DIY Floor to Ceiling Board & Batten {Master Bedroom Progress!}
Yay! I am happy to report some amazing progress on our little Master Bedroom update. The other day the hubs and FIL (Father-in-Law) installed some floor to ceiling board & batten on the wall behind our headboard and it, along with a quick headboard reupholstery job, has completely changed the look of the room!
Did you ever see our bedroom before? This is how it used to look…
After six years of living with that headboard/bedskirt fabric I was ready for a change. Something fresher and brighter and more cottagey feeling.
Once the headboard and little birdies were removed our wall looked like this…
We started by adding a piece of 1×5 molding across the top of the wall.
Next, we measured the entire width of the wall and figured out how many pieces we would need for a spacing of about 15″.
To help him with spacing the hubs cut a spacer and used it to make sure that the pieces were evenly spaced from center to center. He and the FIL attached the strips to the wall using a nail gun, but you could easily use a good ol’ fashioned hammer and nails instead.
The low-down on the trim sizes that we used….
Once all the boards were up, we filled the nail holes with drydex and used Dap to fill the cracks/space between the trim boards and the wall. This step seems very tedious but it is key to giving your board & batten a cleanly finished appearance. It is really worth the time and energy, I promise!
I think you are probably not supposed to smooth the dap out with your fingers like I do, but I find it works the best that way. The hubs uses a cloth instead. As always, read the directions and follow all safety instructions, even if I clearly don’t.
Done! Now time for some paint…
I did one coat of primer and then two coats of white paint; Benjamin Moore Cloud White to be exact – same as the trim throughout our house.
We also reupholstered our headboard in this stunning (I think:) teal geometric print.
I love the new headboard fabric against the crisp white board and batten.
It needs a little more in the way of pillows, accessories- and color. I can’t wait to get my new bedding and pillow fabric!
I also want to repaint the nightstands and redo the lamp shades- I am deciding between painting them and covering them with some fabric.
Like this? Want to give it a try?
Pin it to remember it!
Are you a fan of paneling? Have you done any DIY board & batten before? How did you find it went?
I am wondering if there will be any rooms that escape paneling in this house… I just love it so much. It makes such a dramatic difference to a room!!
Thanks for reading. And remember my housie friends, HOME isn’t built in a day. Enjoy the journey!
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Hi where did you buy the wood and what kind is it? Thank you!!
Do the vertical slats need to be nailed into studs?
Hi Molly,
We didn’t nail them all into studs – it just depended if there were studs there or not based on the spacing we wanted between them. We haven’t had any problems!
Did you leave the wall textured ?
This is soo beautiful and your colors are perfect. Love the little lamps. Can you email me and tell me if this could be done on plaster walls? I am planning on painting over some really stuck on wall paper then adding board and batten. Do you think this will work? Email me at sheryls@arickaree.org Thanks. Would love your thoughts. Thanks.
Could you tell me whether or not your walls are plaster or drywall? Do you know whether or not I could do this with plaster walls? I wanted to paint over wallpaper then do this. Do you think this is possible or know of any site that I could ask about this for plaster walls. I’ve been searching answers everywhere. If you have any thoughts or ideas I sure would love it if you shared. Thanks. Sheryl
Hi Sheryl,
Our walls are drywall. Are your plaster walls bumpy or flat? And is the wallpaper over the entire wall? Is it in good shape? And do you plan to do the board & batten floor to ceiling or only part way up the wall? The answers to these questions will help me make some suggestions:)
Krista
I think it looks awesome! I have done this in my family room, only half way up my wall, but, what material did you use? It looks like “outdoor moulding” or PVC? I used work and my walls are not at all straight. Even when I attached the wood to the studs, there is still a gap. I do not know if my wood is too thick or if I need to use a different material. Thanks for your advice!
Hi Karen,
We used MDF molding from the hardware store (1×3 size for the verticals)- it is meant for indoor use. How big is the gap? We always use some DAP on all of our trim work to fill all gaps – whether it is on our board and batten or on baseboards. DAP is amazing for giving you that perfectly finished and attached look. Are you familiar with it? Here is the website (I have no affiliation with DAP – just love it). http://www.dap.com/ I also wrote a post about installing board and batten for The Home Depot blog that may have more detail for you. http://ext.homedepot.com/community/blog/diy-board-and-batten-wainscoting/. Good luck with your project!
Krista
Love it Krista! It is pinned, because I am determined to get board and batten somewhere in my house! Oh, and I always use my fingers too… 🙂 You’re head board looks great too, I love the fabric!
Absolutely love this! We had planned to do the same exact thing in our Master after I saw a very inspiring photo in a Pottery Barn Catalog. Unfortunately, I became impulsive and just painted the room…but I am dreading it after seeing how amazing yours turned out.
Love how cheery and bright it is and the board and batten adds so much!
Krista, how pretty and fresh your bedroom looks. Great tutorial BTW – it looks so beautiful yet seems not too difficult to create the look. Love the pops of fresh turquoise you added to the room.
This is amazing, Krista! I have been wanting to do batten but was going to do the lower half of my walls…now you have my wheels spinning! SHARING this baby!
Love it!
I love it, such a pretty room and this adds so much character. Super tutorial too. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me.
Looks great and the fabric on your headboard is gorgeous. Love!
Wow! Beautiful, Krista! Stunning!
Here from the DIY Showoff link party. 🙂 I am COMPLETELY obsessed with this project. As we look forward to hopefully buying our first home next year, I am keeping track of “doable” home improvements. This looks so attainable and lovely. It gives the whole room a custom, somewhat cottage-y feeling. What is a pain to paint? Well done!
This is lovely. I really like the floor-to-ceiling look. I’m a sucker for board and batten. And it really brightens up the room.
I love the changes that you made, it looks so fresh and inviting.
I love love board & batten and this floor to ceiling looks great! Looks like a new room already! And yes, I think the headboard fabric is stunning too! Can’t wait to see what else you do!
It’s so fresh and light. Handsome proportions, too.
I’m guessing that you’ll be switching things up a bit come winter – warm, cozy and welcoming… I just love your use of color – and your home’s happy, full of life style!
I really love that pop of green you added with the lamp shades! The room looks amazing.
Dramatic difference Krista; that turquoise is beautiful. So great to give your room a fresh new look!
Val
Looks so lovely, although so did your previous color scheme… but I hear ya on getting tired of the same thing after years of it.
Seriously, Krista?!? You’re amazing!! I love it!
Love it!! I think I am getting closer to convincing my hubby to do it in our room. Baby steps…
I have him convinced to build my Ana White’s farmhouse bed and I am super excited!!
#1 my favourite colour #2 paneling look #3 STUNNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love this room!!! Great job, you make me want to start a b&b project somewhere right now…
Oh your wall looks beautiful! I did board and batten in my master about a year ago. It was a lot of work but I love how it looks!
wow, krista! it looks amazing! you did a beautiful job- i love the classic drama it adds, if that makes sense. 🙂
Krista! This looks amazing!! I love it so much! And you’re right– the headboard fabric is totally stunning! Thanks so much for sharing, friend!
~Abby =)
It looks so good. Fresh and pretty! the bedroom almost feels like a vacation beach getaway. Or maybe I’m just in vacation mode and can’t think of anything else 😉