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Board and Batten (Part 1)

July 19, 2010 by Chris

Thank you for waiting for this post.  I know some of you have been patiently waiting for the “JustaGirl” version of this.  I will say that after searching every single board and batten project out there, everyone’s is slightly different.  As a matter of fact, I don’t even know if mine constitutes as B&B.  But—that’s what I’m calling it.

IMG_0873

Perhaps the #1 question I’ve gotten is if I removed the original baseboard.  Yes, I did.  I stupidly didn’t go for it when we built, and it’s my goal to implement it throughout the house. I figured I might as well start now.

board and batten

The B&B is entirely from a couple of sheets of MDF.  I think they were @$25.00 a sheet.  For those of you asking for measurements, they are as follows:

  • Space between battens: 14 inches (this is not perfect in all areas. We adjusted at corners, some outlets, etc.  We got lucky, though, and didn’t have to do that more than twice.)
  • Batten width: 3 inches (kind of wide for batten, which is why I question the term)
  • Baseboard height: 6 inches
  • Topboard height: 5 inches (I didn’t want them to be the same because I feared it would look too heavy on top since I still had the shelf of wood to place over the topboard.)
  • Shelf depth: 2 inches

board and batten

To attach it to the wall, we used a nailgun. The trim being held on by blue tape is just “Liquid Nail-ed” on there.  The nails were too long for the quarter round, and it was light enough to be held by the glue.

IMG_0941

A detail shot so you can see what I mean.

IMG_0908

Below is the first color I painted it.  I LOVE the color, but it didn’t show off the new trim enough for me.  Darn.  I had to repaint the top.

wainscotting

Some tidbits I wish I would have known first–

  • Prime and paint the bottom half of the wall (and the mdf boards) before you install!  It would have saved me HOURS of paint time had I done it first.
  • Use a good, white gloss paint.  Don’t be cheap like me and and end up spending more money that you should have because you started with cheap white paint!
  • Paintable caulk will become your BEST friend.  Granted, I was picky.  I wanted it to look just a certain way (no gaps, etc.).  You may not have to sand as much or fill as much as I did if you’re less worried about it.

board and batten

There you go!  Hopefully, it answered the questions you have.  Next up?  The fun stuff!  I’ll share colors, purchases, etc. in part 2.

board and batten dining room

If you need more info, feel free to Facebook!  I’m hoping it will help with communication!

Photobucket

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Chris

Chris

Well, hello. Ahem. Allow myself to introduce..my..self. My name is Chris! And I’m a blogger! I got into blogging after spending months reading all the inspiration that is found in blogland. I thought to myself, “Self, I can do this. I might have something to offer too!” And so it began...
Chris

@https://twitter.com/justagirlblog1

Chris
Chris

Chris

Chris

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Filed Under: Decorating, Home, Projects Tagged With: board and batten, dining room, diy

About Chris

Well, hello. Ahem. Allow myself to introduce..my..self. My name is Chris! And I’m a blogger! I got into blogging after spending months reading all the inspiration that is found in blogland. I thought to myself, “Self, I can do this. I might have something to offer too!” And so it began...

Comments

  1. Pine Tree Home says

    July 19, 2010 at 12:14 pm

    Looks very nice! I am so tempted to do this in every room of my home, hahah. Now to pick the first one and jump in.

  2. 40 says

    July 19, 2010 at 12:16 pm

    You are such a rockstar, Chris. I love it!

  3. Irene says

    July 19, 2010 at 12:23 pm

    That's beautiful

  4. writing4612 says

    July 19, 2010 at 12:31 pm

    It looks awesome! It gives a lot of depth to the room. Kudos to you for tackling a project like that.

  5. Wendy says

    July 19, 2010 at 12:41 pm

    LOVE it! It looks fabulous!

  6. Twice as Nice says

    July 19, 2010 at 12:48 pm

    It looks great. My question is how were you able to paint the baseboard once it was up without getting any paint on your carpet?

  7. Creative Decor by Brooke says

    July 19, 2010 at 1:06 pm

    Thanks for that tutorial. You made it look easier. I think maybe I could do that. I really want to do it in my laundry area.
    Looks great.
    Brooke

  8. Kelli @ RTSM says

    July 19, 2010 at 1:08 pm

    Very cool! Our version of board and batten is very similar to yours. My hubby used scrap wood when we were building out house to do B & B in our dining room.

  9. Kristen says

    July 19, 2010 at 1:30 pm

    It really looks great – can you tell me how tall it is?

  10. Christine ~ JAZ Creations says

    July 19, 2010 at 1:35 pm

    Looks wonderful! This is on my to-do list for our guest bedroom and guest bath. Just not sure how I want to do it yet.

  11. Kayla & Brien says

    July 19, 2010 at 1:38 pm

    Looks really nice!! Looks awesome!! I am definitally coming back to this post for future reference when I redecorate our new home. I absolutely love it with the paint color that you have on the wall already. Do you mind if I ask what that green is called? It looks like a Tiffany color to me, but there are so many variations and so many "names" to colors is like running in circles to try and find a specific color you know exhists!

  12. Just Beachy says

    July 19, 2010 at 1:43 pm

    I am so glad you re-did the baseboard , I think it is a bad idea to leave exsisting base when you do this treatment , this is a go all the way treatment .
    Chris

  13. Bette says

    July 19, 2010 at 2:00 pm

    That looks great. I just had the same thing to my treehouse turned pool house thing-a-ma-bob house. I'll be posting later this week about it.

  14. ~L~ from Decorated and Exhausted says

    July 19, 2010 at 2:58 pm

    I'm trying to convince hubby to have this done in the house…he is not so excited about it as I am. He thinks it will over-price our home since we aren't planning on living there forever 🙁 Maybe someday in our forever home.

  15. Laura PARING DOWN says

    July 19, 2010 at 3:01 pm

    Chris, it looks wonderful! I'm thinking about taking this on in my upstairs hallway.

    Love it!

    🙂 Laura

  16. Angie says

    July 19, 2010 at 3:07 pm

    LOVE.

  17. Judy says

    July 19, 2010 at 3:08 pm

    Such a great project with wonderful results! I love MDF, it is so easy to cut and smooth. Your dinning room is just beautiful!

  18. Popcorn Served Daily says

    July 19, 2010 at 3:22 pm

    Gorgeous!

    Lisa

  19. jen @ homeinthecountry says

    July 19, 2010 at 3:39 pm

    It's beautiful! I would love love to do this to my dining room… now I just have to get the hubs on board…

  20. Barbie says

    July 19, 2010 at 3:56 pm

    LOVE it! I would love to do this in our dining room. One question. Did your walls have a lot of texture? Mine do and so I am not sure how this would work for me.

  21. Val says

    July 19, 2010 at 4:51 pm

    Truly Fabulous.

  22. Melissa says

    July 19, 2010 at 5:07 pm

    Your dining room looks so beautiful! I just sent a copy of your post to my husband and told him, "I want this!" One question: how did you transition from the new b&b baseboard to the old baseboard in the next room? Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

    Melissa

  23. Christina says

    July 19, 2010 at 5:34 pm

    Looks Awesome!!
    I really want to do that to our dining room, still trying to convince the husband…

  24. Christine says

    July 19, 2010 at 6:00 pm

    Thanks for the info, it looks great! I'm definately doing this in our future home that we're trying to buy right now.

  25. Janet says

    July 19, 2010 at 6:04 pm

    I did this to my master bedroom last July. Yours looks fabulous. I love the widths you choose. I learned the hardway too about not painting everything before installing. My knees were aching.

    http://culdesacchic.blogspot.com/2009/06/master-bedroom-makeover.html

  26. Jenn @ WestSacHoney says

    July 19, 2010 at 6:13 pm

    AMAZING! This is great it looks beautiful! I really want to do this now!

  27. Love Being a Nonny says

    July 19, 2010 at 6:18 pm

    What a great tutorial! Your walls look fabulous!

  28. Lou Cinda @ Tattered Hydrangeas says

    July 19, 2010 at 7:22 pm

    Stunning, Stunning, Stunning!!

    Lou Cinda 🙂

  29. Mine for the Making says

    July 19, 2010 at 8:31 pm

    Looks gorgeous!!!

  30. Melissa C says

    July 19, 2010 at 8:36 pm

    Looks great!!

    Melissa 😉

  31. Mindy says

    July 19, 2010 at 8:54 pm

    I love it! We are planning to do some in my living room and little boys room… I think your way might be cheaper than buying the pre-cut pieces I was planning on, so thanks for showing me there is another way!! I love the paint color too!

  32. InMyOwnStyle says

    July 19, 2010 at 9:05 pm

    hi Chris-

    I think I have looked at all the
    B&B projects also. I think yours looks how I would want mine to look – chunky and thick. The upclose shot of the top really helped me invision how to install that part of the whole treatment. Thanks for including it in your post. I would love to do this in my foyer. Hopefully sooner than later.
    My best- Diane

  33. Karen says

    July 19, 2010 at 9:28 pm

    Wow, gorgeous!!!!

  34. Kara says

    July 19, 2010 at 10:34 pm

    Looks absolutely stunning!

  35. rindercella @ neatheringourfest says

    July 20, 2010 at 1:22 am

    it looks wonderful! i am loving all the B&B posts lately – i am really starting to get inspired to do it in my own home somewhere!

  36. Leigh Ann says

    July 20, 2010 at 2:02 am

    Love it! We just finished our version of board and batten at my son and DIL's home.

  37. Krissy says

    July 20, 2010 at 2:30 am

    I'm LOVING this!! I think we're going to tackle b&b at some point…I'm bookmarking this tute for SURE!! And thanks for the sweet comments about my blog! (and I hope it was alright to use your pics for your 'first aid' kits – I was quite the blog newbie when I posted that!!)

  38. Country Dreaming says

    July 20, 2010 at 3:13 am

    LOVE IT!!!!!

    Melinda

  39. Suzanne says

    July 20, 2010 at 3:17 am

    Well, I am definitely going to bookmark this post. Your board and batten turned out fabulous. It is lovely. It makes me want to turn my home upside-down and do it all!

  40. Jamara @ My NW Nest says

    July 21, 2010 at 3:09 am

    I love this look! Thinking it would look great in my downstairs but I'm curious about one thing. It looks like you just add the trim and mdf. Do you just paint the lower half of the wall the same color? How does it work if there's texture? I can't tell if your walls have much texture. :-S

  41. My Cottage Charm says

    July 21, 2010 at 3:06 pm

    Love it, but how tall is it? 🙂

  42. AliLilly says

    July 21, 2010 at 5:06 pm

    This looks WONDERFUL!! I LOVE IKEA!! 🙂

  43. Love of the Sea says

    July 23, 2010 at 9:41 pm

    This really came out very nice.

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  45. wd bathrooms says

    July 31, 2010 at 1:11 am

    Very impressive, thanx for sharing!

  46. Mathieu says

    September 11, 2010 at 5:38 pm

    Wow, thanks for all those details. What is the total height of the B&B?
    Thanks.

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  48. Anonymous says

    April 8, 2011 at 1:38 am

    You did a beautiful job with the B&B. Question for you, what is brand/model of air compressor in the pictures?

  49. First Aid Supplies says

    April 28, 2011 at 5:19 am

    I really loved it! I am planning to do some in my living room and bedroom room… I think your way might cost me lesser than buying the pre-cut pieces I was planning on, so thanks for showing me there is another way!!The paint color's are too good, i liked them too.

  50. Just Me says

    January 3, 2012 at 11:41 pm

    This is really beautiful! I’m so anxious to do mine, now!

  51. michelle says

    January 5, 2012 at 11:22 am

    What type of saw did you use to turn a full sheet of mdf into 3″ strips?
    I love it by the way, so classy!

    • Chris says

      January 5, 2012 at 7:13 pm

      We had Lowes cut a large sheet to the length we needed, and then we used a table saw and a lot of hands to keep it as straight as possible as we cut. The table saw was just a small one my father-in-law had, but it worked! Thank you!

  52. Jessica says

    January 12, 2012 at 4:32 pm

    Yours is the best B&B tutorial I’ve seen yet. I just bought a house and will definitely be doing this in a few key rooms. Thank you for sharing.

  53. Matt ~The DIY Village says

    January 26, 2012 at 8:27 am

    Love the work you’ve done here! This would be perfect for our upstairs hallway! Thanks for the tips!

  54. Heidi Jewkes says

    January 31, 2012 at 11:23 pm

    How many sheets of MDF did it take for this room?

    • Chris says

      January 31, 2012 at 11:55 pm

      I believe we bought three 4×8 sheets, and we didn’t use all of it.

  55. Brandy says

    February 19, 2012 at 11:42 am

    How high up your wall did you go? I love it and we started the project last night but we are not sure how high to go up the wall.

  56. Lauren says

    March 5, 2012 at 5:52 pm

    You did a great job. It looks amazing! My hubby and I want to do this up our stairway, but wondering how high to go for that. I don’t think it would look good as high as yours b/c it’s a stairway and we don’t have a large staircase. How high do you think we should go for up the stairway and should we do maybe 2″ boards (although I love the chunky look)???

  57. Debbie says

    March 17, 2012 at 11:49 am

    Getting ready to do this to our dining room and was wondering how you worked around the window ~~ can you post a picture so i can show my husband what we need to do. Thanks for sharing..

  58. Jennifer says

    March 18, 2012 at 9:25 am

    It looks fantastic! We have been wanting to do that in our dining room also. How far up the wall did you go?? We have a counter height table and chairs and need it to be higher than a normal chair rail. Also, WHERE did you get your dining room cabinet?!?!?!? I have a smaller version similar to that cabinet with the sliding glass doors, but I “NEED” a big one and I love yours!! Great job on the wall, I will be using your tips, Thank You!

    • Chris says

      March 18, 2012 at 12:33 pm

      Hi Jennifer! We went up about 60 inches. The cabinet is from a local furniture store (Art Van). We’ve had it a couple of years, but we still love it! Good luck!

      • Terry says

        July 12, 2012 at 11:22 am

        You went up 60″ (5ft.)?

  59. Jessica says

    March 31, 2012 at 1:26 pm

    THANKS so much for sharing! We actually did b&B in our kitchen/dining/entry way after seeing your blog post! It has totally changed the feel and look of our entire house! Your time posting is very appreciated!

    Jessica

  60. Laura says

    April 10, 2012 at 9:32 pm

    ok!! Why do you have to be so fabulous!!!! I now an turning my house around wanting to make it look just like yours!!! I love everything about it!! Doing my B&B this weekend!!

    • Chris says

      April 10, 2012 at 11:14 pm

      Could this possibly be the best comment EVER? I think so! Thank you, Laura! Good luck with the B&B! It’s such an immediate transformation! I know it’ll be beautiful!

  61. Sara says

    May 30, 2012 at 12:33 pm

    I didn’t even know I wanted to do this in my house until I happened across your blog. Can’t wait to do it! Guest bedroom here I come! Thank you so much! Great tutorial.

  62. Joan says

    July 9, 2012 at 3:36 pm

    Beautiful! I noticed your walls are smooth (skim coated). I want to do this but I’ll need to skim coat the walls first to get rid of my “orange peel” texture. Thank you for the pictorial…very helpful :o)

  63. Carrie says

    July 14, 2012 at 2:40 pm

    Looks GREAT! I see you have windows, can you load a picture of how you worked around the windows? Thanks!

  64. kerry says

    July 29, 2012 at 4:25 pm

    Great job! If there wasn’t a stud in the place you required, what did you nail into?

  65. Laurie says

    August 17, 2012 at 12:19 am

    Thank you, thank you, thank you for the detailed instructions. Gonna do it before the holidays!!

  66. Megan says

    August 25, 2012 at 1:30 pm

    Can you email me a picture of the corners. I want to see how the base boards and top boards with shelf line up and how you had them cut. Looks great and excited to start. Thanks

  67. Jeff says

    September 5, 2012 at 8:19 pm

    I’ve done this to 2 bathrooms & used 1/4″ luan underlayment, the cheapest maerial available, but more stable in wet areas than MDF. Had Lowes cut it into 2″ strips. It caulks & paints easily. Looks great!

  68. Dara Downs says

    September 21, 2012 at 6:20 pm

    Was wondering how far the shelf is from the floor? what length should the 3inch battens be?
    Thanks!

  69. johanne says

    September 27, 2012 at 8:26 am

    Hi there, I’m getting ready to do this in my downstairs bathroom, it’s a small half bath and I’m wondering if you would reccomend spacing less than 14 inches given the smaller dimensions. awesome tutorial, was nervous about taking on this project up until now, best explanation I’ve found!

  70. christina says

    September 29, 2012 at 11:10 pm

    Hi. I love this. do you remember the thickness of your MDF? 1/2 or 3/4 inch thickness?

  71. Ceri Likes says

    October 2, 2012 at 1:48 pm

    I love the board and batten project. I would like to know how thick the MDF sheet is that you used. I am getting ready to do my dining area wall this weekend!
    Thanks, Ceri

  72. Ceri Likes says

    October 2, 2012 at 1:49 pm

    Ok, so I guess I wasn’t clear on what I meant…is the MDF sheet 1/2-inch, 11/16-inch etc thick?
    Ceri

  73. Heather says

    October 15, 2012 at 5:03 pm

    I love the room!!! I’m in the process of figuring out the measurements of our master. I am so glad I saw this pinned. My life just got alot easier.
    What did you end up doing under the window? Did you put the panels under the windowsill? If so how did you decide to space them?

  74. Nona says

    November 12, 2012 at 9:35 am

    How did you remove your old baseboards without destroying your walls? We have similar wainscoting in our downstairs to what you did and I am thinking about continuing it throughout the upstairs, but that would involve removing a lot of baseboards!

  75. Mary Ruth says

    November 13, 2012 at 8:58 am

    We did this treatment to our guest room in our house in Virginia. I hear you on the caulking, I swear I had bought a case of the stuff before we were done with the house! I had no fingerprints left on my finger tips! LOL But the end result is amazing.
    We painted the bottom 2/3 part where the board and batten were in a semi gloss and the same color as the trim, this way, it looked as if the ‘blank spaces showing the wall’ were also wood. This only works if you have flat walls (not textured plaster).
    Great job!

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