DIY Board and Batten, Ana Style

Difficulty

Beginner

Creating a board and batten wall treatment is easy and doable by any do it yourselfer. This step by step tutorial will help you add beauty and architectural interest to a blank wall on the tightest of budgets. Beyond style points, you can use the finished board and batten treatment as a picture ledge or for towel or coat hooks.

One Sunday morning a couple of weeks back, it poured.

Rain = house cleaning. It's not the golden rule, but it's a contender for a silver or bronze one.

With the Ram off gold mining for the week, Grace and I tackled cleaning our small guest bath in no time.

But when we finished, I did not stare at the clean bath, happy with our hard work.

Instead, I stared at it in contempt. Why are you so ugly?

The bath just stared back at me, saying, you DID pick me out.

And I argued back . . . But I had a baby on my back and ten zillion other decision to make at the time, like where to put the toilet and what size rafters we needed for the great room ceiling . . . and you were easy . . . I just bought the whole set . . .tiny mirror with a shelf seemed like a great idea at the time . . . and you didn't tell me that the shelves won't hang straight . . . I was BUSY . . .

The bath just kept staring at me. I know what it was thinking. That was like five years ago. What's your excuse now? You are not busy right now.

And that Sunday morning, I didn't have an excuse.

I just gathered up my tools, scrounged up some leftover paint, dug out some boards, and we got to work. The board and batten was done that night. Picking out the perfect shower curtain online from Alaska - now that was the REAL challenge.

I've been wanting to do the Board and Batten treatment to the walls for quite some time, especially after seeing Kate's, The Nester's, Decor Chicks, Sarah's, Annicole's, Karla's, Beckie's, Tiffany's, Ashleys, Pink Toes and Power Tools, Mary Jean's, Kimba's, Melissa's, Donna's, Julia's and so many more beautiful and inexpensive Board and Batten wall treatments.

I hope you took a second to visit every single one of those amazing tutorials. My particular bath did not have challenges like too thin base moulding, or windows or outside corners, and many of those tutorials show you how to work around those issues. Not to mention all the ideas for different spaces and different styles.

The one major issue I will focus on in this tutorial is getting your Board and Batten attached to studs in the wall. That's the carpenter in me coming out :)

And if you want the rest of my bath, here's how you can get it

Martina Bath Storage Shelf

Builder Grade Vanity

Builder Grade Vanity Step Drawer

Springmaid Laran Shower Curtain

I estimate the entire room redo including purchases was about $150. I'll be spending a tad more on new towels and rugs and some accessories, but definitely, if you are looking at your bath in disdain, this quick makeover might just be the ticket to creating your most favorite room in your home.

Board and Batten is white semigloss, walls above are leftover paint in a khaki color.

Preparation

Shopping List

Per 8 feet of wall space, boards spaced every 12" and more than 48" in height, you will need . . .

1 - 1x3 @ 8 feet long
10 - 1x2 @ 8 feet long
1 - 1x4 @ 8 feet long (if you need to replace moulding)
Liquid Nails Adhesive

I choose to use pine boards for my Board and Batten project because it is formaldehyde free. You can treat your walls with Board and Batten cut from MDF as well.

Common Materials

2 inch finish nails

Elmer's Wood Glue

Elmer's Wood Filler

120 grit sandpaper

primer

paint

paint brush

Tools

General Instructions

Please read through the entire plan and all comments before beginning this project. It is also advisable to review the Getting Started Section. Take all necessary precautions to build safely and smartly. Work on a clean level surface, free of imperfections or debris. Always use straight boards. Check for square after each step. Always predrill holes before attaching with screws. Use glue with finish nails for a stronger hold. Wipe excess glue off bare wood for stained projects, as dried glue will not take stain. Be safe, have fun, and ask for help if you need it. Good luck!

Instructions

Step 1

First things first . . . let's look at how a standard stick framed wall is built. My walls are 24" on center, but yours could also be 16" on center. Find your studs and mark them - you will want as many boards as possible to be nailed to a stud.

Step 2

No inspect your baseboard. If your baseboard won't match the boards, you will need to remove and replace with a 1x4 board. Nail the new baseboard into studs in the wall.

Step 3

Choose the height of your board and batten wall treatment. I choose 60" - it just seemed like the right height for my tiny bath. Mark the studs in the wall and attach the top board, but be sure to use a level. It's not uncommon for floors to be off level. Trust your level over the floor.

Step 4

Now cut to fit 1x2s to fit between the baseboard and the top board. Attach with nails and glue, to the studs in the wall. Use a level.

Now of course you should be aware of the finished design, and if a board just doesn't work, or your wall wasn't built to code, don't feel like you must attach a board to every stud.

Step 5

Step 6

Cap the board and batten wall treatment with a 1x2 to finish off the top and create a picture ledge. I nailed and glued to the top board.

Step 7

Now the fun (NOT!) part . . . fill all holes with wood filler and let dry. Sand sand sand. Remove any remaining sawdust, wipe clean, prime and paint.

Finishing Instructions

Preparation Instructions

Fill all holes with wood filler and let dry. Apply additional coats of wood filler as needed. When wood filler is completely dry, sand the project in the direction of the wood grain with 120 grit sandpaper. Vacuum sanded project to remove sanding residue. Remove all sanding residue on work surfaces as well. Wipe project clean with damp cloth. 

It is always recommended to apply a test coat on a hidden area or scrap piece to ensure color evenness and adhesion. Use primer or wood conditioner as needed.

Project Type

Wall Projects

Home DIY

Room

Bathroom

Kids and Toys

living room

Style

Cottage Style Furniture Plans

Farmhouse Furniture

Comments

Guest (not verified)

Wed, 07/13/2011 - 05:19

Woo! Love it, looks amazing.

Kevin M (not verified)

Wed, 07/13/2011 - 07:02

I did a similar treatment in

I did a similar treatment in our breakfast area, but because there was paneling there previously I used 1/4" plywood to cover up the glue marks/holes in the drywall instead of ripping it all out and putting up new drywall. That was quicker and cheaper. It turned out great - it is one of my favorite projects ever.

Denise B (not verified)

Wed, 07/13/2011 - 07:11

You read my mind

I've been trolling the internet and making plans to do this. Thanks for reading my mind!

Guest (not verified)

Wed, 07/13/2011 - 07:27

I find it easier to paint the

I find it easier to paint the wall first and to pre paint the boards, less potential drips. Then all I have to do is touch up the nail holes after they are all up.

Cindy Wellmann (not verified)

Wed, 07/13/2011 - 07:57

You are unbelievably

You are unbelievably talented!

Mesha (not verified)

Wed, 07/13/2011 - 09:31

Question ...

Did you put up a board backing, behind the spacers? Or, is this drywall, painted white?

Ana White

Wed, 07/13/2011 - 10:27

Hi Mesha, my drywall is flat

Hi Mesha, my drywall is flat (no texture) so yes, that's drywall there. But another reason you want to stay on stud is if you do need to put a backer board up, you will be able to nail it to studs, and then hide the seams with the boards, because the boards will be spaced every 24", it will line up perfectly with a sheet of backer board.

Guest (not verified)

Wed, 07/13/2011 - 11:17

Corners???

What about inside or outside corners? What would you do if the measured space between the vertical boards hits a corner?

Stacy Tyhurst (not verified)

Wed, 07/13/2011 - 12:40

THANKS! I am getting ready

THANKS! I am getting ready to do this project in the coming weeks and needed some guidelines to go by. Your site is awesome by the way (I spend way too much time drooling over things I want to do).

Emily@Decorchick (not verified)

Wed, 07/13/2011 - 14:47

Fabulous!

Hi Ana, your B&B looks amazing!! I'll never get tired looking at this stuff, and I just finished another wall treatment in our living room and can't wait to post it. Thanks so much for the mention girl, you rock! xo