DIY Project: Board-and-Batten Wall Treatment!

I admit I’ve been looking forward to this DIY post.  Not only because the project is finished, but it also means we’ll no longer be living in a construction zone (at least for a while, until we start our next project).  🙂

We finished our Board-and-Batten wall treatments!  Our grand total came in under $100, and they look…well…fantastic!

Whoa, let’s back up a second.  Are you wondering what the heck “Board and Batten” is?  No problem.  It’s a type of decorative interior wall paneling.  

Lately I’ve been pondering what to do with all of my copious spare time (yes, that was sarcasm), so when I noticed the sad bare walls inside my house a while back, I knew they could use some architectural interest.  Cue the googling and pinterest-ing!   A few things came up that I really liked.  The one that is serving as my main inspiration is this post by younghouselove.com.  It’s a blog run by a married-couple that loves DIY probably more than I do, if that’s even possible.  But I liked what they did on the walls.

Simple, clean, classic.  So we jumped in.

I already knew that I wanted to paint the upper portion a grey-blue color first, so I went ahead and did that before-hand, and now you can see the old beige paint on the lower half of the wall, which I didn’t bother painting because it will be covered by the board-and-batten.

We decided to do the entry, main hallway and the above family room wall.  And projects like these usually start in one of my favorite places.  Lowe’s Home Improvement store.

We looked for the cheapest, smoothest, thinnest plywood we could find.  They came in 4′ x 8′ sheets, 1/4″ thick.  We had already measured the length of the walls before we left, and bought enough plywood sheeting to cover the entire lower half.  (We have slightly textured walls, so we needed to cover that up with the plywood sheet.  If our walls had no texture, we probably wouldn’t have bothered with the plywood, just FYI).

Then we picked up some long 1″x3″ pine boards, to serve as a top rail.  We were very picky at the store, looking at them super carefully to make sure they were straight.  “I want a crooked board and batten wall”, said no one ever.

Then we needed to find the battens (the vertical pieces that run between the baseboard and the top rail).  We were able to find some thin wood strips that would do the trick.  2″ x 1/8″ pieces of pine that came in 4-foot lengths.  Then after some caulk, wood putty and sandpaper found its way into our cart, we were on our way home.

We went back and forth on a good height for the top rail.  After some long philosophical discussions, we finally landed on 40 inches.  So we got to work.

Trimmed the plywood sheets down, cut the top rails with a miter saw (so the corners neatly come together), and trimmed the battens down to size.  Put the plywood sheets up on the wall, checked that all was level, and fired off the nail gun.

Then it was time to screw on the top rails and nail on the battens. (We take every opportunity we can to use the nail gun. It’s so satisfying.)

This is what it looked like after everything was up on the wall.

Next, we pulled out the wood putty, and filled in the millions (ok, not really, but it sure felt like it) of little holes that were left after we attached everything.  We let that dry overnight, and the next day we sanded the spots down so they were flat.  Then it was a quick pass with the vacuum over the entire thing (including the floor; after sanding it looked like a snowstorm had blown through our family room).

Then it was time to get out the caulk gun and get to work filling in all of the cracks and crevices.  (That’s the second gun involved in this project. DIY isn’t as violent as it sounds, I promise.)

We ran a small bead of caulk in all of the crevices, and along the top rail between the wall and the wood.  Then I dragged my poorly polished index finger along each of the creases, gently pushing the caulk into the crease.  (It’s critical not to use too much caulk, or you’ll have a nasty overflow of caulk everywhere when you drag your finger along it. Don’t ask why I know that.)

We let the caulk dry overnight, and then started in on the painting.  (We made sure to buy paintable caulk.  Otherwise, the paint wouldn’t have adhered to it!)  And once again Piggy was project supervisor, but all she did was pant a lot and lick herself.

Then finally…the last coat of paint dried, outlet plates were screwed back on, and furniture moved back to its former position.

 

And with that…it was DONE!  I love how it turned out. It’s exactly how I pictured it in my mind.  You can’t see it in the photo, but we continued all the way down the hallway to the right and into the entry way by our front door.  It freshened up the whole house, provided just the architectural detail I was looking for, and we spent less than a hundred bucks.

And because I’m a sucker for a good ol’ fashioned before-and-after shot…

Now that I’ve cleaned up the mess, I think I already know my next DIY project…let’s just say it’s probably going to involve TILE.  😉

Until next time!

 

 

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Now for one last thing , just so I can sleep a little better tonight…

Disclaimer / Legal Mumbo-Jumbo:

DIY projects, such as those mentioned above, are performed at your own risk.

As with any do-it-yourself/DIY project, unfamiliarity with the tools and process can be dangerous. All DIY-related posts should be construed as theoretical advice and aesthetic inspiration. Improper use of tools could result in damage to your property or serious bodily injuries. MYSHINYNICKELS.com is not liable for any damage or injury resulting from the DIY projects listed or referenced.