Board and Batten (Part 1)

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Thank you for waiting for this post.  I know some of you have been patiently waiting for the “JustaGirl” version of this.  I will say that after searching every single board and batten project out there, everyone’s is slightly different.  As a matter of fact, I don’t even know if mine constitutes as B&B.  But—that’s what I’m calling it.

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Perhaps the #1 question I’ve gotten is if I removed the original baseboard.  Yes, I did.  I stupidly didn’t go for it when we built, and it's my goal to implement it throughout the house. I figured I might as well start now.

board and batten

The B&B is entirely from a couple of sheets of MDF.  I think they were @$25.00 a sheet.  For those of you asking for measurements, they are as follows:

  • Space between battens: 14 inches (this is not perfect in all areas. We adjusted at corners, some outlets, etc.  We got lucky, though, and didn’t have to do that more than twice.)
  • Batten width: 3 inches (kind of wide for batten, which is why I question the term)
  • Baseboard height: 6 inches
  • Topboard height: 5 inches (I didn’t want them to be the same because I feared it would look too heavy on top since I still had the shelf of wood to place over the topboard.)
  • Shelf depth: 2 inches

board and batten

To attach it to the wall, we used a nailgun. The trim being held on by blue tape is just “Liquid Nail-ed” on there.  The nails were too long for the quarter round, and it was light enough to be held by the glue.

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A detail shot so you can see what I mean.

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Below is the first color I painted it.  I LOVE the color, but it didn’t show off the new trim enough for me.  Darn.  I had to repaint the top.

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Some tidbits I wish I would have known first--

  • Prime and paint the bottom half of the wall (and the mdf boards) before you install!  It would have saved me HOURS of paint time had I done it first.
  • Use a good, white gloss paint.  Don’t be cheap like me and and end up spending more money that you should have because you started with cheap white paint!
  • Paintable caulk will become your BEST friend.  Granted, I was picky.  I wanted it to look just a certain way (no gaps, etc.).  You may not have to sand as much or fill as much as I did if you’re less worried about it.

board and batten

There you go!  Hopefully, it answered the questions you have.  Next up?  The fun stuff!  I’ll share colors, purchases, etc.

TJMaxx lamp

If you need more info, feel free to Facebook!  I’m hoping it will help with communication!

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