DIY Board & Batten: Bring Your Home to the Next Level
- Jennifer Pike
- May 22, 2020
- 5 min read
There are all kinds of ways to DIY board and batten in your home bringing it to the next level of character. A quick Pinterest search and you'll see hundreds of ideas pop up. The thing is, doing this DIY is like trying to eat one chip out of the bag. YOU CAN'T eat just one, and once you start, you won't want to stop!
I got the board & batten itch in 2018 when I refreshed my office. I saw how much character it brought to the space and I fell in love with the finish. It is still my most liked room on Instagram, partly because of the rich emerald green walls but I'd say it's that texture and character that the B&B brings.
For this blog post I want to show you how I went about this B&B DIY and give you the guts to try it! Trust me when I say that my husband and I are OK at best when it comes to a perfect renovation. We work as a team and try the best of our amateur abilities to get the look we want. So if we can do it, so can YOU!!! Don't be afraid to try something new. You will always run into mistakes and challenges but that's OK. It's all part of the learning process.
I'll start by showing you the office B&B from the fall of 2018, and then show you the family/kitchen/dining area we recently completed.
Clap your hands with me as we rid the home of the infamous pinky, beigey, taupey color --clap clap clap SEE YA! :)
If you are painting a different color, start by marking off an area and painting that section first. Then add your slats --bottom to top. You may have to remove an existing baseboard like we did. I personally find it looks much better adding the thick 1x6 as a base.
The hardest part is measuring in advance. I am not a math major lol but it has to be done. If you want to save money and not have a bunch of wasted pieces math is your friend, kids. You want to keep your longest cuts in on piece. For example, If you need an 11 ft piece for one wall you will want to take note before heading to the hardware store which sizes you will need. Most slats come in 8-16 ft lengths. Let's say you 1x3's are 3ft each and your hardware store has 12 ft lengths, then you can get 4 slats cut there out of that one piece. Plus it will save you time if you get them to do it for you. But definitely for your baseboards, top piece and ledge you will want to get one uncut piece per wall if possible,
The bottom baseboards are 1x6, the slats are 1x3, the top piece is 1x4 and the ledge is 1x2. You an choose whatever measurements you want as far as spacing and design. we chose to go 14 inches between pieces and 5ft from the ground for height. BTW the leveler is you best friend during this renovation. LEVEL EVERYTHING or you will regret this. Don't assume that things are level or it can go bad fast.
After all of your pieces and nailed to the wall you will want to caulk all of the B&B so you don't see any gaps. Then smooth it out with a little caulking tool or your finger. That will help it look like it's been a part of your home forever.
Then give everything a good coat of primer or paint and primer in one. Outlets are very annoying if you run into them. Just breathe and try to cut around it to the best of your abilities. Remember, caulking covers a multitude of sins lol. I think you can get some outlet bump outs if you need to, but we didn't mind how it looked the way we did it.
TaDa!!!! It looks so good right!?!
Alright...now that I got you hooked on B&B, on to the main living area....
We pretty much did the same thing except we opted for no ledge in the main area. I wanted a ledge in my office to lean artwork on, but in the main living area, I decided I wanted to leave a more flush edge just in case I want to hang artwork lower at any point.
We began by painting the color Grey Owl which is the same color we already had in our kitchen and on the fireplace column. It already looks good color-blocked like this and we haven't put up the B&B!!! So feel free to try that if B&B scares you lol!! It's a huge trend right right now. You'd be one of the cool kids on the block...no pun intended.
I like to start from the baseboard and go up. Every cut (with a few minor exceptions) is a straight cut, so it's pretty easy for a beginner. Obviously you can get super fancy with your cuts, but we are no carpenters over here, so straight cuts it is! And to be honest, I like the look much better anyways. Nice and clean looking.
Here you can see all of the nail holes. You can go over each with some spackle and sand it down gently with a 220 grit sand paper to create a smooth surface.
Whenever I got to a corner, I would put two pieces together back to back to get a nice clean finish.
God must have been looking down on us because we didn't run into ANY outlet or light switch!!! So nice!!! We had one minor fixture (the fireplace switch) but it wasn't hard to work around it.
We went around and caulked it all again. I should mention that I don't caulk on the top part where the board meets the color. it's just personal preference. Then taping and painting begins....(I hate taping...I'm such a big baby during this part hahaha) What can I say...I want fast results. Patience is not my strong suit.
That's that! I know it's a lot of work. It takes time to do the cuts, caulking, sanding, taping and painting, but I'm telling you it's worth it in the end. We are loving this space just as much as my office!!!
Keep scrolling to see the grand piano we placed in this very corner!!!
The light and airy feel is amazing! I wish I could have all of you over to see it in person because photos do not do it justice at all.
I'll also link all of the products that are in amazon storefront like the amazing color blocked drapes and black clip rings--my new favorite item. You can also shop my home on the website main page. So many fun furniture pieces from my home are directly linked to Wayfair!!
We can't wait to do the front entry next, then our master bedroom. But we have a different type of design planned for those ares! You will have to wait and see this summer and fall what we do!!!
My husband who is an amazing piano player and singer just got a used grand piano for our space and it fits right in to our new board and batten design. So classy!! The sound fills up the home beautifully. You can head over to my Instagram to see him play!!!
That's all for now Homies! I hope you enjoyed the process as much as I have. Thank you all for coming along for the ride and watching me make my home into the vision I've had all along. Don't forget to find me on Instagram and Pinterest or Facebook for more DIY's and home decor inspiration!! Enjoy the weekend!! -Jenn xoxoxo