I love making and creating a comfortable and cozy space where guests can stay. Not only is it easier on the guests it is also easier on the host. I’m excited to show you how we were able to make and create an easy board and batten accent wall in our guest bathroom.
The guest bedroom has an adjoining full bathroom. The bedroom and bathroom are great sizes for company. Lots of space for their belongings and they also don’t feel like they’re being an imposition.
The guest bathroom
The guest bath is the standard bathroom. Walking in there is a small linen closet on the right followed by a vanity then toilet. The bathtub runs across the end of the room.
The wall I wanted to work with was the long wall running the full length of the bathroom to the tub. The space was a little boring and drab.
Making and creating the accent wall
I knew I wanted to change up the space a little but I wasn’t sure what would work. During the figuring out time I walked into the bathroom a lot trying to analyze the possibilities and potential problems. I finally came to the conclusion that I wanted to make and create an easy board and batten accent wall. Not only would it break up the length of the wall but also add some dimension and texture.
It was also an easy and quick project that didn’t cost a lot of money but the results are amazing. For under $50 we were able to add depth and uniqueness to the space.
But how high?
There are general rules for the heights of features you add to a wall. Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. A good rule of thumb is never split the wall in half. Using thirds is a good place to start. I knew I wanted the board and batten higher then one third of the wall.
Since there was a tub surround we were working with I needed to play with the height a little. I didn’t want it to be the same height as the tub surround. Going up 2/3 of the wall was just bellow the height of the surround so I fudged the height until I came up with something that was pleasing to the eye.
We have 10 foot ceilings so we were definitely working with a good amount of space. This was almost the hardest part of making and creating this easy board and batten accent wall.
The spacing for the easy Board and batten accent wall
The spacing between the board and batten comes down to personal preference and what look you are going for. When I took a look at this space and envisioned how I wanted it to look I knew I wanted the spacing to be narrower then I’ve done in other areas in our home.
I had a pretty good idea how many boards I was wanting to use but it is something you can play with if you’re not sure.
How to get started
We did a little calculating and decided how much wood we would need for the project. We were able to use the existing baseboards so we needed to pick up 3 1/2″ casing boards for the top, sides and pieces in the middle.
These boards are fairly inexpensive. They come in several lengths so we had options. We wanted minimal seams and little waste. For the dividing boards we were able to use 6′ lengths and the horizontal we got the longest available which was 10′.
After our trip to Home Depot where we picked up the wood we were using we were off to the races. Since I was painting the whole space the same color I didn’t need to paint the boards before installation.
We did grab a tube of liquid nails to help with the installation. We would be able to find studs to nail too for the horizontal board but the vertical ones would need some additional adhesive.
Beginning the installation for this easy board and batten accent wall
This is a super easy and quick project. We started with the horizontal boards. This piece runs the full length of the wall. The most important part is making sure it is level. You do not want the top piece running willie nillie.
After it is up you install the two edge pieces. Because nothing in our house is square of level we had to measure each piece. There isn’t a lot of difference but definitely enough to make things too short or too long.
How to figure out the board and batten spacing
This took us a little time to figure out. Thankfully the first time we tried we didn’t nail or glue things in until we check to make sure our measuring and figuring was correct. My original figuring wasn’t correct so we had to try again. Eventually we got it all figured out.
We took the full length of the wall and subtracted the width of all the casing boards we were adding including the edge piece. After we had that number I divided it by how many spaces we were having. This gave us the space we needed between each board.
After the sides were in we cut the others and leaned them in place to make sure our measuring was correct. I believe we were out less then 1/2″ so we just fudged things a little.
Making and creating the easy board and batten accent wall
To make the final installation super easy we put each board in place and marked it with a pencil. After everything was marked we added liquid nails to each board and and put it in place which was super easy because we had marked the walls.
We did nail everything as well but when you’re only nailing into drywall without the liquid nails you will have problems. A trick for nailing into drywall is shoot your nail in on the angle but be careful you don’t come out the side of the board. I only know that because I’ve managed to make that happen a couple times.
Caulking and painting
The finishing step is to get everything caulked so you can paint. You will want to caulk all the edges of the board by the wall and everywhere the boards meet plus the nail holes. Caulking for these smaller projects is super cheap and really easy to use. We pick it up at Home Depot.
This takes a little time but so worth it for a custom and professional look. We usually caulk before painting but it doesn’t hurt anything to caulk after the first coat of paint. We only do that if we’ve got a couple things on the go and I’m waiting on Monte to catch up.
The caulking only takes 20 minutes to set before you are able to paint.
I’m loving board and batten
I really love making and creating these easy board and batten accent walls. We’ve done them in a couple other places in our home. You can check it out here and here.
How we were able to make and create this easy board and batten accent wall
Board and Batten is one of the easiest accents you can add to a space. Not only is it inexpensive but it installs super quick. I hope you’ll give it a try and tag me on IG @decortothedoorwithsherylee so I can see your projects.
I have a few more ideas for this space. I’m super excited to take you on this journey.
Decor to the Door
Adding decor to a space can be time consuming and expensive. Finding pieces that work well together can be frustrating. To help you with so unique and fun seasonal decor I’ve created Decor to the Door. A great place to order seasonal decor. There is also a link in the header. I would love it if you’d take a look.
