How to Board and Batten Cheap and Easy

Board and batten is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to makeover a room. With just a few materials and tools even a novice DIY’er can transform a room over a weekend. While there are so many different wall treatments out there that I love, board and batten is still my favorite. Why? Because it is timeless. This one has been around since the early colonists of America. Quite a long time!  🙂

SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE ADDING BOARD AND BATTEN

DESIGN…There are several different patterns of board and batten:

After some updates, here’s what this room looks like now….

I am loving these paint changes! The black board and batten is perfect!

Board and batten can take on different looks. The one above has a trim piece at the top of the board and batten whereas, the one below has strips going from floor to ceiling…. 

Both are a classic look.

These are just a couple examples. Of course Pinterest is full of ideas too. You can check out my Board and Batten Pinterest board here.

For simplicity sake, today I just want to look at the easiest board and batten design….

But here’s another design to check out too! 

BASEBOARDS:

The thickness of your battens (vertical boards) versus the thickness of your baseboards is something to consider. If the battens slightly hang over the baseboards, it shouldn’t be a problem. But if the battens are much thicker than the baseboards, it could be quite a noticeable thing and you probably won’t be very happy with the look.

You have two choices in this matter:

• Change your baseboards. This is the route that I have chosen, simply because I am slowly changing all of my trim throughout my home to thicker craftsman trim. Read all about upgrading to craftsman trim here…

However, that is a huge undertaking and probably not the route most people want to go. If the area that you are applying the board and batten is its own space, and separate from the other walls, you could probably get away with changing out just the baseboards in that area.

• Apply thinner battens. You can choose anywhere from a 1/4 to 3/4″ thickness, when applying my favorite board and batten technique.

BATTEN PLACEMENT:

It’s best to measure out your space before placing your boards. Not only because it’s always good to have a plan, but also if you are wanting to avoid having to cut around outlets, etc with a jigsaw. However, sometimes there’s no way around this. The best technique is to start in the center of the wall and work your way out both directions. This will help keep your work more symmetrical.

HOW TO BOARD AND BATTEN CHEAP AND EASY

Materials Needed:  (Affiliate Links Included)

4×8 Sheet of MDF Board (Amount and thickness is based upon space and preference; I prefer 1/2″ thickness)

Miter Saw

Table Saw (optional) Home Depot will usually cut your boards to the size you need

Jigsaw (optional)

Nail Gun (Hammer and nails work too, but much faster and easier with a nail gun)

Nails for Nail Gun (Size depends on thickness of MDF board)

Tape Measure

Level

Paint

Wood Filler

Sandpaper

Paintable Caulk

How-To:

STEP ONE:

Tape off area and paint walls white (or whatever color you’re planning on painting your board and batten).

STEP TWO:

Cut MDF boards the length and width you desire for the look you want. For my hallway project, I cut my boards (battens) 47 inches long and 4 inches wide. My top border piece is also 4 inches wide and spans across the top of my battens.

STEP THREE:

Cut to fit and place top board first, using your nail gun and a level.

STEP FOUR:

Now you’re ready for the battens. Again, I ripped mine at 4″ wide, but it’s all about personal preference. Choose a starting point–preferably in a corner or at the beginning of a wall. Attach your first batten using a level and nail gun. Work your way across the wall, placing a batten every so-many inches (whatever spacing you have planned out). For my project, I spaced my battens 8″ apart. But again…personal preference. 🙂

Note: You may be wondering, where does the word board come into play for board and batten….The traditional way to board and batten a wall is to place boards, cut to fit, in between your battens. To save money and time, I choose to use the wall as my board section. It really doesn’t change the look at all and you still end up with a beautiful (less expensive) board and batten wall.

As I mentioned before, sometimes it’s impossible to not hit a faceplate/outlet. When this happens, use a jigsaw to cut the opening needed out of your batten…

STEP FIVE:

All of your battens are attached and you are ready for the finish work…Run caulk all along the edges of your battens, making the transition from battens to wall seamless. Caulk is awesome and great at covering up any flaws/mistakes you may have made. Caulk is your friend! Use it liberally.

STEP SIX:

Use nail filler to fill in all of your nail holes and then sand to make smooth.

STEP SEVEN:

The fun part! Paint!!! Paint your walls (again) and the battens all the same color.

Allow to dry and you are finished…

Wall treatments are the easiest and most inexpensive way to update and change the look of any room. Here are a few more wall treatment ideas.

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL TUTORIAL ON HOW TO MAKE A SLIDING BARN DOOR

Check out this post all about adding shiplap to your walls…

Here are a couple more super easy wall treatments, I put together in my brother’s office.

You can find this wall treatment tutorial here…

I recently updated this hallway too. From this..You can read all about the pallet wall treatment technique here.

 

To this….

 

As always if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to comment below. I love to help you see how easy these projects are to DIY and overcome your fear of power tools. You’ve got this!!

PIN IT FOR LATER….

Until next time,

Happy Building, Friend!!

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