I just finished one of my favorite projects ever! I completed this board and batten wall in two days all by myself — with no power tools and little to no skills. It was under $100 — wood, paint, hooks and all.
It has a big impact with little money. I’m looking forward to decorating it with the seasons! I’ll show you each step of how I did it, mistakes and all. If I can do it, please believe me, you can too!
This entryway wall is 12 feet tall and almost 9 feet wide. Everything I put on it looked dinky and miniature (case in point here). So I decided to do a mudroom feel, but without cubbies. And random shoes. And kid stuff everywhere. Basically it’s just moulding and 5 hooks that I have forbidden anyone to hang anything ugly on.
Continuing on to the tutorial, I need you to know that I am not a professional, in fact I’m not even handy and don’t own any power tools! Also the this wall is not perfect. I want to be completely straightforward with you. This is a tutorial, but it’s kind of more like a “if she can do it, I can do it” kind of thing! I’ll show you what this newbie did wrong too.
Materials
- paint
- roller
- paint tape
- paintbrush
- lumber
- finishing nails
- Liquid Nails
Tools
- tape measure
- hammer
- screwdriver
- caulking gun
- level
Time
This is how long the wall took me working solo.
- 5 hours: painting the wall and getting the boards up
- 2 hours: caulking and painting
Instructions
Here is what I did. Take it, adapt it, make it your own. I’d love to hear about it too!
1. Measure and make a plan.
You know the saying: Measure twice, cut once. I planned and measured and triple checked it.
I went to Home Depot with a very specific list early on a Tuesday morning and picked out all my lumber. I took it to the cutting center and they cut all my pieces for me. This was a big deal as I don’t have any power tools!
If you want success at finding someone to cut lumber for you at Home Depot, I suggest going early on a weekday. People are still in a good mood and the store basically only has builders shopping (who cut their own wood!). Miguel was also willing to help me because I had a specific list.
The whole thing is almost 7 feet tall. The small vertical pieces are 16 inches. And the taller vertical pieces are 4 feet.
2. Lay out the pieces.
Lay out the pieces and make sure you have everything you need and it fits together properly. This is when I realized Miguel misunderstood me and cut 7 inches off the wrong board.
It’s not good for me to have wood pieces and tools laying around when the boys get home from school because they always mess with my stuff! So I decided to plow through and piece it together as a puzzle rather than spend an hour getting a new piece. This was a mistake.
3. Paint the wall before adding trim.
I taped off how high the moulding would go and painted with a roller. Don’t worry about the trim because the wood will cover that. This is much easier than painting after the moulding is up. (The bottom piece is on in this pic because I forgot to take a picture beforehand!)
4. Get those boards up!
I started finishing nails on one side. This makes it easier to hammer into the wall once the board is in place. Then I flipped the board and added glue (Liquid Nails) on the other side. I think I used two tubes of glue.
Position the board on the wall with a level and nail it on! Repeat in the pattern you laid out on the floor.
5. Nail the board with hooks to studs.
That 1×6 in the middle is nailed to the studs so the hooks will be nice and sturdy. The other boards are not.
Remember when I said I’m not a professional? Yeah. Here’s how I found the studs, haha!! That’s one way to do it. I did learn though and after you find one stud (however you do it, no judgement), you can measure 16 inches to the next one. And now I own this inexpensive stud finder!
6. Roll on one coat of paint before caulking.
I rolled on one pass of paint just to see just how much caulking I had to do. The answer was a lot. You see all my little puzzle pieces? Was there a smarter way to do it? Yes. But there was no going back now!
7. Caulking!
Now it’s time to caulk each and every crevice. It takes some time, but you won’t believe what a difference it makes! I used one and a half tubes.
Caulking trick: use a little bowl of dish soap and water to dip your finger in before you smooth. It makes a super smooth line!
This is the most embarrassing part of the wall. I said I was going to be honest! It’s easier to post a tutorial and skip over mistakes and avoid comments, but I don’t think that’s fair. Caulking didn’t correct it, but it sure did help! (If you’re handy, stop laughing!)
My helper lost interest by this point.
7. Paint.
I used paint and primer in one to hopefully skip third and fourth coats. I used all of one quart for this project and probably could have used just a bit more.
8. Add hooks.
I traced the hooks and taped them straight and evenly spaced on the wall before I screwed them in. I marked the holes with the screw before I took the pattern off. I worked well. These are the flat black hooks I chose.
I did about seven hours of work in two days. I didn’t expect to finish it so fast, but I hate painting and caulking and math, so I worked double time! I know I do lots of DIYs, but I actually hate the process of doing them. I’d rather work super hard and finish ASAP. How about you? Do you love DIY or mostly just the result?
Here are the cliff notes if it helps:
See more tutorials!
Come follow along on my Instagram for more pics and tips, and be sure to check out the House Mix Pinterest page, too!
I did this in my dining room too! Take a look here.
Hi Kate,
I couldn’t wait to see what you had planned for this area and it didn’t disappoint – this looks great!! I love wainscoting and this is perfect for an entryway. I can’t wait to see how you’ll decorate it! :)
Kristen S.
I take my hat off to you Kate; goodness I don’t think I would venture such a project, I would have to ask the boys in the house to do for me! I agree, I can’t wait to see how you are going to decorate – Festive ornaments, fairy lights or Christmas stockings? A smart metal wire basket to place umbrellas in the center of the wall perhaps, don’t wish to spoil your fun I am sure whatever you decide to do it will be smashing. I just love big houses, space to breathe and to move around in – just be disciplined and do not over decorate, the more we buy the less needs cleaning. I can see you are so happy in the new home as there are always new ideas you share with us. Be richly blessed :) ….. I sneaked over to Instagram and Pinterest and enjoyed the lovely photos –
Thanks so much, Kristen! I know two things now: 1) I am not a very good carpenter and 2) I am out of shape! (I am still sore, haha!)
Ooooh I like how you think, Elize. A metal basket with umbrellas … and definitely stockings! And yes, I am enjoying the new house especially because I know we’re not on our way out in a year or so. It makes me want to invest in all the details :) Hope you have a wonderful weekend. xo
Love this look & so very well done! Impressive and you have saved a bucket!
Simone
Thank you, Simone! I’m glad I did it before I thought about it too hard, haha! I’m not very handy, but this gave me a little more confidence :)
This is so awesome! I want to try this in my home. How long are the upright boards and how tall is this? Thank you!!
Thanks, Megan! The whole thing is almost 7 feet tall. The small vertical pieces are 16 inches. And the taller vertical pieces are 4 feet. I hope that helps!
So gorgeous!!! Thanks for doing a tutorial on this!!! I have the perfect wall to do this in my own home! Your post was beautiful to read and I just love your honesty!! 😄
Thank you, Loni! I so appreciate you taking a moment to leave me a note :) Send me a picture if you think about it!
Hey there! Is there any way you would post your measurements for this project? I plan on making my own but am having trouble with how y’all to make it and at what height the books should be. Thank you!
Hi Brooklin! The whole thing is almost 7 feet tall. The small vertical pieces are 16 inches. And the taller vertical pieces are 4 feet. I hope that helps!
This does help! Thank you so much!
Hi Kate,
Beautiful project, it turned out lovely! Curious as to what type of wood you purchased? Looking to duplicate this tutorial this weekend!
Thanks in advance,
Alexx D.
Hi Alexx! I used common boards, the cheapest ones :) Just make sure to hunt out the straightest ones.
Hi Kate, I love this and I’m about to start doing my own…can you tell me how many inches in between the boards? From your pics I would guess maybe 12? Thank you !
Yes! They’re about 16″ apart :)
I am going to do this on my wall. Wish me luck… And thanks for the directions and clever ideas about getting lumber cut.
You’re welcome! I hope you love it! :)
“I started finishing nails on one side. This makes it easier to hammer into the wall once the board is in place.” What does that mean? What is the mathematical breakdown to determine different walls?
You might want to hammer finishing nails halfway through the board before you place it on the wall. That way when you put the board on the wall, you’re not looking for nails and can just finish hammering them into the wall. Sorry, not sure what you mean by “mathematical breakdown to determine different walls”.
Hi Kate,
Great project!
Just wondering what colour the walls of your home are?
Thank you!
Hi Kate,
Great project!
Just wondering what the colour of your walls are in your home?
Thank you!
I don’t know! The walls were already this color when we moved in. It’s the palest gray in the living room. But the other bedrooms have different tones, haha! Not sure what I’ll do when it comes time to patch!
How are you doing to shoes there? Some container?
Sorry, I don’t understand the question. Mind clarifying?
I love it! It looks amazing! I’m going to do this in my mud room!
Thanks! So excited for you! It makes such a big impact.
Omg thank you so much for all the information. I love the picture that explains the board sizes. I’m going to try this out!
So exciting! I hope you love it :)
Hi Kate!
Did you remove the baseboards before adding that bottom piece to the wall? I couldn’t tell from the picture.
Looks great!
Hi Carrie :) No, I did not remove the baseboard. The piece of wood I added along the bottom hangs over a bit, but it doesn’t bother me.
Hi Kate,
What size nails did you use and how did you cover them so they aren’t visible? This looks great!
Hi Kate,
I love this! What size nails did you use and how did you cover them so they aren’t visible?
Thanks! I used finishing nails and caulked over the holes :)
What is the dimension between each hook you used, and between each board?
Hi Kara. It’s about 20.5″ inches between hooks and about 16″ between boards. I say about because I had to do a little fudging to get around a light fixture.
This looks amazing! I’m gathering my details to attempt it myself! Sounds like I’m the same skill level! 😂 just curious if you had a finish piece or anything on the end of the wall where it meets the next wall. My husband is concerned how it looks at the end of the wall? TY!
What wood did you get? Did it need sanding?
I used common boards because it is the cheapest, but you have to be careful to select the straightest boards available. I did not sand them :)
Hi Kate great job . I’m looking to do something similar. How does it look against your textured walls? We have textured walls and I’m debating if I should add a flat board behind the common boards.
For me it wasn’t worth it for the extra step of flat board because I don’t really notice the texture. But if you’re a perfectionist it might be worth it! :)
Hi there! I’m moving into a rental and I have an entry wall that this would be great on. I don’t plan on moving again for a long time, but also want to be able to take the boards down when/if I do move without destroying the drywall. Would the liquid nails be a required step?
In this case I would skip the liquid nails as it could damage the drywall. I wonder if there is a less permanent adhesive. Command strips maybe???
Love this project! I’m doing something similar with a bench attached. I’m wondering what kind of caulk you used? I see the brand is DAP. Thanks!
What was the thickness of the wood used? My baseboard is 1/4 inch and I don’t want to take it off either!
Love this idea! Can you tell me how
Long your wall is ?
The wall with the board and batten is 8.5 feet :)
I have been researching DIY B&B for almost a month now and your post is definitely the easiest to follow. What kind of wood did you use? I’ve seen a few posts that used MDF and others that used a more pure lumber. Also, for the shelf on your dining room b&b-what are those dimensions?
Thanks! I used common boards and the shelf on top is 3.5″ deep :)
Wait! Did you change out your doors too? I love the black doors in the after photo, but I don’t see mention of that anywhere. Are they new or did you paint them?
You’re quite observant! Yes, I did paint the doors as well. Here’s the post if you’re interested: https://www.housemixblog.com/2019/06/04/painting-french-doors-black/
Forgive my silly question but is the middle, horizontal board over the vertical or behind the vertical boards? I’m planning this same venture in my home and it’s very overwhelming but seeing this post gave me life :)
Sorry it took me so long to respond! The board is sitting on top of the vertical boards :)
THANK YOU for your post. I’m getting ready to do this on my bathroom. Your details are very helpful and motivated me to get it started
Oh, I’m so glad! Best of luck on your project. You’re going to love it!
What type of/size nails did you use to secure the board with hooks to the studs?
Finishing nails, but I don’t recall the length. I believe they have 1.5″ and 2″
Hi Kate
I am doing this project myself and I was curious what type of wood you used as in many of the pins that I’ve looked at they used MGF so I am not sure what product to use. My concern with the MDF is the rough edges, but no one seems to mention that.
Apologies for the late reply. I used common boards because they were the cheapest. They did have a few rough edges, but after they were painted it was fine. The most challenging part was finding straight boards as some can be slightly curved.