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How to Install Board and Batten

July 25, 2011 · By Diane Henkler · 31 Comments

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How to Install Board and Batten to a Small Room

I have made a lot of progress on the bathroom I am re-doing.  Now I just have to paint and add the fun stuff – window treatment, shower curtain, rugs, and accessories.  I will post about each of them in upcoming posts.   Here is the before photo of the bathroom in case you forgot (I know it has been awhile).

Before

Bathroom-Before-Remodel

How To Install Board and Batten to Walls

supplies needed:

  • 3 1/2″ wide Pre-Primed Mdf or Wood boards(vertical)
  • 5 1/2″ wide Pre-Primed Mdf or Wood boards (horizontal)
  • Table or Mitre Saw
  • Liquid Nails
  • Tape Measure
  • Bubble Level
  • Pencil
  • Sandpaper
  • 12″ Ruler

I removed the bottom trim from the window so the boards would look better against the window. It was an extra step, but I feel it was worth it. It now has a much cleaner look.  I also removed the existing wimpy baseboards as I wanted beefier looking ones. I used 5 1/2″ Mdf boards as my new baseboards.

Adding-board-and-batten-to-

I painted the top section of the wall first, this makes it much easier than to have to tape everything off once the Board and Batten is up.

I measured and cut all the boards before I attached them to the walls. All of the vertical boards were cut to the same length except for the ones that were under the window, one above the toilet, and two by counter.  The vertical boards are 3 1/2″ wide primed Mdf.  The horizontal ones are 5 1/2″ wide Mdf.

To space the boards evenly around the wall, I used a 12″ ruler as my spacer. Most of the cuts were straight across, I did have to make a few angled cuts on the baseboard and top boards in the corners.

Once I was sure everything was cut correctly, I used Liquid Nails to attach the boards to the wall.  I used a bubble level to make sure I was attaching them straight and even.

How-to-install-board-and-ba

Had a few obstacles to work around – the toilet tank and the AC vent.

Removed-existing-baseboards

Looks lovely, doesn’t it?  It will soon.

Bathroom-remodel---board-an

I was lucky that my 12″ spacing worked perfectly on this wall – no obstacles.

Board-and-Batten-before-pai

How I Made a Small Window Look Bigger

This is the window before – pretty small.  I wanted to give it more impact so I added molding to the top.

Small-bathroom-window-befor

Small-window-before-adding-

I cut a piece of very smooth plywood the width of the window x the height between the window and the ceiling.  It is the same thickness as the existing window trim.   I used Liquid Nails to attach it to the wall.

I also did this between my family room and kitchen to break up a long wall they share. You can read about that in this post – In A Weekend 123…

add-plywood-that-is-the-sam

I added crown molding to the top of the plywood and a piece of screen molding to hide the joint between the board and the existing window trim.  I needed my friend Karen’s Miter saw to cut the Crown molding. As always – Thanks Karen for supplying me with the cool tools I don’t own.

Adding-molding-above-a-smal

Add molding to window

Now it just needs to be painted.  You can easily see this window when you are standing in my foyer. It will now have more impact and look foyer worthy.

Add-molding-to-home-to-crea

Bathroom After

How to install Board and Batten

 

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Filed Under: Bathrooms, Decorating Ideas, Home Improvement, Room Makeovers, Tutorials

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Comments

  1. Laura Adams says

    06/23/2020 at 8:31 am

    Diane – it looks great! May I ask what sheen you chose for the paint?

    Reply
    • Diane Henkler says

      06/23/2020 at 11:39 am

      Hi Laura – I used semi-gloss. This has a slight sheen and makes the walls easy to clean when needed.

      Reply
  2. Kim says

    06/21/2020 at 11:08 pm

    Your new bathroom is GORGEOUS! It looks so much bigger and definitely brighter. I love your color combinations. The towel colors are so pretty and pull the whole room together. I know you are proud of it and have every right to be.

    I wish I could do board and batten in my bathroom(s) but have partial tile walls that go around corners so some previous advice on how to do this over tile wouldn’t work for me. Makes me want to go at it with a sledge hammer now. It’s been in this house since it was built in 1961. I think it’s time for it to go!

    You really did a beautiful job!

    Reply
  3. Sharon H says

    06/20/2020 at 9:54 pm

    Wow, look at that a/c vent now! Lol I love board and batten and have a 1/2 bath off the utility room that is begging me to start in there. In. My. Spare. Time. Sigh…..so many irons in the fire already! Your room looks awesome, Diane.

    Reply
  4. Ashley says

    07/25/2014 at 1:22 pm

    You’re bathroom looks amazing, thanks for sharing. Our bathroom layout is identical to this and I’ve been wondering for about a year now what I wanted to do with it, and now I know :)

    Reply
  5. Leigh Ann says

    07/05/2013 at 10:32 pm

    What length/height did you cut your main vertical boards?

    Reply
    • Diane Henkler says

      07/05/2013 at 11:16 pm

      Hi Leigh Ann – The boards are 6″ – 2″ high. The ceiling height is 8 feet. I chose this height so the top board would fall about 3/4’s of the way up the window height. I didn’t want it to fall in line where the window sashes meet. If you have a window in your bathroom – determine how high to place the boards with the window in mind. Go either higher or lower than where the sashes meet or the center of the window.

      Reply
  6. Beverly says

    04/27/2013 at 9:43 am

    Could you please tell me how the wood trim worked out around the mirrors above the sinks? I saw clips holding the mirrors up prior… Is the wood overlapping the mirror edges or is it right up along the edge of the mirror? Thanks…

    Reply
    • Diane Henkler says

      04/27/2013 at 8:04 pm

      Hi Beverly – I did have clips on the mirrors before. I used MirrorMate adhesive to attach the mirrors to the wall, then built the molding around each mirror. MirrorMate is sold at Home Depot or Lowes in the mirror section. It comes in a tube that requires a caulk gun. The molding is over lapping the mirrors. When you add the Liquid Nails adhesive to the back of the molding that goes around the mirrors – it is thick and raises the level to that of the mirror thickness. So once it is on the wall – it is level even though it is overlapping the mirror. I made sure when I was adding the Liquid Nails to the back of the molding that I kept it away from where it would overlap the mirror. About 1/2-inch. It has held up great – no problems at all.

      Reply
  7. Straykitten says

    04/07/2013 at 4:51 pm

    This is a fantastic makeover. Colonial chic in no time. Very impressive! Keep up the great tips and keep inspiring us!

    Reply
  8. Jenifer says

    03/25/2013 at 12:31 pm

    Love the bathroom. We’re remodeling our dining room and I’ve been tossing around the idea of adding board and batten. I’d never thought of using in a bathroom, but since our kids bath is up next, I’m thinking it might go in there as well!

    Do you remember the name of the paint color you used?

    Thanks :)

    Reply
  9. N. says

    02/24/2013 at 8:11 pm

    I just love this remodel. The before bathroom has similar elements to our current never-updated-since-the-house-was-built-in-1970 bathroom so your tutorials intrigue me! Can you share the approximate budgeted amount for your remodel?

    Reply
  10. Amanda Lucas says

    01/29/2013 at 5:22 am

    Wonderful makeover, you are quite talented. I have been thinking of doing this to my wc.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  11. Andrea says

    11/25/2012 at 3:24 pm

    Love this. You make do it yourself stuff doable for someone like me who has very few tools, a non-handy (but supportive) husband, but lots of desire for a beautiful home! My question is, what did you do in the tiny little corner where the top board turns and immediately runs into the mirror frame?

    Reply
  12. Lauren from MomHomeGuide says

    11/13/2012 at 11:44 pm

    Love what your bathroom remodel — it looks beautiful! I hope to put up board in batten in one of my home’s bathroom, too!

    Reply
  13. Jennifer says

    06/25/2012 at 11:48 pm

    I love your blog! Do you think I’d be able to add the Board and Batten on top of existing tile in our bathroom?

    Reply
    • Diane says

      06/26/2012 at 9:55 am

      Hi Jennifer-

      Yes you can add a board and batten treatment over an existing tile floor. Treat the bottom horizontal board as you would baseboard molding around the room. I removed the existing baseboard in my bathroom and placed the horizontal board right on top of the existing vinyl floor . The board and batten will look great with a tile floor .

      Reply
    • Diane says

      06/26/2012 at 10:07 am

      I am writing this reply from my phone and forgot to add – since the wall is tiled you would need to attach thin sheets of wood over it, then add the narrow boards vertically and horizontally on top of it . They sell these boards at home improvement stores – they are usually pre-primed. If the tile only goes up half way on the wall that would be where you should cap the b+ b treatment off. You will need to add filler behind the boards if you want to carry the treatment higher on the wall. It can be done with Liquid Nails. The top piece of molding will need to cover the thickness of the tile and b+b treatment . It would have to be wider , but that would look good more beefy. I hope this helps, i can visualize it perfectly , let me know if you need any clarification

      Reply
  14. betsy justis says

    03/22/2012 at 7:05 am

    I love it! You have inspired me to have my dad teach me to use a miter saw this weekend. Where did you find the shower curtain? Brown is my new passion!

    Reply
    • Diane says

      03/22/2012 at 8:51 am

      Hi Betsy – I found the shower curtain at Home Goods, but I know that Marshall’s also carried them.

      Reply
  15. Gail says

    10/28/2011 at 6:23 pm

    This looks so nice! What color did you paint your bathroom. I love that shade!

    Reply
  16. april says

    08/14/2011 at 9:21 am

    This looks fantastic! How did you paint behind the toilet?? That seems to be the issue I am having right now…it’s just so close to the wall.

    Reply
  17. Miss Kitty says

    08/04/2011 at 11:58 am

    Wow! You’re right, the window does look a lot better now than previously. Along with the no-sew valance, this is definitely something my bathroom window could use. For that matter, a LOT of my windows could use it.

    Reply
  18. Johnnie says

    08/04/2011 at 6:00 am

    Hi. I am a new follower. Love this project! Stopping by to invite you to join Thrifty Thursday, because your I am loving your posts. Have a wonderful day. Blessings!

    Johnnie

    Reply
  19. Nan @ Playful Decor says

    07/27/2011 at 9:15 am

    Oh, you give us just enough to leave us hanging….!! Glad your computer is working again!

    Reply
  20. Katharine says

    07/26/2011 at 10:49 am

    Can’t wait to see the finished project. It’s coming along great. Glad to hear your computer is doing better.

    Reply
  21. Marie says

    07/26/2011 at 10:03 am

    I’m excited for the reveal! Goodluck!

    Reply
  22. Roeshel says

    07/26/2011 at 8:55 am

    Looking good, Diane! I love all of the architectural detail! Can’t wait to see the reveal! Thanks so much for sharing your hard work! ;)

    Reply
  23. Joy says

    07/25/2011 at 9:17 pm

    Nice going. Looking forward to your next blog on the bathroom upgrade.

    Reply
  24. [email protected] says

    07/25/2011 at 6:12 pm

    It looks sooooo good. I can’t wait to see the finished bathroom!!
    xo

    Reply
  25. Michelle @ Sweet Something Design says

    07/25/2011 at 5:59 pm

    It’s gonna be good!! Can’t wait to see!

    Reply
Diane Henkler Blogger In My Own Style
I love all things creative, colorful, and DIY. It is just the way my brain is wired. I can't add 2+2 to save my life, but I can help you decorate your home in a style that you will love...YOURS! LEARN MORE
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