DIY Board and Batten Wall Treatment

A Board and Batten wall treatment is one where strips of wood or molding that were traditionally used to cover seams on the wall. It is not only aesthetically  pleasing, but custom mill work can add value to your home.  It falls under the category of wainscotting. Wainscotting is a combination of decorative panels, trim and molding that extend partway up a wall. Adding a board and batten accent wall can be a very affordable upgrade as well and one of those very approachable diy projects. A small area such as a 10 x 10 wall can cost under $100,  depending on the amount and type of wood used.  We’ve added board and batten to our home  in several rooms and have been really happy with the visual interest it brings! The first thing to decide is how high up you want to take your top ledge, if you want it to go to the ceilings or do you want to leave space and paint over the top? There are all kinds of combinations you can do!

For best success with DIY board and batten, start with a smooth wall texture

We used furring strips to do our walls in our original dining area for the vertical wood strips, and larger 1 x 3’s for the horizontal top strips. If your walls aren’t smooth and have heavy texture, you can adhere plywood boards or MDF boards on the surface to be covered first. but before we even did that, I realized our sad, whimpy original baseboard wasn’t going to cut it, so I used a trick to bump it up, make it look more beefy, and  match the profile size of the board and batten strips to be installed. Before applying any wood treatment to a wall, use a stud finder to mark your studs with a pencil, and know where your electric runs in the wall so you aren’t nailing through it. And as always, use proper personal safety equipment and tools as instructed.

Use extra trim to make existing baseboard already in place look larger if your trim tops are too narrow

Taking a 1.5 inch trim of pine board, we flipped it upside down so the thick end of the molding meets the bottom of the vertical boards. This helped make our smaller trim look more substanital and modern. To adhere, Use construction adhesive or liquid nails to apply the trim pieces to the wall. After the glue has dried, prime the raw wood and let dry.

I have found that adding the top horizontal board that runs the wall length before adding the vertical boards is easier, using a miter saw on the corners if needed. Use a level to make sure the top board is level all of the way across and secure with construction adhesive and brad nails (Paintable caulk or wood filler is a a great way to fill the nail holes.).

Once your board and batten wood is applied to the wall, fill any nail holes, and make sure they are flush and smooth with the trim by sanding. If you want a seamless look, use a caulk gun and paintable caulk to seal any place the wood comes in contact with the walls so there are no gaps. I found the eggshell paint I used was thick enough to fill any small gaps or spaces.

Because of the raw wood, use an angle brush to paint all of the edges and top of the board and batten with primer, and then a paint roller for the flat areas in between.

What finish is best for a board and batten wall?

This area of our home is painted with Benjamin Moore White Dove. I love how clean and crisp and interesting it looks!

It makes the room so much brighter and welcoming. Thought now this space is inside of an office area.

In our bedroom, the before and after is amazing!

And even in our bathroom, it really makes it feel so much brighter and cleaner.

A board and batten wall treatment is a classic and timeless look, and now there are so many modern variations on it, it’s an affordable way to bring lots of character into your home!