Board & Batten - Before & After DIY

As I scroll through Instagram daily, I see so many people doing board and batten walls in their home, and

This is our bedroom before the board and batten wall

so many influencers inspired me to finally do it. I would go back and forth thinking "I can't do that" or "I don't think I will be able to figure that out" but decided to stop thinking that way and just do it! Through the process my husband and I learned the do's and dont's but also ended up very happy with the end result. Therefore I am going to explain in detail the steps we took, the items we used and purchased, and somewhat of a "how to" for board and batten.

Now... ours is not perfect by any means but for our second diy (haven't shared the first board and batten yet) I am very happy with how it came out!

The items you will need for this project are below -

- Nail Gun (I used the Ryobi Brad Nailer linked here)

- Nails (I believe we used 2 inch nails)

- Primed Trim Board 1x3 - Remember this board is actually .719in x 2.5in x 96 in

- Stud finder

- Caulking

- Level

- Baby Wipes

- Caulking gun

- Wood filler

- Paint

- Paint brush

- Roller

- Tray and Tray Liner

- Chop Saw

So first thing you need to figure out is the spacing on the wall. What we found out as we were doing this was that the wood was .719in x 2.5 in rather than 1in x 3in so that kind of made our numbers a little off and then we found that our window was not in the middle of the wall. SO definitely measure and figure out all the math before you begin (thank you to my husband for his help with this part!). I also found this page which provides a board and batten calculator which I found after the fact but figured I would share with you all so you can use it!

Once you know your measurements, you should be able to figure out how many 8ft boards you will need and purchase those from Home Depot, Lowes, or whatever store is closest to you. I went to Home Depot and I did buy the primed boards because that made things much easier but they were a little more expensive. You can buy boards that are the same size and not primed for a little less money if you want to go that route. From there you will want to use your stud finder to find the studs and the electrical. This is the stud finder that I used. Then you will want to mark on your wall where each board needs to go and figure out the spacing especially for the vertical boards. Now you have your studs marked and measurements done, you’ll then start to cut your pieces of wood with your chop saw to the sizes you will need them. We cut the outer box pieces first and then the vertical pieces.

Now one step many, many people do and carpenters would probably recommend would be taking off the trim that's there and adding a new trim so the vertical boards sit flush. We did not do that step and decided to just box it in and I am totally okay with how it looks. I just didn't want to get into pulling that off and possibly ruining the wall and so on so we decided to skip that step. Therefore we began by doing the outline of the wall first. We used our Ryobi brad nailer to nail the wood onto the wall and I highly recommend going in at an angle so that if the board is not on a stud, the board will be more secure. If you can get your boards on the studs, that's definitely the best way to do it but chances are not all the boards will be on a stud for it to look the way you want it to. As you add the vertical boards to the wall, before nailing, make sure each one is level. Once you can safely say the board is level, then start to nail it into the wall one by one. Just a warning - not all wood is perfect and sometimes the boards can be warped so just be aware of that when putting them up and purchasing them!

This is the during after we got the boards up and I caulked everything

Another step that some people take is using adhesive on the back of the wood but I didn't want to put glue all over my walls so hopefullllllly we have no issues haha but hey, you live and learn and at the moment everything is on tight and looks great!

Once you have all your boards up, you will want to caulk every gap that you can see. This can be timely but it is SO IMPORTANT! This makes everything flow so much better and look finished. I use baby wipes to wipe away the excess caulk and they work amazzzzzing! You can also use a sponge, damp towel, or your finger for this step - whatever works best for you! You will also want to use wood filler to fill all the nails holes. Once that all dries it is time to paint! I used Simply White by Benjamin Moore in an Eggshell finish because that worked best in our room but this step is obviously your choice on what color you want to use. Then from there, you're done!

The board and batten makes such a difference and adds so much character and design to a space! It seems like a lot when reading blogs and the steps on how to do it because I was totally intimidated at first but it really is an easier diy especially for people like me just starting out with using power tools and such! Very excited with the finished product! :)

SO what do you think?!?! Final product below!

The finished board and batten! 😍