How To: Board & Batten Wall!

Welcome back! I am seriously so excited about this project. I consulted my dad from a distance, but I did this one MOSTLY BY MYSELF! I have always loved the look of board & batten so once we re-purposed the clock from our master bathroom, I had a blank wall and the perfect space to do it!

Here is my before picture:

 

 Please don't judge my bad application of frosted glass film. It was my first time ever doing it and besides, I warned you I'm not a perfectionist!

Supplies you will need:

• Lattice strips (can also use 1x2 boards, but I didn't want my battens to stick out far from the wall since it's over the bathtub)
• 1x3x8 board (This is the top ledge. You could definitely use something fancier/larger/smaller depending on your budget or your style.)
• Liquid Nails
• Wood screws
• Drill
• Staple gun
• Studfinder
• Rulers/Measuring tape
• Level
• Some type of cutting tool. I used a miter box with a handsaw, but there are tons of options for this. (You also could have the wood pieces cut at the hardware store if you are prepared and know all of your measurements. I was not. And later, I was thankful I didn't have all my lattice pieces cut to the same size!)
• Painters tape or something else to temporarily hold the lattice in place while you decide what looks best to you.
• Sandpaper
• Caulk
• Spackle
• Paint

It seems like a lot of supplies, but I only had to purchase the lattice strips, the 1x3 board, and the liquid nails. I had the rest of the supplies already so I completed this project for about $30 including the white paint.

Step 1. Measure the length for your top board.

I was only doing a small section over the bath tub, so I started by measuring the length of this area and cutting my 1x3 to fit snugly, but still have room for expansion. If you are doing a longer space and need more than one 1x3, make sure you leave a small gap between boards. If you butt them together tightly, they will buckle eventually!

Step 2. Locate studs. 

I am using the top board as a new towel holder so I wanted it in studs to make sure it could withstand the weight of towel hooks and wet towels or robes.

Step 3. Determine how high you want your top board. 

This seems to be personal preference to everyone. I have seen some board & batten walls with really high top boards, and some that weren't so high. I just had an idea in my head of about where I wanted it so I held the board up, made sure it was level, and screwed it into the studs.

Step 4. Determine the location for each batten.

This was the most time consuming part for me. I really wanted my battens in the studs as well so I could just use my staple gun to attach them to the wall and call it a day. However, I am learning in all my projects, that studs are rarely where you want them to be. Ours seemed to be spaced awkwardly so if I put my battens in the studs, they would be closer to the window than the shower. I am extremely OCD about being centered and square so this bothered me. I ended up dividing out my total length of area by 4 (because I was using 3 battens and wanted 4 equal spaces between shower and window) and marking those spaces evenly. Then I marked the center of each lattice strip width wise and lined that center mark with the marks on the wall. After lining the pieces up, make sure they are level vertically, and attach them to the wall with painter's tape. This allows you to step back and make sure you love the way it looks before you commit to anything permanently.

As you can tell in the picture, the battens were not evenly spaced. I took this picture when I had the battens lined up with the studs, which obviously would've driven me crazy had I left it this way.

Step 5. Attach the battens.

Since I couldn't just attach them to the studs, I ended up using interior Liquid Nails. You simply use a caulk gun to apply a thin line of glue to the back of the batten. The glue does not set right away so once you apply it to the wall, you have a little bit of wiggle room to make sure you are lined up correctly and level. To hold the battens in place until the glue set, I put about 4 staples into each one. I pressed my battens firmly to the wall and used a damp paper towel to wipe up any glue that squeezed out from the edges.

Step 6. Caulk and spackle.

I caulked all the seams where the boards joined the wall and each other. I did not caulk the top seam of the top board because it will not be visible to anyone at its height, but if you are doing a lower wall, you will need to caulk there, as well. Caulking all the seams makes it look like a uniform piece and a lot more professional. Spackle over all the screws and staples to ensure a smooth finish.

I forgot to take a picture of this step. Sorry!

Step 7. Sand.

Sand your boards nice and smooth and sand any spackling smooth.

Step 8. Paint!

I used Behr Premium Plus paint + primer in one in Ultra Pure White so I did not prime my boards before painting, but that is an option if you would like to do so. Hubby did 3 coats of paint for me. He's the best! :)

One coat of paint down, it took a total of FOUR coats! Stupid, shiny, blue paint. It has got. to. go.

Step 9. Step back and enjoy your handiwork!

I just love the new wall. I really like the way it looks and the way it updates the bathroom!

And see, I covered up my bad frosted film with a roman bamboo shade so you can't even see it. From the inside. :)

So thanks for stopping by! Come back soon because we are not done with the master bathroom yet! Yesterday I learned how to change out a faucet. It nearly whooped me, but I conquered it. One more faucet, changing out the light fixture, and covering up the blue paint are all that's left! :)

~Kasey

ps. pin this post on pinterest so you can find it later!