DIY Board and Batten | Entryway/Hallway Update

Hiya friends!  So it’s time again for the monthly At Home DIY Challenge and this month’s task was a DIY Home Improvement project (which I love because my house definitely is in need of some improvements and I always feel accomplished once I finish up a project that improves the look or functionality of our home!)  The home improvement project I decided to tackle was a DIY Board and Batten wall.  Our hallway has always looked pretty boring and definitely lacked character.  I love the look of board and batten, especially when it’s painted crisp white with a contrasting dark color above it, so that is what I decided to do!

As you can see, my hallway was painted a tan color and was fairly plain, and the hallway always looked dark.  (You can sort of see the bathroom we remodeled at the end of the hallway, that is the one room that has an updated door!)

DIY Board and Batten Materials & Supplies

(Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  I may receive a small commission from any products purchased through these links which helps support the cost of maintaining this website.)

• 1×6 boards (will need double the length of wall space to cover)
• 1×4 boards ( will need enough boards to cover the length of wall space)
• 1×3 boards (estimate 1 board at 40″ in length every 13 1/2″ of wall space to cover)
• 1×2 boards (will need enough boards to cover the length of wall space)
• 3/4″ Cove molding (will need enough to cover the length of wall space)
• Brad Nail Gun
• 2-Inch 18-Gauge Brad Nails
• Measuring Tape
• Compound Miter Saw
• Stud finder
• Torpedo Level
• Lightweight spackle
• Sandpaper Finishing Sheets
• Caulk Gun
• Caulk
• Behr Ultra White Extra Glossy
• Behr Creek Bend Satin finish
• Paint supplies (rollers, paint tray, brushes)

DIY Board and Batten Instructions:

1.First, I moved all furniture in the entryway/hallway away from the wall and took down all pictures and mirrors from the wall.

2. Next, I used a hammer and chisel to remove the old baseboards from the wall (those really old/dated brown wood baseboards you see in the pic above, good riddance! 🙂  )

3.  Use a stud finder and a pencil to mark the locations of the studs in the walls the board and batten will be attached to.

4. Measure the length of wall space the board and batten will be added to, and cut enough 1×6 boards to cover that length.  For any seams, where the length of wall is longer than the boards you have available,  miter the ends of the two boards at 45 degrees and later the mitered ends on the wall, so the seam is less visible.

5.  Attach the cut 1×6 boards to the very bottom of the wall by using the brad nailer and 2″ brad nails (make sure to shoot the nails into the locations of the studs in the wall).

6.  Once the 1×6 boards are attached at the bottom,  cut enough 1×3 boards to 30″ in length each to cover the wall space (or adjust the length of the boards to ensure the top of the board and batten is the desired height).

7.  Using 2″ brad nails, attach the 1×3 boards over the studs in the wall , making sure the boards are evenly spaced apart and straight. (The studs in my wall were 16″ apart, so I cut a spare board to 13.5″ in length to use as a spacer between the 1×3 boards).  Before attaching any of the 1×3 boards, I spaced them all out on the wall first to make sure they lined up at each end of the wall.

8.  Once the vertical 1×3 boards are all attached,  cut enough 1×4 boards to cover the length of wall (should be equal to the number of feet of 1×6 boards you cut earlier).  Using brad nails, attach the 1×4  boards horizontally on the wall immediately above the 1×3 vertical boards, nailing into the wall studs.  (Also ensure seams in the boards are mitered to 45 degrees and layered as before).

9.  Now,  cut 1×3 boards to 11 1/2″ in length,  cut the same number of 11 1/2″ 1×3 boards as you cut the 30″ 1×3 boards earlier.  Use the same spacer to space the boards vertically on top of the horizontal 1×4 board (the top 1×3 boards should line up with the bottom 1×3 boards).  Attach to the wall using brad nails shot through the wall studs.

10.  Next cut 1×6 boards to the needed length (should be same as the first 1×6 boards you cut for the bottom boards).  Using brad nails through the studs,  attach the 1×6 boards horizontally above the top 1×3 boards.

11.  Before adding the top 1×2 board, I painted the small section of the wall where that board will be attached (to avoid having to tape off the top board later).  I used Behr Creek Bend paint in satin finish.  (I painted the remainder of the upper wall in a later step).

12.  Next, cut enough 1×2  boards to cover the length of the wall, again cutting seams at a 45 degree miter.  Attach the 1×2 boards above the top 1×6 boards using brad nails (nail through the top of the 1×2 boards into the 1×6 boards below.

13.  Cut enough 3/4″ cove molding  to cover the length of wall.  Use brad nails to attach the cove molding to the wall, just underneath the top 1×2 board.

14.  Once all the cove molding is attached, time to patch all the holes and fill any gaps and seams.

• Use the lightweight spackle to fill all nail holes in the board and batten and in the walls above.

• Use caulk to fill in any gaps between the boards, and between the boards and the wall (you can see the white caulk between the boards and the wall in the pic below).  Also cover any seams in the horizontal boards on the wall.

15.  Once the spackle and caulk has dried, sand down any spackle, and sand any rough spots or imperfections on the boards.

16.  Paint the top portion of the wall (above the board and batten) with the Behr Creek Bend  in satin finish.

17.  Paint the board and batten with the Behr Ultra Bright White in Extra Glossy finish (this took several coats to get full coverage since the pine boards tend to absorb the paint…).

Until finally, we have full paint coverage!

My hallway is now a MUCH brighter and happier space!  We still need to replace most of our interior doors and get new flooring, but those are future projects.  For now,  I’m just happy to have a cheery entryway and hallway!  Here are some more pics of the finished project: (and don’t forget to check out the other DIY Challenge projects below!)

Total cost of this project was about $200 and it took me about four days to complete from start to finish.

Be sure to check out all the participating bloggers DIY home improvement projects here: