In my previous post you saw my IKEA nightstand hack for my guest room. After I saw the nightstands in the room I was so proud but the room felt incomplete. I’ve been wanting to add board and batten to the room but I’m honestly scared I’ll completely screw it up.

Well I finally built up the courage and bought all the materials! I literally don’t have any tools besides a drill so I’ll be making a game time decision on which tools I’m purchasing. I want to make this project as cost efficient as possible but I also want to be efficient with my time. If you already have a miter saw and nail gun than you’re already one step ahead of me. Here’s what I ended up purchasing:

Lumber:
– 1″x3″x8′ common boards
– 1″x6″x8′ common boards
– 1″x2″x8′ common boards

Tools:
– Brad Nailer: I purchased the Ryobi Airstrike
– Miter Saw: I purchased the 10in Ryobi Miter Saw
– Level
– Caulking/gun (paintable)
– Paint samples/paint

Additional Items: things you’ll need but I already had
– Spackling
– Sander/sand paper
– Paint supplies: pan, roller, brush

Determine the amount of lumber:
I’m following this pin by A Diamond in the Stuff as a guide but I decided not to do the bottom trim piece. Instead I’ll be cutting mine at 45 degree angle like how Lovely etc. did hers. I don’t want the extra work of ripping out my baseboards.

I started out by measuring my space. I’m doing the entire room which equaled approximately 475.25in. I purchased 8ft. boards. I was able to get two 48″ battens (vertical strips) out of each 8ft. board. 48″ plus 6″ top board equals 54″ so I decided last minute to add a 1×2 ledge to make the total height 55″ tall.

Do some simple math to add up how much lumber you’ll need. I had The Home Depot cut my 1x3s for me since those would be 4ft tall which is exactly half of the 1x3x8s. This saved me the extra work (so I thought) and the employee didn’t charge me for it.

Here we go:
Step 1: I started out by doing a 45 degree bevel cut on the bottom of all my batten pieces. Then I did a quick sanding of the ends, sides, and surface area that would be painted. The boards were already smooth but I wanted the ends smooth as well.

Step 2: Next I added my battens to the wall. I cut a 16″ piece of 1×2 and used this as a spacer to make my battens 16″ apart. My studs are 16″ apart but if yours aren’t then I suggest using some construction adhesive on the back of your boards before placing them on the wall. Using my new fancy Ryobi Airstrike brad nailer, I nailed the pieces into the studs.

Step 3: Next I adding the horizontal top boards (1x6s) to the wall using a level to ensure it’s straight. I secured these to the wall with a brad nailer.

*note: apparently my walls aren’t even because some areas were left with an awkward gap. So getting my pieces cut at The Home Depot probably wasn’t the best idea but I had a simple solution! I purchased five additional 1x3x8 common boards and added a transition piece to hide the awkward gaps. This just adds a little more character. A minor mistake but I think it’ll still turn out great!

Step 4: Sand any rough areas, fill nail holes with spackling, and caulk edges. Once dry, sand the spackling areas to create a smooth even finish.

Step 5: Now you’re ready to paint. I used Sherwin Williams 2022 Color of the Year, Evergreen Fog. I’ll be honest I’m horrible with color so I’m glad the Sherwin Williams website tells you what the coordinating colors are. I knew I wanted a shade of green so why not use the 2022 Color of the Year!

And here’s the final look! I’m so proud of myself for doing this 100% on my own! I feel very accomplished and I can’t wait to continue doing more home projects and bettering my skills!

Check out my Instagram highlight, “Home Renovations” for quick video snippets on how I accomplished this look!

xoxo
Mariesah