How to Make a Board and Batten Wall Accent (2024)

FAQs

How far apart should board and batten accent walls be spaced? ›

It's best to space them evenly, about 10-12 inches apart, but they don't have to be exact. For example, if your wall is 100 inches wide, you'll install a 2-inch board on either side, then have 96 inches left to fill. Divide 96 by 12 (the number of inches between each batten, center to center) to get 8.

Both wood and MDF are common for board and batten installation. MDF is easier to work with, smoother, and more cost-effective. Wood is solid and more durable, and ideal for wet areas, but you'll need to use a high quality wood that has no knots or warping (this will increase the cost).

Decide on the height of your top board

I simply looked at the wall and marked how high I wanted the top of our board and batten accent wall to be. I knew I wanted it to be roughly 2/3 the height of our doors. For us, that magic number was 58″ from the floor. But the height you choose is absolutely personal preference.

Measure wall width to determine the spacing of your battens or vertical slats. Most traditional batten is placed between 8” to 12” apart. The placement of our battens will be 8” apart. To determine the length of the battens for our 5' tall wall, we subtracted 5-1/2” for the baseboard and 3-1/2” for the top trim.

Board and batten walls definitely make a room look larger. The added layer of design actually healed some of the proportion problems I felt my current room had.

The most common arrangement uses 1x10 boards and 1x2 or 1x3 batten. You can also use 1x8 or 1x12 boards and 1x4 battens. To seal out moisture, the boards should be in sound condition and free of open knots, and the battens should lap at least 3/4 inch onto the boards on both sides.

You can use nearly any type of wood for an interior board and batten wall. Popular options include premium pine, poplar, and even MDF. For board and batten walls that won't be painted, hardwoods such as oak and maple are great options.

Is board and batten an outdated style for a home? Board and batten is a classic, timeless look for both exterior and interiors.

Board-and-batten: With or without the Modern Farmhouse style, vertical and board-and-batten siding remains one of the popular home exterior trends for the full façade or as an accent. TruExterior poly-ash trim in a board-and-batten style.

What is the rule of thirds board and batten? ›

Use the Rules of Thirds!

Trying to figure out where to put your horizontal board? Split the room into thirds – if you want shorter board and batten, do it 1/3 up the wall. If you want taller, do it 2/3!

Board & Batten Siding is available in a variety of sizes with common overall combined widths of 6.5”, 9.5”, 12.5” (16.5, 24.1, 31.8 cm) and depths of 1”-1.5” (2.5-3.8 cm). The widths of battens are typically between 1.5”-3.5” (3.8-8.9 cm) with board widths of 6”-12” (15.2-30.5 cm).

Paint – We used Sherwin Williams PURE WHITE 7005 to paint the boards and battens (either eggshell or satin finish—can't remember now!) You can paint everything the same color, or paint the boards a contrasting shade. SW 7005 is the same color we've used throughout our house for walls, trim, and the exterior trim.

Battens should be fixed to rafters set at centres not more than 600 mm apart unless calculated and should span across at least three rafters. To ensure this, the battens should be at least 1.2m long. Not more than one in four courses of tile battens should be joined over one truss for gauges over 200mm.

It is okay if the spacing of the battens is slightly different on adjoining walls especially if you keep the spacing equal throughout the individual wall.

Here are some guidelines to bear in mind: Battens should be fixed to rafters set at centres not more than 600mm apart. They should span at least three rafters and be at least 1.2m long. No more than one in four battens should be joined over one truss for gauges over 200mm.