Easy Board and Batten Tutorial for a Small Entryway

5 Materials
$75
4 Hours
Medium

Board and Batten has a way of adding charm and personality to an otherwise rather boring space. Being that it is wood, the costs to add these updates are minimal. Plus, when they are placed in the right areas, provide a ton of not only functionality, but style as well! If you are looking to add this gorgeous feature to your entry space, or mudroom, or any smaller area of your home, follow this tutorial!

Entry way Before


My entryway before was cute, but lacked functionality outside of the bench. My son keeps his shoes in the bench, but had no where to drop off his lunch bag, I had no where to put my purse of quickly throw my light jacket. Then I had an aha moment! I could duplicate a similar board and batten pattern from my living room into this hallway and make my entry foyer into a small mudroom.


Once I made up my mind, I didn’t over think it. I headed straight to the store and purchased my supplies for this super easy project!


Tools Needed:

  • 1×3 unfinished common board (They were out of the pre-primed) for the horizontal pieces
  • 1×2 pre-primed common board for the vertical pieces, and to trim beneath the crown molding, above the baseboard, and along both sides of the wall
  • White Caulk
  • White paint (used what I already had on hand)
Remove old floating shelving


I started by removing the old floating shelving in this space . Once removed, I repaired the holes using wall repair spackle and framed out the wall using 1x2 pre-primed wood strips.

Attach board and batten pieces based on your specific measurements


Next, attach all of your pieces to the wall based on your specific measurements, all within the frame that you created with the 1x2's. This part may differ based on the height of your ceilings and width of the space you’re making your board and batten wall on. My vertical pieces are approximately 14 inches apart.

Add Horizontal Pieces


Next, add horizontal pieces in between each vertical piece. These pieces should fit in between the vertical pieces. I used 1x3's for the horizontal pieces and spaced based on my preference.


After attaching the pieces using my Ryobi Power Nailer ( you can use hammer and nails, but it will take a lot longer. You can also Gorilla Glue), caulk where all of the seams of the 1x2's and 1x3's and the wall meet.

Paint


After caulk has been applied where needed, then paint desired color. Mine is painted Simply White color matched to Behr paints. It took around four coats to get it fully covered.

Let dry and style as desired


I added multiple hooks because I needed it to be a space to hang coats, purses, etc.


I hope you are inspired to tackle this project on your own! Make sure you visit my blog for more DIY inspiration!

Resources for this project:
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Erin | Live Pretty on a Penny
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  3 questions
  • Freda Freda on Aug 24, 2020

    Did you make the cushion or can I purchase one like that some where?

  • Donna Donna on Sep 16, 2020

    Erin, May I ask you a question? I’m wondering what made you decide on the dimensions, of the spacing between top to bottom- rows ONE TWO and THREE? You laid it out like a genius, but I’m wondering what made made you decide on those sizes, if you do not mind.

    Thank you Love! Donna of Brookville

  • Jodi Jodi on Jan 16, 2022

    Great work. I'm interested in something similar but for a split level entry. The sheetrock nails are super noticable as are the sheetrock seams. I thought board and batten may cover them but I don't want to go all the way to ceiling. Maybe 8 feet up. Suggestions? Also, should horizontal boards or vertical boards be the wider ones? TIA

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3 of 18 comments
  • Donna Donna on Sep 16, 2020

    All I can say is WOW! You did, an amazing job! I am blown away by your workmanship.... 😊

  • Robin Robin on Dec 05, 2020

    Really changed the wall, makes it look elegant with board and batton but functional at the same time. Very nice job!

    Have planned to do the same thing with 1 wall in my utility / mud room and add a bench that seat opens for boot /shoe boxes at the bottom with drain holes into a removable slide out tray underneath and coat / hat rack above.

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