Hi guys! This post is dedicated to sharing how we achieved board and batten in the small "entryway" of our home. Since we moved in, I felt like that corner was missing something - it seemed to be begging for color, so I began looking into some greenish accent colors that would complement our space. An accent color by itself probably could have gotten the job done, but adding the vertical board and batten really elevates the space (literally and figuratively). It truly makes the area feel much bigger because the vertical boards draw the eye upward. Our ceilings are about 9ft (not tall at all), so if you're looking to add this to your home, I hope this post serves as a reference and guide for you to get started. I've seen a lot of blog posts and tutorials on board and batten, but a lot of them didn't talk about the actual process including measuring, which was one of the more complicated steps.
To preface, my husband pretty much did all the work. He doesn't have much experience with DIY projects, but let me tell you - he absolutely nailed it (no pun intended). He really had a lot of fun with it, so I think this will give him the confidence to complete other projects in the future! At the end of the day, you should never be afraid to try something new. Doing it yourself is VERY rewarding and can save a ton of $$$. Also, when we go to sell this home in the future, I believe it will add value, especially if we decide to add it to other areas of our home.
Let's start with supplies needed for board and batten:
Paper and pencil
Measuring tape
Level
Calculator
Painters tape
Paint (we used Benjamin Moore Jack Pine, two coats total)
Paint brushes (we used rollers and angled brushes for the crevices)
Primed MDF board (we used 1x2x8 from Lowe's) - ***actual size listed is 11/16-in thick x 1-1/2-in wide, but we found this to not be the case (double and triple check your measurements!)
Sanding block
Paintable caulk (make sure you get paintable)
Spackling/nail filler
Spackling tool
Safety goggles
Saw horses or something similar for cutting boards
Circular or miter saw - we purchased this one from Home Depot (very affordable - the laser was very helpful)
Brad nailer or finish nailer, we got this one from Home Depot (doesn't require air compressor - we luckily already had a battery from our weed wacker that we can use since it's the same brand) - we used 1.5 inch nails
Then, we determined how many vertical boards we wanted for each wall. You're going to want to frame out the whole wall first, so count the two boards on either end (left and right) to the total number of vertical boards. The wall facing our front door has 8 vertical boards total and the other wall has 6 vertical boards. We decided to use the same size boards for the frame and the vertical boards, but I know some people choose larger boards to frame and smaller boards to run vertically. It's all personal preference, but I figured having the same sized boards would make it a little easier for our first time.
Now for the fun part - measuring. Here's an example of how we determined spacing between the boards. For example, the width of the front facing wall was 76.85 inches. We took this number and subtracted the total width of the boards (1.5 inches x 8 boards = 12). We then took that number (64.85) and divided by 7 (you have to get rid of one of the boards to calculate the space in between). This comes to ~9.26 inches, which is the space needed in between the boards. Keep in mind our measurements were off because the actual width of the boards were NOT 1.5 inches. So make sure you measure the boards prior to this step. I don't think anyone but us will be able to tell, so luckily it wasn't a huge error.
After measuring and marking with a pencil where the boards would go (Zach marked on the crown moulding), we decided to paint the walls with one coat of paint. I'm glad we did this first, however there are a lot of varying opinions on this.
Next, Zach cut the boards (one at a time) to ensure correct measurements. He started with framing the walls, and then cut the vertical boards last. The nail gun was a lifesaver - it saved us a lot of time. The stairs were kind of tricky because he had to cut the boards at an angle - just keep that in mind if you have a space that isn't perfectly square.
After getting all the boards up, Zach filled in the nail holes and we caulked where there were gaps between the boards and wall. We have a pretty narrow crown moulding and thick baseboards that we chose NOT to remove (we just taped it off). Some areas required sanding down - we did just fine with a sanding block (I don't think you need an electric sander, but great if you already have one).
Once we finished with the caulking and spackling, we put a second coat of paint on the walls and painted the MDF board (boards were primed already, so highly recommend this).
Overall, I am so incredibly happy with how it turned out! This Lindsay Letters art was the inspiration for the color scheme of this project. She has a lot of great printable artwork, as well - check her out!
In terms of styling, this accent/entryway cabinet was perfect for the space, and matches our coffee table. The ottomans were a Studio McGee x Target find. Also love these ones.
Let me know in the comments what you think! Where would you like to add something like this in your home?
Can't forget about the contributions of our right hand girl, Poppy!
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