DIY Board & Batten

So I've been spending quite a bit of time in my workshop organizing it, bringing more function to it, and so I thought it was about time that I come back into my house and get a few projects done that have been on my To Do List. So this is my entryway and I do have a few things up on my wall. However, this was more of a temporary fix whenever we first moved into the house and so I have a few projects planned that will hopefully make the space prettier as well as more welcoming. The first thing I decided to do was install Board and Batten Wainscoding, so I grabbed some craft paper that I had laying around and lined the bottom of my four. Next, I figured out where I wanted my top rail to end up. I wanted them above these light switches so I wouldn't have to cut around them. So I came up 44 inches and then grabbed my level. Oh look, a puppy. So anyways, I grabbed my level and drew a level line. This way, instead of going off my baseboard since they're not exactly level, I carried this line around the entire room using a torpedo level in these smaller areas. Then I grabbed some painters tape and marked off my line. Finished with that, I started the task of painting. OK, now it's time to start installing the top rails. I measured each length of wall in order to figure out how long I needed each top rail to be. And yes, I am using my hand to mark down my measurements. I made my top rails 4 inches high and I made them out of half inch MDF. I set up a temporary fence and use my circular saw to cut them. While I was cutting I went ahead and cut my battens, the vertical pieces. I made these three inches wide and from 3/8 inch plywood. Now I chose 3/8 instead of half inch like the top rail because this material will line up better with my existing baseboards which I really did not want to remove. However, this will make it slightly under flush whenever it meets the top rail, but it doesn't bother me with everything cut. I plop down and give everything a few coats of paint. So I have textured walls and it was my original plan to just put the board and balance directly onto the wall and have everything painted white. I thought it would look fine. However, after holding this up here as kind of the test bed, I'm not going to wipe the way it looks. And so in order to get a smooth finish on the bottom, I went and picked up a 4 by 8 sheet of eight inch hardboard. You can buy a sheet for around 11 or $12.00, so it's not that expensive. And I cut it to size. I'm going to attach it like so and then put the board and buttons on here. That way everything on the lower half has a nice smooth finish and then this will be the contrasting texture. So I think it'll look a lot better that way. Only thing is, is now I have to paint again. That stuff is awful to handle. It's like a giant piece of square spaghetti. So I decided to cut mine on the floor. I did put some half inch material underneath it to keep it off the concrete and then I also set the depth of my blade to an eighth inch. Then I use my block Sander to just kind of give it a nice smooth end. Once cut to size, I used my stud Finder to locate the studs and then use 2 inch nails to attach it On this side. I took measurements to locate that switch and the vent and then just used my jigsaw to cut it out and then again found the studs and nailed it in place. All in place and now more painting to install the top rail. I did much the same. Located the studs then use 2 inch nails to attach it. Then I got to start installing the battens. I decided to space mine apart 17 inches. Next was to start caulking. There's a hole in the gun that will cut the nozzle for you. Stick it in there at an angle and just cut the tip. This was my first time caulking anything but I went to every seam and just made a steady bead all the way down. Then with a wet rag, I would get my finger wet and then drag it down to get rid of any excess. Since my fingernails are long, I can't get in the corners very well. So I grabbed my paint can opener and wrap that in the damp towel. Next I grabbed my wood filler and filled in all the holes where I attached my boards. Then hopefully for the last time, more painting. Well, in my biased opinion, I think that this came out really nice. I'm very happy with this. It was also really simple. Even though I dragged my project out over four days, this could easily be taken care of in a single Saturday. You just kind of need a big block of time in order to get it done. I did add coat hooks over here even though I have a coat closet because in the winter time my coats always end up on the back of the couch, not in the closet. So I think these will come in handy. No, they don't interfere with my door because of the stopper down there. So anyways, I do have more projects planned for this area, so stay tuned like always. Let me hear your thoughts below and I will see you guys next time.