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Creating unique spaces in your home that also add value can be very easy and totally doable on a budget and a weekend or two.
There are many popular wall treatments floating around Instagram, Pinterest and in magazines. Shiplap, brick walls and board and batten are just a few of the popular choices. Today, I am going to show you how I installed Board & Batten in my newly remodeled dining room.
You will need:
- 1x2x8 boards (I used pre-primed to save a step)
- Paintable caulk
- Wood putty
- Brad nailer and brad nails
- Chop saw, miter saw or hand saw with box
- Level
- Tape measure
- Pencil
You can also do board and batten on just one focal wall, as I did in my master bedroom.
Or you can use it on all the walls as I did in my dining room.
First, you will need to sketch out your space with measurements. You will need to decide if you want the board and batten to encompass the entire wall (as I did in my master bedroom) or only go up part of the wall (as I did in my dining room). For this tutorial, we will be using my dining room space as the example to go by.
I started by deciding how far up the wall I wanted the board & batten to go. My ceilings are only 8 foot high. I was planning to do a wood ceiling treatment (click here for the details), and wanted to add the feeling of extra height in the room. With this in mind I decided to make the final height of the board and batten at 72” from the floor.
I wanted to make this project as budget friendly as possible, so I did two things to keep costs down. First, I did NOT remove the existing baseboards. I simply added a 1×2 on top of the baseboards all around the perimeter of the room. Once painted you don’t even notice the slight difference in depth. The second thing I decided to do was use 1×2 for the entire project. The 1×3 boards were almost double the cost… and I knew I could create the look I wanted with the 1×2 and keep the cost down.
To start, you will place the 1×2 boards on top of the baseboards. Secure with 18 G brad nails, I used 2” nails. Whenever possible try to nail into the studs. If there isn’t one you can also angle the direction of the brad nails, alternating the angle as you go- they will give the nail a little more to grab onto. When you get to the corners, you will need to make miter cuts. You can do this by cutting the two boards, that will meet up, at 45 degree angles to create the 90 degree corners.
Next, I placed the 1×2 around the perimeter of the room at the 72” height. I used a level to make sure the boards were level all the way around the room.
Now it’s time to add the vertical boards. Based on the size of my walls (and taking into account the width of the 1×2 boards I am using – which is actually 1.5” (not 2”)- I decided that I would space the vertical pieces approximately 20-22” apart… because the walls are all different widths – I couldn’t make the board spacing EXACT for each wall. Once it’s all painted you will never notice the very slight variance in spacing.
Also… because there is no perfect wall… I made to measure each cut for the vertical length as I went. Most were the same length… but not all. It’s ALWAYS better to measure twice and cut once to save wood, money and time.
I started on my longest wall first. I placed one vertical piece at each corner first. Then I found the center of the wall and secured one there. Then I added the additional boards spacing approximately 20-22” depending on the wall space.
Once all the vertical pieces were in place, I decided to go ahead with my initial plan of adding an extra horizontal piece at the upper portion of the board and batten. It added that little extra detail. I installed those additional horizontal pieces 14.25” from the bottom of the top board.
Once all the boards are installed it is time to fill all the nail holes with wood putty and then caulk all edges of the boards. This will fill in any gaps due to wall irregularities or board variables and will give you a more finished look. Make sure the wood filler and caulk you choose are PAINTABLE.
Once the caulk is dry, it’s time to paint the board and batten. I chose Benjamin Moore SUPER WHITE. I wanted a pure, bright, crisp white with no undertones. And Super White was perfect! I chose an eggshell finish for the board and batten. I first cut-in the corners and edges in with a brush and then went back with a roller to paint the larger wall space and blend in the brush strokes. Be sure to thoroughly allow your paint to dry between coats. I ended up doing two coats total for complete coverage.
If you are visual like me… I also did a video tutorial you can see here:
Congratulations! You just finished your board and batten walls!!! Stand back and admire your handiwork.
I hope you’ll come back soon for more DIY’s, budget friendly decor and all the in between.
Tiffany – thank you thank you!! This is my project this week and this helps tremendously!! Q: if I’m only doing one wall, do I still include a board in each corner and do you still put one board along the bottom on top of the trim?
I love all your project tutorials … for this beginner DIYer they have been a blessing!!
Hi! Thanks so much for following along with me on Instagram and here on my blog.
Yes…. I did JUST the focal wall in my master bedroom and I used a piece at the very top, very bottom and along both sides to “frame” out the wall. Then add the remaining pieces to create the boxes.