When I picture the windows open in a room, I imagine warm sunshine streaming through as the wind gently blows the curtains. Fresh air hits me and I am compelled to take a deep breath. The refreshing energy fills my soul. Of course there are only certain seasons when it's practical to open the windows, but my goal is to fill my heart, home, and family with a beautiful serenity that always makes me think the windows are open!

Monday, March 7

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.

paper strips

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.

painted walls

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!!!

B&B wall left

B&B wall right

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

Linking up at...





Making Making The Girl Creative
The DIY Showoff Tip Junkie handmade projects
Domestically Speaking











14 comments:

  1. This looks so beautiful-what a great job you did-brightens the room up and gives it such character! Found you on metamorphosis monday and now I'm a follower-stop over for a visit!!

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  2. Rebecca, it looks great! I love how you measured and planned in advance to make sure where you wanted everything. I vote yes for the plate rack. :)

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  3. I LOVE it! I am about to do board and batten in my laundry room and your pics have me even more excited about it. I love your floors too!

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  4. That's totally it! DH has put up bead-board in our dining room and it looks so very beautiful--now I am ready to tackle this as well. Are you ok with the texture in your wall now? Ours are textured, too.... :)

    Your walls are gorgeous!

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  5. What a beautiful job ! The room has such a rich feel now !
    Hugs,
    Kammy

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  6. I love board and batten! Yours looks great! I found your blog at the DIY Showoff. You have such great ideas and I'm your newest follower! I'd love it if you'd follow me back: http://stillwaterstory.blogspot.com/
    Again, you did a fantastic job with this!! :-)

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  7. Thank you for the sweet comments!

    @Gillian - the texture is noticeable, but I'm okay with it now. After I finish a few more updates to the room I'll post more pictures and I think the texture won't even be noticed.

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  8. Looks great! I love that you taped paper on the walls first, good thinking!

    We just b&b'd our living area and for me the very worst part was the painting, I thought it would never end! Looking forward to seeing your finished project!

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  9. Looks great. I have been thinking about adding board and batten in our family room, but will need to frame out our windows first. It really adds dimension to your room and I think the ledge would look great.

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  10. I LOVE this! Its FAB!!! Come on 'ova and share this at my Linky Par-Tay!

    *ENTER LINKY PAR-TAY Here! *

    xoxokara

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  11. It looks wonderful now! I love the idea of having some texture on some of the walls. :)

    Tnx so much for linking it up at my party this weekend! :)

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  12. Great job! I love it - something I want to DIY myself one of these days (I'll jump on too). Thank you so much for sharing in the DIY project parade! ;)

    Roeshel

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