Board and Batten Accent Wall

Searching for board and batten accent wall ideas? This week’s One Room Challenge update focuses on the wall molding we had placed last weekend. Board and batten brings charm to a builder-grade residence and provides your area with a sophisticated appearance without overspending. It entirely set the mood for our coastal dining room transformation! You can create an accent wall by yourself if you relish DIY tasks and possess the appropriate tools. We enlisted a friend’s help for ours, but I will present a few tutorials that guided me through the planning phase. I’ll also reveal the paint hue, wooden board dimensions, and measurements we utilized. If you missed any weekly updates, here they are:

The One Room Challenge took a pause last week to support the Black community and to honor George Floyd and the ongoing racial inequality that lingers today. While we are continuing the ORC this week, it is crucial to maintain the discussion surrounding anti-racism and to take action.

Table of Contents

Board and Batten Inspiration

During the conception of our board and batten wall, I collected an abundance of inspiring designs! Here are several of my favorites. Explore my Pinterest board for additional ideas.

Dabbling In Decorating
Studio McGee
Pete and Selena

I appreciated how each of these designs occupied the entire wall (in contrast to two-thirds like some board and batten) yet appeared more relaxed than a grid wall. Ultimately, I opted for one horizontal board positioned slightly higher than a standard chair rail.

Board and Batten Measurements

board and batten wall measurements, board sizes, plans

Here is my rough, not-to-scale sketch that I shared with our friend who would be executing the installation for us. We largely adhered to this sketch, except that he ultimately cut down a board to five inches for both the baseboard and the upper board (below the crown). He then positioned the middle horizontal board 35 inches from the baseboard’s top (40 inches from the floor).

The challenging aspect of this plan was the space to the right of the window. It was too small to allow for a gap between the window trim and the final batten, so he utilized a thicker board to fill the entire area. Since I aimed to paint everything with a single color, we believed it would look fine. (And it does!) The window trim on the other three sides consists of 1x4s, the same as most of the design.

Paint Color and Materials

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Board and Batten Accent Wall - modern coastal decor, dining room inspiration, beige paint, neutral wall color, BM Classic Gray, griege paint

While I adore the appearance of white board and batten, I realized that I desired contrasting trim since our dining table is white. After conducting some research and receiving suggestions from you all on Instagram, I opted for Benjamin Moore Classic Gray. It is a pale, neutral beige and I cherish the warmth it provides. I had the color matched at Home Depot in Behr Marquee paint, my go-to as it demands the fewest coats. (This required two coats since it’s not a Marquee hue.)

Regarding materials, we utilized primed pine boards for enhanced durability. You could also choose MDF boards, but since our dining room also serves as a play area, I wanted to ensure that our lovely wall wouldn’t be easily damaged with children running around and occasionally tossing toys 😉 Our friend procured the materials, yet here are a few products to assist you if you intend to handle this project on your own:

If you’re seeking more thorough instructions for installing your own board and batten, here are several tutorials that aided me in the planning phase:

Angela Rose Home
Chris Loves Julia
Angela Marie Made