3 Board and Batten Updates To Give Your Home A Custom Feel

If you’ve been following Poms2Moms for a while now, you know that my husband and I love a good DIY project!  And while we’ve done everything from hanging shiplap to building furniture, THREE of our favorite projects have included easy, custom board and batten updates. To get a better idea of how board and batten can transform your foyer, kitchen, or office, keep reading!

BOARD AND BATTEN FOYER WALL

One of our first experiences with board and batten updates was filling a huge empty wall in our front entryway. If you’re looking to do something similar to the style below, go ahead and check out my past in-depth how-to guide on how we made this large board and batten wall happen.

BOARD AND BATTEN KITCHEN ISLAND

If you’re looking for smaller-scale board and batten updates, know that we also started with something more modest.

A big item we have had on our list since moving in was to have our kitchen cabinets and island painted. We knew this is something we were not confident doing on our own so we had a few quotes and set a date.  (The hardest thing was picking out a paint color!! That is another story!)

One small update that I knew we could do before they were painted and would add a nice custom touch is casing in the end of the island and changing the baseboards around the front of the island. I searched Pinterest for other DIYers to see how they did this and quickly saw that it was relatively simple!

Here are the steps for creating the board and batten casing for your kitchen island, (which will also come in handy for the THIRD board and batten update inspiration piece I’ll be sharing later in this post.)

Items Needed

• 4 inch PVC Board
• 6 inch PVC Board
• Caulk
• White paint
• Finishing nails
• Liquid nails

Tools

• Hammer
• Tape Measurer
• Level
• Saw – we use our miter saw

Step 1: Measure your space and draw out your design.

I always have to draw everything out so that my husband and I can walk through how we are going to do the project, double check measurements, and make sure we have enough materials.

Step 2: Demo out your current baseboard.

PRO TIP – we did not add the quarter-round back because our floor stain went almost all the way to the counters.  This gave it a more updated look and such a clean line!

Step 3 – Measure your space again and mark your first board.

We always start with the bottom to get a really clean line and re-measure once it is attached.  We used a 6in PVC Board to have a thicker look for the baseboard.

Step 4 – Attach your first board. 

We coated the back of the board with liquid nails and placed it on the island.  While I held it in place, Drew checked it with the level and put some finishing nails in each end and one in the center.

Step 5 – Measure and cut your remaining boards.

Once this board is up we re-measured (sometimes the board size from the retailer does not actually match the size of the board).  We cut all of the boards and came back and attached them the same way we attached the baseboard.

Step 6 – Caulk your seams.

This is the step that stinks the most.  PRO TIP: Keep a small cup of water with you when you caulk. After you put caulk on the seam, dip your finger in the water and run it along your seam to smooth it out!  The caulk will not stick to your hand and it will give you a smoother look!

Step 7 – Paint!

We used the color Sherwin Williams Peppercorn!  I am absolutely obsessed with it!!

Now that you’ve read the instructions for board and batten updates that include the kitchen island as well as the foyer wall, combine those ideas to create your own custom DIY board and batten office wall. (Our quarantine DIY project!)

BOARD AND BATTEN OFFICE WALL

Check out the board and batten update post for more detailed, step by step information!

BEFORE:

 

AFTER:

I could not be happier with how this turned out!  I found the desk on Facebook Marketplace for $20 and just painted it!!  The new light fixture was $100 from Amazon!!!!!!!  And then of course the curtains are from my girl Joanna Gaines and her Hearth and Home collection!

Got any board and batten updates you’d like to share? Send us an email to poms2moms@gmail.com and we would love to share them to our Instagram story!