How to Install Board and Batten - DIY Accent Wall

Here is an easy tutorial on installing DIY board and batten wall trim. Board and batten is a simple and classic accent wall for any bedroom, entryway, living room, or dining room.
How to install Board & Batten!
Tools Used in Video:
Measuring Tape: bit.ly/3mqO8qU
Large Level: amzn.to/3gnq9Kw
Small Level: amzn.to/3EmSfNZ
Brad Nail Gun: bit.ly/3DkL32F
Miter Saw: bit.ly/2YuouJP
Carpenter’s Triangle: amzn.to/3V9mTAX
Caulk Gun: amzn.to/3GDP7jc
Putty Knife: amzn.to/3tGcql0
Pencil
Materials Used in Video:
1” x 6” Primed Pine Boards for baseboards & top horizontal board
1” x 3” Primed Pine Boards for vertical boards
2” Brad Nails: amzn.to/3GMisZd
DryDex Spackling: amzn.to/3TQZX8w
Alex Flex Trim Caulk (4 pack): amzn.to/3OhLiCp
Paint Primer: bit.ly/2YrC6Fw
Green Paint: Oakmoss by Sherwin Williams in Eggshell finish
#boardandbatten #accentwall #homedecor #diy
Visit my Blog:
www.mrsashleyfrench.com
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Wood trim, wainscoting, shiplap, slat wall, vertical boards, bead board, feature wall.

[@kl0039]

This is by far the best B&B tutorial I have seen. Even listing and showing specific brands, wiping your finger with a baby wipe 😂 I love that you included EVERY detail.

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Thank you! I tried to include everything :)

[@tressabenner8204]

I agree I literally just had my husband take back the backing board since we don’t need it !

[@perpetualautumn6773]

I’ve watched a lot of board and batten videos, and yours is the best, very thorough.

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Thank you so much!

[@caroltaylor-long3944]

Now, you made this task look so easy!! Thank you for sharing and I am working on my foyer at this time!!

[@rachelbee7921]

Beautiful job!!! Love your thorough explanation, also! ❤👍🏽

[@garthmitton1857]

You made that look so easy! I wouldn’t have thought of using a spacer board. Love how it turned out. Thanks for sharing. Becky

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Thank you!

[@trish9190]

I have been looking at various tutorials for the most condensed (and accurate) steps for doing a b&b wall. This is by far THE BEST tutorial I’ve come across. 🙌🏼 You show and explain things very clearly and skip anything unnecessary. Great job-love how it turned out too!

[@Lu31700]

Agree! I've been watching these videos for dayyyyys and this is the absolute best one

[@irisgraeber2684]

I will be doing this in a very large room and your video answered a lot of my questions. Very well done and explained. Thank you so much!

[@mrsashleyfrench]

I'm so glad it was helpful! :)

[@TishaRicksChildofGODtheCREATOR]

THANK YOU! This was very detailed and helpful!

[@NikkiNiNiNi]

I’m working on a board and batten wall in my living room. I’ve had nothing but issues lol. Your video is VERY informative I wish I would have seen this video a few weeks ago. Thanks for posting🎉

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Thank you so much! :)

[@berno10]

Awesome explanation. Thank You!

[@lvalenzuela4328]

Thanks for the video, excellent tutorial! Thanks for taking the time out to share!

[@mrsashleyfrench]

You're welcome!

[@helen_nails7827]

Great job! Thanks for this video)

[@laurasainsbury4109]

Excellent and detailed instructions - thank you! I am excited to start this project soon

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Thank you! I'm glad it was helpful :)

[@patriciahall2223]

The wall looks beautiful , great video Thank you 🇨🇦

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Thank you!

[@jamiecalvert9242]

Great Tutorial

[@ghiberti]

Simply lovely!

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Thank you!

[@iovannawakefield2657]

Omg!! Jaw drop! I love it!

[@justinabryant7175]

I've been thinking of doing this and this video is giving me more courage to try than to hire someone. Thanks!!

[@angelinaz1]

Made my way over here from your TikToks and IG. You made this so simple and easy to follow! Thank you :) Guest bedroom is getting a makeover similar to this!

[@mrsashleyfrench]

I’m so happy it was helpful! :)

[@FCPA1997]

Excellent video! This was so helpful!!

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Thank you!

[@dawnbartholomew7440]

GREAT tutorial 👌 clear, precise and to the point absolutely loved it and most importantly lovely result too.

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Thank you! I hope it was helpful!

[@mista5857]

Great job sweetheart

[@jusformommy]

Great job, I will come back for more information as I do this

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Thank you!

[@bryansmith6983]

Wow, I'm impressed. Nice job.

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Thank you!

[@TendingSnowdrops]

This was super helpful. Thank you ☺️

[@mrsashleyfrench]

You are so welcome!!

[@hothatchpa]

Outstanding and thank you!!

[@mrsashleyfrench]

You're welcome!

[@Jaymieliu]

Thank you for sharing!

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Of course!

[@juliehensley-qf1sv]

Beautiful. I’m doing the same thing in my new Granddaughters room. We are using tangerine and can’t wait to see it complete. I’ve never done this before and a little nervous.

[@mrsashleyfrench]

You've got this!

[@StannaMcDougal]

very helpful

[@PJG1710]

Outstanding presentation.. Thank you... I'm inspired to do it myself...🤔🤔🤔😄😄😄

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Thank you! You can do it!!

[@Mslavishlife11]

Thank you so much

[@serviodeo]

Thanks

[@dustinguthrie1694]

Hi Ashley, Great video! What paint color did you use? I absolutely LOVE it

[@mrsashleyfrench]

It was called Oakmoss by Sherwin Williams.

[@user-hh8bf8il9r]

Such a helpful tutorial, thank you!! Couple questions: Did you paint the door trim green? And do you recommend starting on the wall that you see when entering the room, or is it better to start on the wall that has a door (so you don’t end up with weird spacing when you get to the door)?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Thank you! I did paint the door trim green and keep meaning to paint the back of the door itself green too for a really cohesive look. But at a minimum, yes paint the door trim in the room to match the color of the board and batten. You can really start the accent wall on any wall but if you have a wall that will be more bare and more seen than the others, start on that wall so you can ensure you will have a really nice, even pattern. Most of the walls in this room I did ended up with furniture on them so none of them are bare. So if you have a wall that will be seen the most, start on that wall :)

[@yasminem2410]

I agree that this is one of the best videos. But she did not talk about what height is best for what ceiling height.

[@mrsashleyfrench]

There really is no “correct height”. It’s totally up to you. In general, I recommend that your accent wall go up 2/3 up the height of your wall. But it will also save you money if you keep your vertical boards at 48”. That way you can buy 8ft boards and cut them all exactly in half and get two 48” boards from one 8ft piece. If you go over 48”, then you’ll just be left with offcuts and will have to buy twice as much wood. My wall had 6” baseboards, 48” vertical boards plus another 6” horizontal board on top for total height of my accent wall at 60” and I have 8ft ceilings so that’s about 2/3s of my wall.

[@manseles]

Great work! Can you explain how you nailed the boards?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

I try to aim for a stud. If there is no stud behind the board then I use an X method where I aim one nail downward into the board and then aim the next nail upward into the board and the two different directions suck the board into the wall.

[@carriecostello3808]

Great video. Did you also caulk around the top horizontal board?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Yes I did :)

[@josephwittrock8046]

You already had 1x6 as the floor trim and 1x4 cased widows without a sill. Most retrofits will need to deal with replacing/ retrofitting these which will be a big job. You probably should have pointed this out.

[@mrsashleyfrench]

I added both the baseboards and window trim myself, however neither are needed to accomplish this accent wall. This accent wall can be done exactly the same without adding either of those. People can do this right on their existing baseboards. If you were a follower of mine, you would have seen that I have shared a tutorial on how to add this and keep your existing baseboards.

[@kenlamfung7480]

Hi Ashley, GREAT video. Thank you! Quick question, Can I use Alexandria Moulding MDF primed for these project? Keep it up and thanks again.

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Yes you can absolutely use that!

[@kenlamfung7480]

Awesome. Appreciate it. Thanks!!!!

[@tressabenner8204]

Ty for this video saved me 70$ more

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Yay! You are so welcome!

[@esperanzaestrada1157]

Hi thank you so much for your tutorial, my question to you is, I have 111" long wall, can you recommend how high I sure go with the broad Batten!

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Hi, so it doesn't matter how long the wall is when determining the height of your board and batten. I typically recommend that your board and batten go up 2/3's of the wall. So for example, my ceilings are 8ft tall and my accent walls goes up to 5ft.

[@andrinnamakel9855]

I really enjoyed your video. Question: Did you change the baseboard as well?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

We did replace the baseboards in the whole house and used 1”x6” boards for the baseboards.

[@GolfGuy1970]

Did you use the stock 40T blade to make your cuts? Thanks! Great video!

[@mrsashleyfrench]

I am using the stock blade that came on the miter saw which is a T40. I have since upgraded to a larger Ryobi miter saw but I’ve never had any issues with the stock blades.

[@moondustblast2647]

hi ashley, i'm very new to this kind of thing and i'm wondering, what kind of paint can we use to apply to the wall and the batten? is that just a regular wall paint? thanks ashley..

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Hi there, yes you can use any normal interior wall paint in any sheen you'd like. For this room, I used a satin sheen.

[@PJG1710]

Q: If you put the vertical boards up 16 inches apart on a 12-foot wall will it shrink the room?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

What do you mean? Are you asking if it will make the room look smaller? If you think they will be too close together then you can space them apart farther. If you need a visual, use painters tape on the wall to lay it out and see if you like the spacing.

[@wilderunner09]

Did you find your Brad Nailer was efficient for this job? I'm looking between getting one of these or a finish nailer and am not sure which would be best for a diy'er like myself

[@mrsashleyfrench]

100% go with the Brad nailer. I’ve done over 10 accent walls with it and countless other diy projects and home renovations. We have a finishing nailer and the only time we have ever used it is for small, thin trim work on furniture. Finishing nails can’t secure boards to walls or anything like that typically.

[@miguelalmada5474]

Muy bien hecho. En habitaciones de bebes quiero ver

[@bryanchristophe9968]

Hi Ashley! Did you mitre cut the all of the corners, or were the boards butted together?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

I do miter the ends of the horizontal boards but you don’t have to! You can definitely just butt them together because you will caulk that seem and not be able to tell.

[@keithk007]

What paint sheen should I use for the wall?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

It’s totally up to you. I like Satin because it’s not too shiny but you can still wipe it down if needed.

[@libbyeckhardt5903]

Do you think a brad nailer like this will work on plaster walls?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Yes it will. We had plaster in our last house and I used a nail gun to add board and batten in that house. I have another video on my profile called “How to use a Brad nailer” and I show how to increase the power of the nail coming out of the Brad nailer which you may need to do with plaster walls.

[@TLR425]

Any tips on how to hide the knots on pine?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

I try to buy pieces of wood without large knots. If you can't avoid it, then I would do a thick coat of primer in the knot before painting the board.

[@carlcookson9693]

@@mrsashleyfrench Knotting, is a brown shellac

[@notorious9213]

How did you decide how tall to make it up the wall?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

I usually go up 60% of the wall with the board and batten. I just think that looks the best.

[@unikiran]

How tall are your vertical boards? I am not sure how tall to use considering our ceiling is 8ft.

[@mrsashleyfrench]

My vertical boards are 48” tall. My baseboards are 6”.

[@Easton724]

So are your ceilings 8 feet? Is there a proper height? Like half or more than half. I have 8 foot ceilings with 3.5 baseboard.

[@TinaPeapod]

I may have missed it but what size is the top board?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

It was a 6" primed pine board. You could totally go with a 4" board as well.

[@iremcmm]

Is it wall paint that you used also on the wood panels ?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Yes, I used regular interior paint on the walls and boards. All the boards I purchased were primed pine so they already had a primer on them. The only thing I had to prime was that little ledge I added to the top of the horizontal board because it was raw pine.

[@iremcmm]

@@mrsashleyfrench Thank you so much!🥰

[@TishaRicksChildofGODtheCREATOR]

What is the model number on your Mitter Saw?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

In this video I am using my original Miter saw which is the Ryobi corded, 7.25" sliding compound miter saw. Here is the link: rstyle.me/+iB1xyeQJxcZfwww_2TRTdg It is a great beginner saw. Now I have upgraded to the Ryobi battery operated 10" sliding compounf miter saw, linked here: rstyle.me/+tpjwIcDHTOgxA9CTjYNJsw

[@darlyduroseau1569]

Did you remove your base board?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

We had already replaced the baseboards when we added the LVP flooring prior to doing the accent wall. So this room had new 6" baseboards when I started on the accent wall.

[@erickalmestar]

How tall is your board&batten overall?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

My walls are 8ft high and the board and batten measures 60" from the floor to the top of the horizontal board (that includes the 6" baseboard).

[@MicaelaBonner]

How much did this cost you in materials?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

I honestly do not know what I paid. I know I purchased 14 of the 1x3's for the vertical boards, 4 of the 1x6's for the horizontal board, and 4 of the 1x2's for the ledge.

[@byrny111]

How do you avoid outlets with boards

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Was that a typo? I'm not sure what you are asking.

[@byrny111]

@@mrsashleyfrench typo sorry. Outlets. With the calculator you might end up having a board run over the top of an outlet. Did you account for that somehow?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

@@byrny111 After I use the calculator, I like to go measure it out on the walls, sometimes using painter's tape to mark it out on the walls and see if it lands a board over an outlet. If it does, I try to adjust my calculator by just an inch or so to avoid outlets. It's a pain to cut a board to fit over/around an outlet so I try to avoid it at all costs. I've even adjusted my boards by one inch on just one of the 4 walls in a room to avoid an outlet on that one wall and the change of 1" is not noticeable to the eye at all.

[@LeslieShrout]

Why not paint the wall before you add the boards?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

You totally can!

[@shrimpinpat]

It would bother me not having the rectangles not be all the same size or wrapping around a corner.

[@mrsashleyfrench]

They are all the same size with the exception of the closet wall. But we are talking such a slight difference that you can't see it with your eye.

[@iovannawakefield2657]

What was the total $$ of this project?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

I wish I had kept track of that when I did it, but I didn't. Probably a few hundred dollars in wood. You could do it a bit cheaper by using MDF instead of pine or by using skinnier boards.

[@byrny111]

Are you punching nails into wood behind the wall?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Not all the nails in the vertical boards will hit a wood stub behind the drywall since the studs are spaced 16" apart and my vertical boards don't line up perfectly with the studs. But you don't need to hit a stud. In the video I show how I angle my nail gun a bit and shoot the nails in a bit at an angle to create an X which tightly hugs the boards to the wall. A 2" brad nail is sufficient to hold these kinds of boards to the wall without hitting a stud.

[@byrny111]

@@mrsashleyfrench i also see you said you never glue. Have you had any issues with the boards not staying put?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

I’ve never used glue and I’ve never had any issues. I’ve done probably 7 walls like this and never had a board fall off. You’d have to pry them off to remove them.

[@AndrewBurtonS-group]

glue...

[@ChristIsLord229]

Right! No glue or joinery. That wood will move and all that paint will crack in the joints. 😞

[@jachf9577]

I don’t like that in the first wall you made two corner columns and then stopped that on the second wall.

[@lauriekline8655]

The L is silent in caulk

[@kathyburnash2112]

This turned out beautifully! Can you share what type of wood are you using for the baseboards? Also, does the primed pine extend of that baseboard?

[@mrsashleyfrench]

Our baseboards in this home are just 1"x6" primed pined boards so the vertical boards from the board and batten are the same width as the baseboards and don't hang over.

[@kataste714]

Thanks