DIY Board & Batten

I was so tired of this old boring hallway so decided to dress it up with some simple board and batten. It was a rather easy and affordable project. (Read on for more details on this project).

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Our walls are heavily covered in orange peel texture — if this doesn't bother you, you could skip the first step, however, I was going for a "true" board and batten look which involved adding hardboard directly to the wall for a smooth backing.

1. Measure & Prepare

First, you will need to plan, measure and design your board and batten wall. There are tons of different styles out there, so check out Pinterest to see what style you're looking to achieve. Next, I used painters tape to make sure I was happy with the height and spacing. (I then held up two vertical pieces which were different widths to see which I preferred for the vertical battens... I'm a VERY visual person)

I decided on a height of 4ft 6inches (which included the baseboards, which I left on).

2. Buy Materials

I purchased all of my wood and materials at Home Depot. For our hallway, we needed 5 sheets of the hardboard panels. These sell them in 4'x8' ft sheets; Hardboard Tempered Panel (1/8 in. 4 ft. x 8 ft) and Home Depot will actually cut the hardboard to size for you — so go prepared with your measurements.

3. Mark your Studs

You will need to use a stud finder to mark the studs. I used a pencil to mark each stud which helped when nailing. (P.S. If you haven't tried the Stud Buddy yet, you're missing out. Seriously, the best stud finder I have tried)

4. Cover Wall Texture (optional)

Attach your Hardboard Tempered Panel (1/8 in. 4 ft. x 8 ft backing boards to the wall using liquid nails and your handy Ryobi brad nailer. If you don't have a brad nailer, a hammer and nails will work too!

Many people skip this step and choose to add the trim pieces directly to the wall, which is definitely an easier way and less expensive.

Here's what the hallway looked like once covered with hardboard. You will notice there are a few small gaps between the hardboard. I had measured where the vertical batten pieces would go and cut my hardboard to size so those trim pieces will cover the gaps where the hardboard meets.

5. Trim Pieces

Now that my boards are up it was time to install the top horizontal MDF strips and the corner strips. When putting up the MDF, I used more liquid nails (surprisingly, I had never used it before this project... LIFE CHANGING), my Ryobi brad nailer and a level. Before your start nailing, make sure to double check that your boards are level.

6. Measure, Cut and Install Batten

Next, you will want to measure and cut your vertical strips to make the battens. I used 3" MDF trim pieces. I then marked on the hardboard where these pieces were going. (Again, make sure to use your level before nailing these in).

7. Top Trim & Cove Molding

Next, I added a 1"x2" trim piece to make a top rail and a piece of primed cove moulding underneath. I then decided to really challenge myself by adding some thin cove molding inside each board. (Definitely not necessary!)

8. Sanding, Caulking and Priming

Now it’s time for the finishing touches! This is a tedious step, however, you definitely don't want to skip it! I did this over the course of a few days so it wasn't so overwhelming. I filled all the nail holes with wood filler, sanded everything down and then caulked all the seams.

Next up, primer! I used Zinsser White Interior Primer & Sealer which is amazing but very potent. You could definitely roll this on, however, I decided to use my Home Right Paint Sprayer which gives a nice smooth finish.

9. Paint!

Now, for the fun part! I used "Eider White" by Sherwin Williams as that's the same color as my baseboards. Again, I used my Home Right Paint Sprayer to help get a smooth finish.

10. Decorate

For the hallway, I found this adorable shop on Etsy that makes custom silhouettes. These hand drawn silhouettes have the option to be personalized with your child's image and name.

I then purchase some natural wood square picture frames from Target by Studio Mcgee. This is such a great addition to the hallway and is a great momento to hold onto.