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Author: Home on Liberty Hill
Posted: March 18, 2021
Category: DIY, Interior Design
Tags: accent wall, board and batten, farmhouse wainscoting, solid wood board and batten, wainscoting, wall designs

Simple Board and Batten Accent Wall for Under $250

Board and Batten was the perfect simple, but transformative highlight for the kids bathroom! This was my first time doing it and it was so easy I’m already wondering what other rooms in my house I could incorporate this DIY and in various designs.

Watch our Video: How to Install a Board and Batten Accent Wall:

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Materials list for Board & Batten Accent Wall:

Tools:

Miter Saw or Hand Saw
4ft Level
Brad Nailer and nails (this is a Ryobi Kit and comes with multiple tools that I use regularly!)
Caulk Gun

Materials:

Various widths of primed wood (develop your own design)
Liquid Nails
Wood putty/wood filler
Sanding Sponge
Your Choice of Paint Color
Paint Brush, Roller, and Tape
Paintable Caulk (PAINTABLE IS IMPORTANT)

Many of you know that we’ve been rehabbing this bathroom for almost a year (we still work full time and we’ve been chipping away at this project on the weekends only). We brought it completely down to the studs and built it back up. A few months ago we completed the bathroom so it was fully functional, but it wasn’t fully appealing. Meaning, everything worked, but no design elements have been added.

This is the wall before I added the board and batten accent.

… just a plain white wall with a vent and a light switch. Nothing to see here!

I started this board and batten wall DIY with just a rough idea in my head. This is the largest wall in the bathroom with barely anything on it. Opposite this wall is the vanity and toilet. My goal was to create a balance between all the nothing on this wall and a very chunky 48 in vanity opposite it, without overdoing it and making the bathroom feel like a cave.

I opted for a simple vertical board and batten pattern without any cross boards that intersect with them. If you browse Pinterest there’s millions of ways people have installed this in their homes, including diamond patterns. I wanted to keep my design at a low roar without overdoing it.

Since this wall is so large with nothing on it, I went with a chunky feeling wide boards and an extra wide header across the top.

I started out by cutting the base board to length. Then eyeballing how tall I wanted it to be. I wanted it to look significant without feeling overwhelming. I also knew I was going to paint it black! Your color choice might impact your design layout. Just something to consider!

After I cut all the wood to the size I needed, I loaded the back of each board with Liquid Nails before using the brad nailer and securing it to the wall. This step is not entirely necessary. If you’re able to secure the boards to studs, you might not need the Liquid Nails. However, this is the hall/kid bathroom. I expect that it’s going to take a beating, plus, kids like to walk with their hands touching the wall. I don’t know why that’s a thing, but it is. I need this to be so absolutely secure with no chance that it will fall on my babies –human or furry.

Use the level to make sure the wood is straight when you hang it. I measured out where I wanted each board to be positioned to work around the light switch and the air vent. Once you get your board into position, use the brad nailer to secure it to the wall.

After you’ve glued and nailed the board and batten to the wall, use some wood putty or plastic wood to fill the holes from the nail gun. This will give you a clean finish after you’ve painted and you won’t see any of the holes. Just a little dab on each hole is perfect. You want just enough to fill the hole.

After the putty is dry, you can lightly sand with a sander or a sanding sponge to remove the excess putty. Don’t sand too hard!

That’s me, taking a second to appreciate my guns and skill.

Last step before painting is caulking the wood and the wall joints. The same gun I used for the liquid nails, is what I used to caulk the wood. Take your caulk and apply a thin bead to every side of the wood. This will give you clean lines. If you skip this step your paint will look cheap and there might be gaps between the wood and the wall.

Here’s the difference between caulk and no caulk. Check out under the ledge. Pro Tip: Use Baby wipes to clean any excess caulk off your joints or fingers!

Selecting Paintable Caulk is key. Most caulks are water and liquid resistant. If you try to paint caulk that is not designed to take on paint, you’re going to end up with a spotted leopard look. Be sure to get paintable!