The Easiest Board and Batten DIY Ever-A Must Try!

January 13, 2022
nicole

Hi! I'm Nicole

Fearless DIY. Sharing building project tutorials and interior design tips. Let’s build something beautiful together. For more projects, design tips and behind the scenes, follow me @designtobuild.nicole

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Guys! Seriously! The title to this post is no joke! This is truly the easiest board and batten you will ever do! I could even go so far as to say, the easiest project you will ever do! So, I had this wall that had long overstayed it’s welcome! There was a time this rustic look fit with my style….

Rustic shiplap wall made out of pallet boards

But those days have come and gone, and it was time to bring this wall up to date with the rest of my house! At first I tried painting it black, but, nope! I didn’t like that at all! Still felt too rustic. 🙁

Black shiplap wall with black board and batten next to it

So off came all of the rustic shiplap (which was actually pallet boards that I had stained to give them a dated rustic look–here’s the link for how I did that)….

Pallet boards in a pile on the floor

Fresh coat of white paint and…..Yep! I like it better already!

Plain white wall ready for the easiest board and batten technique

So, let’s get to it! Here’s what I did…

THE EASIEST BOARD AND BATTEN DIY EVER

Materials Needed:

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4×8 Sheet of MDF Board (Amount and thickness is based upon space and preference; I prefer 1/2″ thickness)

Nails for Nail Gun (Size depends on thickness of MDF board; for a 1/2″ thickness, you’ll want 3/4″ or longer nails)

Painter’s Tape

Paint

Wood Filler

Sandpaper

Paintable Caulk

Tools Needed:

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Miter Saw

Table Saw (optional) Home Depot will usually cut your boards to the size you need

Jigsaw (optional)

Nail Gun (Hammer and nails work too, but much faster and easier with a nail gun)

Tape Measure

Level

Step One: Rip MDF boards

Rip your MDF boards to the width you want them. I chose to do 4″ wide boards. If you don’t have a table saw, some Home Depots will make your cuts for you. You could also use a circular saw. The number of boards needed completely depends on the width of your space. My wall space was very small, so I only needed 9 boards.

Step Two: Place your Boards

Find the center of your wall and attach your first board there, using a nail gun. Be sure to use a level to ensure that it is straight up and down…

Two boards placed for easiest board and batten wall technique

Then use a 1x2x8 to space out your boards….what I mean by this is: after your first board is attached, place a 1x2x8 board flush against the side of the 4″ wide mdf board and attach your next 4″ wide mdf board flush against your 1x2x8 board, using your nail gun (again be sure to make sure it’s level)….

2 MDF boards attached to white wall with spacer next to the far right board

Continue placing boards all the way to the right of your center board and then all the way to the left. It is very unlikely that your last board on each side will fit perfectly. You’ll probably need to rip that board more narrow than your other boards. Rip it to fit, and attach it the same way you’ve attached all of your other boards….

Spacer placed next to one mdf board

When finished, your wall will look something like this….

Easiest board and batten wall mdf boards in place and spaced apart

And now you’re ready for paint. I wanted it to be pretty uniform to the rest of my walls and therefore, chose to go with white….

Board and batten wall painted white next to black wall

I absolutely love how this easiest board and batten wall turned out! And these gold frames! Perfect!! Want the link for the gold frames? Here it is!!

3 gold framed pictures on white accent wall

WANT MORE GREAT ACCENT WALL IDEAS??? CHECK OUT THIS POST!!

I love how the two board and batten walls complement one another so well. Want to recreate that square board and batten wall? Here’s the link….

Walkway to dining room/foyer with 2 board and batten walls flanking both sides

And a view from the other side too….

Easiest board and batten wall in the background painted white. With a light and sofa in the front room

So incredibly easy! Ready to give it a go??

PIN IT FOR LATER….

PINTEREST PIN

Until next week,

Happy Building, Friend!!

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