5 Super-Easy Steps to Creating Board & Batten Trim Work
I love a good project around the house. DIY is my absolute favorite. I’m constantly thinking of new things I can build/construct to make my house more efficient and of course, add some decorative touches.
Since we built our house in a large neighborhood in less than 6 months, there are many custom elements missing. The whole house is very basic. All the walls are a grayish white color, builder-grade cabinets and finishings are in the kitchen and bathrooms, the flooring is very plain and basic, and every room lacks any extra trim or molding.
Recently, I added new trim to two rooms in my house: the welcome center and powder room. These rooms were absolutely boring and in need of a refresh. (You can see the redesign of my powder room here.)
Here you can see the welcome center “before” picture. [Unfortunately, most of the rooms in my house are similar and lack character.]
I used this space to house our two little dogs and their food, which removed it from the main areas of the house, but this area needed more function. That door is to the garage and we enter the house primarily here. So, I wanted this room to look welcoming and help to store our outerwear and shoes.
Let’s get to the process!!
1.
Take Measurements and Collect Supplies
I decided trim-work with hooks would be the best option to make this room fabulous. So, I measured the area and decided I would use 2 1/2 inch strips of project wood to create the board and batten look. I had 54 inches of space to create 3 evenly spaced sections. Each section would be 14.67 inches wide.
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
Supplies I purchased:
- 3M Mounting Tape
- 2 1/2-inch wide x 1/4-inch thick project wood strips (4) – Cut to 4 feet long.
- 6-inch wide x 1-inch thick pine board (long enough to fill a 54-inch space) (1)
- 8-inch wide x 1-inch thick pine board (1)
- White paintable caulking
- Trim paint – I used a semi-gloss Pure White base
- All-Purpose Wood Filler
- Hooks
- Wood corbels (3)
Other supplies used: (All these supplies I use and love for all my DIY projects!)
- Pencil (to mark the measurements on the wall)
- Tape Measure
- Scissors
- Stud Finder
- Level
- Miter Saw
- Sandpaper/Sander
- Caulking Gun
- Wood Screws
- Drill
- Painter’s Tape
- Paint Brushers or a small roller
-
- My favorite DIY tool, super powerful and easy to use!
Once the supplies are gathered it’s time to start working! Using my tape measure and pencil, I measured out the 14.67-inch sections and made 8 marks on the wall, indicating where to place the 2 1/2-inch wood strips.
2.
Cutting Wood and Attaching
Next, I took my new miter saw (which I am in love with! I had wanted one of these bad-boys forever and I’m so excited that I finally purchased one that I found on sale!) and I cut the project strips to be 4-feet long. The two other pieces of wood, 6-inch and 8-inch wide, were cut to 54-inches long to cross the whole space.
Attaching the wood to the wall was the easiest part of the whole process. 3M Double-Sided Mounting Tape might be the greatest invention of all time! The kind I purchased holds up to 20 pounds! So, I took my trusty scissors and cut up pieces of tape that fit along the back-side of my project wood.
After peeling off the other side of the tape, I placed each wood piece on the wall, sitting on the baseboard, in the exact place I had previously marked. I used my level to do this so the strips were straight and parallel.
Here’s a look with all four trim pieces put into place.
After the 2 1/2-inch pieces are attached, I attached the larger cross pieces of wood. These two pieces will create a shelf and add additional support for the hooks that will be hung during the last step of the process.
For this, I needed to use a stud finder. I used the 3M tape on the back, as well, but the wood screws are needed on the studs to help hold the extra weight. (You could also use a brad nailer with an air compressor, but I did not own that… yet. I received a bundled set for Christmas last year, and I am super excited to use it on my next DIY!)
After marking the placement of the studs, I placed the 6-inch wide piece of wood on the wall and screwed it into the studs.
Now all the wood pieces needing to be attached to the wall were in place and secured, so I was ready to move on to the next step.
3.
Adding Decorative Touches – Corbels and a Shelf
On the back of the corbels is a bracket that makes them very easy to attach. All you need is two wood screws for each and it slides right into place.
I wanted my corbels added directly above the vertical 4-foot strips of wood, so I drilled the two wood screws directly above the center of the strip into the 6-inch wide piece of wood. I did this for all four pieces of trim.
The final piece of wood being attached is the shelf. This was made out of the 8-inch wide piece of wood. To do this, I laid the wood on the corbels and took a wood screw down through the top into the corbel to hold it in place.
Once all the trim was attached to the wall, it was time to prep for painting.
4.
Prep and Paint
To make the surface of the wood smooth, I first had to fill the screw holes with the Plastic Wood Filler. Once that had dried, I sanded everything paying special attention to the areas I had filled.
Then it was time to caulk every corner and gap. I caulked along the walls and where every piece of wood connected.
Once that had dried, I taped off the walls to ensure no trim paint accidentally painted the walls. Then I added the first coat of paint.
Once the second coat of paint was done drying, it was time for the final step!
5.
Add Hooks & Decorative Touches
I attached to hooks in the middle of the 6-inch wide wood piece, lined up in the middle of each of the three sections.
The big reveal!
Isn’t it fabulous?!
Someday in the near future, I hope to paint the walls in this room but for now, I added a gray bench for storage, my favorite decorative pillows, and some photographs to complete the look! Now the Welcome Center looks inviting and serves a purpose.
These 5 simple steps totally transformed this room in our home! I hope you enjoyed my DIY project and it inspires you to create a project of your own!
Shop my DIY favs so you too can create fabulous new projects!
-
- My favorite DIY tool, super powerful and easy to use!
Make sure to Pin this post for later!
Leave a Reply