = { pos: [] as number[], uv: [] as number[] }
+  const side = { pos: [] as number[], uv: [] as number[] }
+  const a = new Vector3()
+  const b = new Vector3()
+  const c = new Vector3()
+  const ab = new Vector3()
+  const ac = new Vector3()
+  const normal = new Vector3()
+
+  for (let t = 0; t < triangleCount; t += 1) {
+    const i0 = index ? index.getX(t * 3) : t * 3
+    const i1 = index ? index.getX(t * 3 + 1) : t * 3 + 1
+    const i2 = index ? index.getX(t * 3 + 2) : t * 3 + 2
+    a.fromBufferAttribute(position, i0)
+    b.fromBufferAttribute(position, i1)
+    c.fromBufferAttribute(position, i2)
+    ab.subVectors(b, a)
+    ac.subVectors(c, a)
+    normal.crossVectors(ab, ac)
+    const lengthSq = normal.lengthSq()
+    const isTop = lengthSq > 1e-12 && normal.y / Math.sqrt(lengthSq) > 0.5
+    const target = isTop ? top : side
+    for (const i of [i0, i1, i2]) {
+      target.pos.push(position.getX(i), position.getY(i), position.getZ(i))
+      if (uv) target.uv.push(uv.getX(i), uv.getY(i))
+    }
+  }
+
+  const build = (data: { pos: number[]; uv: number[] }) => {
+    const geo = new BufferGeometry()
+    geo.setAttribute('position', new Float32BufferAttribute(data.pos, 3))
+    if (data.uv.length > 0) geo.setAttribute('uv', new Float32BufferAttribute(data.uv, 2))
+    geo.computeVertexNormals()
+    return geo
+  }
+
+  return { top: build(top), side: build(side) }
 }
 
 function getLegacySlabMaterial(node: SlabNode, shading: RenderShading): Material {
@@ -114,15 +177,32 @@ export function buildSlabGeometry(
   sceneTheme?: string,
 ): Group {
   const group = new Group()
-  const geometry = generateSlabGeometry(node)
-  const material = getSlabMaterial(node, shading, textures, colorPreset, sceneTheme, ctx?.materials)
-  const mesh = new Mesh(geometry, material)
-  mesh.castShadow = true
-  mesh.receiveShadow = true
-  // Tag the surface so the unified slot paint can resolve the hit and preview.
-  mesh.userData.slotId = 'surface'
+  const merged = generateSlabGeometry(node)
+  const { top, side } = splitSlabFacesByFacing(merged)
+  merged.dispose()
+
   const elevation = node.elevation ?? 0.05
-  if (elevation < 0) mesh.position.y = elevation
-  group.add(mesh)
+  // One mesh per slot, each tagged with its slot id so the unified slot paint
+  // resolves the hit (`resolveRole` reads `userData.slotId`) and previews it.
+  for (const [slotId, geometry] of [
+    ['surface', top],
+    ['side', side],
+  ] as const) {
+    const material = getSlabSlotMaterial(
+      node,
+      slotId,
+      shading,
+      textures,
+      colorPreset,
+      sceneTheme,
+      ctx?.materials,
+    )
+    const mesh = new Mesh(geometry, material)
+    mesh.castShadow = true
+    mesh.receiveShadow = true
+    mesh.userData.slotId = slotId
+    if (elevation < 0) mesh.position.y = elevation
+    group.add(mesh)
+  }
   return group
 }
diff --git a/packages/nodes/src/slab/paint.ts b/packages/nodes/src/slab/paint.ts
index a5387849..628c75cc 100644
--- a/packages/nodes/src/slab/paint.ts
+++ b/packages/nodes/src/slab/paint.ts
@@ -2,14 +2,21 @@ import type { AnyNode, SlabNode } from '@pascal-app/core'
 import { createSlotPaintCapability, previewGeometrySlot } from '../shared/slot-paint'
 
 /**
- * Slab paint on the unified slot model. A slab has one paintable surface, so
- * every face resolves to the `surface` slot; commit writes `node.slots.surface`
- * (a shared scene-material or `library:` ref) like the shelf.
+ * Slab paint on the unified slot model. A slab exposes two faces — `surface`
+ * (top) and `side` (walls + underside) — each its own mesh tagged with
+ * `userData.slotId`, so the clicked face resolves to its slot; commit writes
+ * `node.slots[slotId]` (a shared scene-material or `library:` ref) like the shelf.
  */
 export const slabPaint = createSlotPaintCapability({
-  resolveRole: () => 'surface',
+  resolveRole: ({ hitObject }) => {
+    const slotId = (hitObject?.userData as { slotId?: string } | undefined)?.slotId
+    return slotId === 'side' ? 'side' : 'surface'
+  },
   applyPreview: previewGeometrySlot,
-  legacyEffective: (node: AnyNode) => {
+  // Legacy inline material applied to the whole slab → maps onto the top only;
+  // the side picker shows its own default.
+  legacyEffective: (node: AnyNode, role: string) => {
+    if (role !== 'surface') return null
     const slab = node as SlabNode
     if (slab.materialPreset || slab.material) {
       return { material: slab.material, materialPreset: slab.materialPreset }
diff --git a/packages/nodes/src/slab/slots.ts b/packages/nodes/src/slab/slots.ts
index 094bdb0c..bdb2c808 100644
--- a/packages/nodes/src/slab/slots.ts
+++ b/packages/nodes/src/slab/slots.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,25 @@
 import type { SlotDeclaration } from '@pascal-app/core'
 
-export type SlabSlotId = 'surface'
+export type SlabSlotId = 'surface' | 'side'
 
-// Declared default appearance for an unpainted slab surface in colored mode —
-// a catalog `library:<id>` finish or a `#rrggbb` colour. Textures-off collapses
-// to the themed floor role (the escape hatch).
-export const SLAB_SLOT_DEFAULT = 'library:wood-woodplank48'
+// Declared default appearances for an unpainted slab in colored mode — a
+// catalog `library:<id>` finish or a `#rrggbb` colour. Textures-off collapses
+// both to the themed floor role (the escape hatch).
+//
+// `surface` (top face) keeps the wood floor default and the slot id used before
+// the top/side split, so existing painted slabs keep their floor finish. `side`
+// (walls + underside) defaults to a light grey so a slab's edges read as a
+// distinct trim rather than wood end-grain.
+export const SLAB_TOP_SLOT_DEFAULT = 'library:wood-woodplank48'
+export const SLAB_SIDE_SLOT_DEFAULT = '#cccccc'
 
-/** A slab exposes a single paintable floor surface. */
+/**
+ * A slab exposes two paintable faces: the top floor surface and its sides
+ * (vertical walls + underside).
+ */
 export function slabSlots(): SlotDeclaration[] {
-  return [{ slotId: 'surface', label: 'Surface', default: SLAB_SLOT_DEFAULT }]
+  return [
+    { slotId: 'surface', label: 'Top', default: SLAB_TOP_SLOT_DEFAULT },
+    { slotId: 'side', label: 'Sides', default: SLAB_SIDE_SLOT_DEFAULT },
+  ]
 }