This DIY board and batten wall brings loads of charm and character to our farmhouse style dining space and it was SO simple to create!
So, it’s been nearly a month now since we revealed our new farmhouse style dining room and not only have you seemed to love it as much as we do, but ya’ll have had all sorts of questions about that beautiful board and batten wall treatment we added to the space.
It’s brought so much charm and character to our dining space and friends, believe me when I tell you, it was SO simple to do!
Y’all may remember that empty space we started with – it looked kind of like this …
You know, minus that beautiful buffet that we put to work in our main bathroom and that pretty old china cabinet that’s now hanging out in my office.
Basically, it was a table with four sad little chairs that made you feel like they’d snap right under you if you moved the wrong way (in fact, that’s how we wound up with just the four).
So, if I was going to look at it from a glass-half-full point of view, I guess you could say our dining room was total blank slate, filled with nothing but possibility (quite literally in fact).
Brady and I came up with some pretty grand plans for this little space…
The first of which was that lovely board and batten wall, which truly set the stage with that vintage farmhouse feel I love so much…
The very first step was figuring out some approximate measurements for things:
– I knew I wanted this wall to make a big impact, which meant a bit of height for sure. We settled on 6ft, which would leave us with a bit of blank space above the wall to decorate still.
– I was also pretty sure that I wanted there to be some squares running along the top with a longer rectangle shape below. We used some spare lumber we had laying around to eyeball a layout, with Brady holding the boards up while I directed him to shift things around until I found what I liked best. Once we’d settle on things, we took some approximate measurements of things to build a base for our layout.
Then of course, we worked those approximate numbers into the actual length of our wall to create the best fit possible. We certainly didn’t want there to be any spaces left on either end, so we played around with the numbers a bit, making sure to factor in the width of our trim to create the look we wanted.
If you’re anything like me, this part sounds most daunting of all. These are the moments in life that I am most grateful for my super smart husband! #kiddingnotkidding
Actually, it really wasn’t as difficult as I’m making it sound. Once we had an approximate width for our sections, we simply divided our wall into those sections, adjusting our numbers as needed to make sure that everything fit perfectly.
We started by installing a baseboard along the bottom of our wall. Then, armed with some 1×4 trim pieces, we got to work on the board and batten itself. We nailed in the two long pieces first, running the entire length of the wall – one at 6 ft. high the other at 4.
Then, we nailed trim pieces between them both – these worked out to be about 1 ft. apart, though this is the measurement you’ll want to adjust based on the length of your own wall.
Once our grid was complete, we finished it all off with a piece of 1×2 trim, which we turned onto it’s side and then nailed into the top of our board and batten wall treatment, to create a small ledge.
I filled each of the nail holes as well as each of the place where the trim met with a bit of spackle and caulked around each of the edges where the trim met the wall (my least favourite job EVER!).
Then, I got to work painting, covering everything with a couple of coats of Cloud White from Benjamin Moore.
Since we used primed trim boards, it actually went pretty quickly!
And that’s it my friends! In just one day, we went from a plain old wall with no personality to this beautiful wall chalk full of vintage charm!
I truly can’t believe how much this one little wall has completely changed the feel of the entire space!
I’ve no less than a zillion questions about that pretty fiddle leaf plant in the corner – if you’re on the hunt for your own, here’s where I found it.
Pop on over here to see the rest of our dining space…
Wishing you SUCH a lovely day!
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