
Board and Batten Materials
- 1×6 primed MDF (baseboard)
- 1×4 primed MDF (top board)
- 1×3 primed MDF (battens)
- 1×2 primed MDF (top ledge)
- (Optional) chair rail molding (to add a little detail)
- Caulk, spackle , liquid nails, paint
How to DIY a board and batten wall?
How To Install The DIY Board and Batten Wall: Step by Step Instructions
- Step One: Purchase Materials and Get Materials Ready for Your Project
- Step Two: Prepping The Wall Take the baseboard off. Again, this is optional. Mark the studs on your wall using a stud finder and a pencil. ...
- Step Six: Creating The Top Trim Board
What is the average cost of board and batten siding?
What is the average cost of board and batten siding? While new board and batten siding can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $14,000, the majority of homeowners spend on average approximately $9,000 to have it installed. Material boards range in price from $0.75 to $10 per square foot, depending on their quality.
How to install board and batten siding?
Batten Installation Measure the board and chalk a line 7/8" from either edge to indicate the position of the battens (Fig. 5a). Install the first board so that it is 7/8" off the center line in either direction right or left. Use a 3/4" wide spacer between boards as you continue across the wall, checking for plumb along the way (Fig. 5a).
How wide are batten strips?
The battens are 2" wide. The boards are about 9-1/4", but it varies slightly at the windows and between the windows so that the battens also serve as window trim. How thick is board and batten siding? Nails will need to be long enough to pass through the siding and into a solid wood substrate at least 1 1/4″.

How thick should board and batten boards be?
How thick should board and batten be? If you're dealing with a smaller bedroom in a house with 8 ft ceilings, you'll want to use something in the 2.5” to 3.5” width range for the trim work.
What size wood do you use for board and batten wall?
Cut each 1×4 batten to size using a miter saw. Attach to the wall with constuction adhesive and 1 1/4"brad nails. Add the top 1x2 board on top of the middle board to create a ledge. Install with 1 1/4″ brad nails and some construction adhesive.
What is the standard batten size?
What timber batten sizes are typically supplied? Timber battens compliant with BS 5534 typically come in two basic dimensions: 25x38mm and 25x50mm, with the ±3mm tolerance. These measurements should be taken with a reference moisture level of 20%.
What trim is used for board and batten?
If you are planning to do board and batten in a wet area such as a bathroom or a kitchen, you will want to purchase PVC or Primed Pine trim. PVC is the superior choice as it is 100% waterproof, but pine is a great alternative.
How tall should board and batten be?
It should generally measure either one-third or two-thirds the height of the ceiling. But it should never settle at half the height of a room.
How wide is typical board and batten?
Board and batten siding is a vertical design created using wide clear or knotty cedar boards spaced apart with narrower boards (battens) covering the joins. There are no set board or batten widths with this cedar siding, but a common combination is 1″x2″ or 1″x3″ battens laid over 1″x10″ or 1″x12″ boards.
How wide should batten strips be?
Batten Sizes A true batten is 2-inches in width or smaller, but you can use larger widths by installing trim in place of a batten if you want a thicker appearance. They're installed directly over the vertical panels to get the traditional look.
Should board and batten be evenly spaced?
10:0513:16How to measure spacing, choose trim, & install board and batten!YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe walls opposite one another can usually have the same spacing. But the other two walls you'llMoreThe walls opposite one another can usually have the same spacing. But the other two walls you'll just want to try to make this spacing as close as possible to the rest of the room.
How wide are board and batten strips?
Over time, the distinctive exterior siding of barns became known as board and batten. Home contractors would alternate wide boards with narrower wooden strips. The wider boards are between 12 and 14 inches thick, with the thinner strips of 1-3 inches placed where the two boards meet.
What type of wood is used for exterior board and batten?
CedarCedar is a common choice for exterior board and batten siding, but other acceptable wood species include cypress, redwood, and fir, in addition to engineered materials like composite siding and fiber cement.
How far apart should battens be?
Traditional batten spacing was dictated by the width of the boards being used. If the boards were 12-inches wide, then that was the batten spacing. If the boards were 8-inches wide, then the battens were installed 8 inches apart.
What materials do you need for board and batten?
Board and Batten Materials1×6 primed MDF (baseboard)1×4 primed MDF (top board)1×3 primed MDF (battens)1×2 primed MDF (top ledge)(Optional) chair rail molding (to add a little detail)Caulk, spackle, liquid nails, paint.
What is the best material for board and batten panels?
When board and batten paneling is installed inside, pine or MDF are often used. Lattice boards and furring strips are popular materials for DIY board and batten walls.
What is Board and Batten?
Board and batten is the name given to a decorative and sometimes protective architectural detail. It consists of wide, vertically-oriented boards laid side by side. Where the boards meet, a thinner board (called a batten) is used to cover the seam.
What Kind of Wood is Used for Board and Batten?
While board and batten was originally made out of wood, today it can be purchased in a wide variety of materials.
How tall is a wainscoting ceiling?
If you’re looking for an exact measurement, try 32 inches. The average residential ceiling height is eight feet. 32 inches of wainscoting would cover the bottom third of the wall. 32 inches is also the average height of other wainscoting materials, such as beadboard panels.
Why do you put wainscoting on a dining room wall?
Board and batten wainscoting is an attractive and stylish way to prevent unsightly dings or dents in your dining room walls.
What is reverse board and batten?
Reverse board and batten is exactly what it sounds like — instead of narrow battens overlaying the seams of wide boards, the battens are installed first, with the spaces between them covered by wide boards.
How far up the wall can you put board and batten?
Entire walls or ceilings can be covered in board and batten, or it can be used as wainscoting. Board and batten wainscoting is usually applied about 32 inches up the wall, measuring from the floor. It has a comfortable, upscale farmhouse feel.
What is board and batten siding?
Board and batten siding is one of the oldest styles of cladding in the United States. It was first created when sawmills became regular and accessible additions to many communities. Wood was milled into long boards that could be installed vertically over the home from top to bottom.
How wide is a batten?
A true batten is 2-inches in width or smaller, but you can use larger widths by installing trim in place of a batten if you want a thicker appearance. They’re installed directly over the vertical panels to get the traditional look. You can match any of Allura’s vertical panels with their trim - 2-inch, 4/4-inch, or 5/4-inch.
How far apart should battens be installed?
If the boards were 12-inches wide, then that was the batten spacing. If the boards were 8-inches wide, then the battens were installed 8 inches apart.
What are battens used for?
Battens were originally thin strips of wood that were just large enough to fasten over the gaps between the milled boards, helping to stop air and moisture from infiltrating the siding. Today, they’re more decorative than functional, but it’s still important to get their sizing right.
How wide are Allura vertical panels?
Allura’s fiber cement vertical panels come in 4-foot widths, making nailing them directly to the studs an easy process. Studs are usually located every 16-inches or every 24-inches, depending on your home and frame.
Do battens have irregular spacing?
Some older board and batten homes may have had irregular spacing, as the milled boards may not have been as uniformly cut as what is available today. Over time, board and batten has developed more of a regular appearance. It’s important to get the spacing of the boards, the size of the boards, and the battens correct for the installation to go well.
Can you use a trim piece on a stone veneer?
One option is to use another material on one half of the home, such as this stone veneer on the lower half, with the board and batten above. You can also use a horizontal trim piece to bisect the board and batten to help extend it higher.
What size of boards do you need for DIY board and batten?
I primarily used 1×3 boards, with a larger 1×6 board as the baseboard and a 1×4 along the ceiling.
How do you make DIY board and batten look nice and professional?
Caulk and spackle are your friends! Plan for a lot of time to caulk, spackle, fill nail holes and sand everything smooth. You can hide all of your imperfections and little gaps if you take the time to do this tedious work before painting.
What exactly is board and batten wall treatment?
Also referred to as board and batten wainscoting, this style of wall treatment is a great way to add architectural interest to a wall. Board and batten is a type of exterior siding or interior paneling with narrow wooden strips, called battens, that form a grid pattern. I’m specifically talking about interior board and batten in this blog post.
How long does it take to make a board and batten wall?
I installed this small wall of board and batten by myself and, without interruptions, I’d guess it probably took me roughly 3 hours to actually cut and install the boards. I spent a lot of time running in and out of the garage to cut pieces. If you’re experienced with a saw, you could probably do a small wall like mine quite a bit faster.
How much does board and batten cost to add to an interior wall?
Using MDF boards, my small entryway wall cost me about $40 in lumber. For reference, my wall is approximately 8×8 feet plus that tiny diagonal part under the stair railing.
How do you plan the layout of board and batten?
To plan your board and batten layout, sketch the board placement on paper first. I recommend starting with a rough sketch to figure out the layout you like before calculating the exact measurements.
How do you finish off the top of board and batten if it doesn’t go all the way to the ceiling?
There is a huge variety of board and batten styles. A lot of people cover the entire wall and cap off the top with a thicker board or some type of crown molding.
What is board and batten?
First of all, board and batten basically just means putting wood/mdf strips on your wall in a pattern or design! I love it because is an affordable way (only$150!) to give a space character, add a focal point, and elevate your space. Now let’s all build a board and batten wall!
What is the real size of a 1x2 board?
Remember the REAL dimensions of a 1x2in board is actually 3/4 x 1.5 in, a 1×3 is 3/4 x 2.5 in….
How to get even spacing between batten trim?
Next you will do your vertical batten trim pieces. I found it easiest to get even spacing by measuring and marking on the top trim pieces where our vertical boards should go. You also can cut a board to your desired spacing, and use it as a spacer between vertical boards to get even spacing. Helpful tip: if you are doing this by yourself, put one nail in the middle, make sure it’s level, and then nail up and down the board. Another helpful tip: only cut one board at a time to get the cut exact. The spacing will all be slightly different since ceilings and floors are not perfectly level.
What color is batten trim?
It is dark brown and one side is super smooth. You could also get a thin plywood, but this was cheapest! STEP 1:Before purchasing anything, you need to draw out your wall and measure where all of your batten trim boards will go.
