Jumping on Board (and Batten)

It’s my turn to try out the delicious look of the board and batten in my home.  I’ve been stalking any blog post I could find that mentioned it and really loved how easy Karla @ It’s the Little Things and Décor Chick made it sound.  Then I procrastinated for about a century because I was sure the texture on my walls would be too obvious and look awful!

So to help convince myself, I Photoshopped some pics of my walls.

Before - right wall

Photoshopped - right wall

                                    Before - left wall

                        Photoshopped- left wall












(Did I not warn you before that this room is usually covered with toys?) <-- Follow this link for more before pics too.

Still unsure, I cut strips of paper and hung them on the wall.  I’m a very visual person and this really helped me to decide placement and size.  I moved the strips around until I was happy and felt a little more confident.  In the end I decided on 2-1/2 inch wide battens and placed them 16 inches apart - each one on a stud.  By doing this I knew they were evenly spaced and securely attached.  For the header, I picked a 3-1/2 inch wide board.



I wanted something more substantial than the lattice board that Décor Chick used.  Instead I chose 3/4 inch thick primed mdf board in the widths I wanted.  Per sqft the price was actually less than the lattice and it was pre-primed!

So, finally I took the plunge and put three coats of semi-gloss white paint on the walls.  There was no turning back.



I had pre-painted the battens a few weeks ago.  Then after lying in bed with the flu (and a million episodes of Rehab Addict later) I finally got them nailed up this weekend.  We love them!!!





I’m still considering to add a small plate ledge on top to place things on as Karla and Décor Chick did, but I couldn’t wait to show you this completed step in our family room redo!  More ideas in store…

Rebecca

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