How to Install Board and Batten like a Pro
Friends…let me just tell you how excited I am to share this project with you. I’ve been swooning over board and batten for years but have never gotten around to putting any up. But our front entry way was screaming for some organization and I knew this was the perfect place to do it. I’m going to teach you how to install board and batten like a pro.
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Let’s take a look at what our entryway looked like before.
Womp Womp. This was my attempt at some organization. Coat hooks, a place to drop the keys and some baskets for shoes. It worked ok for a while until the kids’ coats started getting bigger and bigger and everything started to drag on the ground. And the problem with the shoe basket situation was that there was no where to sit while putting on shoes. Our mornings were chaos and everyone was piled on the floor in the small space trying to get shoes on and get out the door. It just did not work.
Something had to change.
There are many tutorials out there on how to install board and batten. Some are complicated, some are not. This is what worked for us and hopefully you can adjust it to work for you too.
A few things before we get started:
You will need to measure the space that you want to cover. This will determine the amount and length of wood that you need.
Assuming you want to make four equal panels like we did, you will need 2x the length of your space in addition to 5x the height of your space. For example, if the space that you are covering is 10 feet wide by 6 feet tall, you will need 20 feet for the horizontal boards and 30 feet for the vertical boards.
We would recommend purchasing the wood in such a manner to reduce the number of cuts. For example, if your horizontal length is 10 feet, purchase (2) 10 foot boards rather than (4) 5 foot boards.
If you do not have a baseboard, you will want to add an additional horizontal board at the bottom where the baseboard would normally be.
SUPPLIES
Boards – 2x horizontal length. 5x vertical height. We used 3 3/4″ wide and 1/4″ thick boards.
Nail gun
White paint
Paint roller
Paint brush
Wood putty
120 grit sandpaper
Level
Carpenters square
Chopsaw
Hooks
Drill
HOW TO INSTALL BOARD AND BATTEN
DIRECTIONS
1. Cut the horizontal boards to length and lay them on the floor.
2. Overlap the 5 vertical boards onto the horizontal boards and space them evenly as shown below. Use a carpenters square to make sure your angles are 90 degrees.
3. With a pencil, mark where you will cut your vertical boards. Cut with a chop saw. You will end up with 5 short and 5 long vertical boards if you lay it out like we did.
4. Nail the lower horizontal board up first, using a level to make sure it’s straight.
5. Install the lower vertical boards, spacing them evenly as you previously measured. Make sure to account for light switches and outlet covers if necessary and notch the boards before you nail them up.
6. Install the upper vertical boards.
7. Finish with the top horizontal board.
7. After all boards are nailed into place, fill holes with wood putty and sand smooth.
8. Paint the entire area with white paint using a roller. Use a paint brush to get into the corners.
9. Once the paint is dry, attach hooks to the lower horizontal piece of wood.
You’re finished! Doesn’t this make an amazing statement?
I added a bench with cubbies and some baskets and now we have an organized entryway. It may just be my favorite area of the house.
Now everyone has a place to sit and there are plenty of hooks for coats. No more falling all over each other trying to get out the door in the morning.
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