I think it's a personal preference. The b&b I've put in my house is a little over 2/3 up the wall. But I don't think that will work with your staircase layout. What I did was use painter's tape first and taped off the horizontals and verticals and then lived with it and looked at it and fussed with it for a week or so until I was happy ...
Depends on the style you are emulating. Personally I would not think of doing it. B&B is an exterior style, unrefined and rough. You will run into dimensional problems as you terminate B&B at existing trim.
Far better to do raised panels as wainscoting here
I am no pro but... I think its up to you, I would go the same height or or a little bit taller than the banister. If you do a google search about it you should find some examples and just go with what makes you happy.
@Nichter's,your right! The B&B I used in my spare room because it is done in a western/cowboy type of outdoors theme....and the one wall I put it on I went back with a rough cut 1x4 top trim....they might also be good with the paintable wallpaper that looks like wainscoting...?
Here is the height of my board and batten that is in my formal dining room and down my hallway. I have plans to take it up the stairs at the same height. I will wrap it around the the corner and straight up the stairway on the right side. I love it. Very cottage but not rustic at all as you can see by my dining room...and I'm proud to say I did it all by myself. ;) ~Heather
I have never worked in B&B so if you think you want to do this, I think Linda B's suggestion is a good one. We used beadboard in a half bath last year and I love it! Go for it!
@ Picket Fence, not at all rustic! It's Lovely! You obviously sanded yours before painting or used a more finished type of lumber. I Wanted rustic, so deliberately used roughcut, didn't sand, didn't stain, didn't varnish....I love it in that room!
Here's (an old) pic of squares in my house. It's not board and batten but it should give you an idea. My dad is a professional trim carpenter, and he said for staircases, you just do what looks best. We opted to go up to just under the handrail. I don't think there's a wrong choice here. Good luck!
Here are a couple of pictures I found off the internet. I'm leaning towards the first picture. Maybe this is not called B&B but that is what people in blog land call it and when I do a search on the internet for it, anyway this is what I would like to do. Thanks for everyone's helps we plan to do this in the spring. I'll post pictures when we are finished.
True...it's not a "real" board and batten but a more modified version of it, which is the "look" that is circulating in the design community right now and is very popular. I have also done a true board and batten in my bathroom, with the thin battens, that also was a nice crisp look and not rustic. That's what I love about it, it can go either way depending on the final paint treatment and the wood you use. I think whatever you decide Alison, it will look fabulous and you can make it
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look formal or casual. That's what's so fabulous about "design" it's always evolving and you can put your own unique stamp on it. :) Can't wait to see what you do! ~Heather
Far better to do raised panels as wainscoting here
Interesting how the use of words gets perverted over time