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DIY Board and Batten for a Modern Farmhouse Mudroom

See an easy tutorial for a DIY Board and batten tutorial for a Modern Farmhouse Mudroom or entryway.

Does anyone have “dead space” in your home that becomes a dumping ground?  Or should I ask does anyone have an area in your home that has no function and consistently collects clutter? For me, this “dead space” was the hallway right off of our garage that we call our mudroom.  I decided it was time create a little DIY BOARD AND BATTEN for a Modern Farmhouse Mudroom of my dreams!

Board and Batten

First, let me give you a “before” picture:

This is the mudroom on a good day; shoes picked up, backpacks hung, no trash on the floor.

It doesn’t look terrible, just not the “dream” farmhouse MUDROOM look I was going for.

Goals for this Modern farmhouse mudroom with board and batten:

  • Organizational
  • modern farmhouse inspired
  • most of all, EASY AND SIMPLE
  • functional

All the tutorials I found online were a little too complicated for what I wanted. Like I said, I wanted simple, easy and functional.

I set out to make my own easy DIY BOARD AND BATTEN (or wainscoting) my way, with no frills.

Note: I did NOT want to add the “batten,” I would just paint the walls the same color as the boards. I know a lot of you are thinking, “well this isn’t really board and batten then,” but A LOT of people are doing it this way and for me this is what worked!  

Also, I went back and forth trying to decide whether I should remove the existing baseboards that butt up to the board and batten. I ultimately decided not to do this, and even though I was so worried I would regret that decision, I’m pretty pleased with how my results turned out.

Since this post was written we’ve completed a living room feature wall with board and batten. For this project, we did do the vertical and horizontal boards. We also used an angle cut where the boards meet the baseboards.

Disclosure; this post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This does not affect the price you pay. This disclosure statement refers to the rest of the Amazon links in this post.

Materials for the DIY board and batten (without the batten):

  1. nail gun and 2 inch finishing nails
  2. 1 inch by 4 inch by 8 foot Pine Boards
  3. measuring tape
  4. pen or pencil
  5. caulk
  6. construction glue
  7. primer
  8. paint- I used a generic white semi gloss
  9. Hooks
  10. 3M Patch plus primer(this works perfect for small nails holes)
  11. drill

The first step in this EASY DIY BOARD AND BATTEN process was to measure the walls, figure out how many vertical boards I wanted, and measure out exactly how much material I needed for the horizontal boards.

I wanted to keep things SIMPLE; so I decided to use 1″ by 4″ Pine board because they are relatively cheap and easy to use. I knew I needed 8 vertical boards at 56″, so I went ahead and had those boards cut at the hardware store.  

How to create DIY Board and Batten without the Batten:

  1. Measure the area you are working with and decide how many vertical boards (I decided on 56″ tall boards)  you will need. Note:  the distance between each of my boards is not exactly the same. They are each about  15″ (give or take an inch) from the end of one board to the beginning of the next. The reason why they are not exact is because I tried to work around the outlets and light switches.
  2. Measure how much material you will need for the horizontal boards.
  3. purchase materials (for me this was 1 by 4 pine boards, which I used for the vertical and horizontal boards)
  4. Have material cut either by the hardware store or yourself
  5. attach the boards to drywall with construction glue and a nail gun (this required an extra hand).
  6. Caulk all the edges and patch up all the nail holes
  7. Prime wall and boards (I used one coat)
  8. paint 3 (3 coats is what worked for me) coats of white paint (I used semi gloss white, so it would be easy to clean for my kids)
  9. Add hooks!

Progress pictures of DIY Board and Batten

Adding the boards
installed with boards
priming the board and batten
adding primer
priming the boards
More Primer

Painting everything white!

board and batten
paint
painting white
paint
board and batten white
paint
board and batten painted

A couple things to note:

  1. Try to buy the straightest boards you can find. If not, the boards will not lay flat on the drywall and it will require a lot of patching and caulk.
  2. When measuring how many vertical boards you will need, try to work around the light switches and electrical outlets. This prevents you from having to make more cuts.
  3. A lot of people use different width boards. Like the vertical boards would be a 1 by 2 and the horizontal boards would be a 1 by 4.  My theme for this project was simple, so I stayed with one width and although I was worried it would look to plain, I’m real happy with the outcome.
  4. When purchasing the hooks, keep in mind that you will be hanging heavy things from them, so make sure they are heavy duty! A link to the hooks I purchased is in the materials list.

A few final pictures!

DIY Board and Batten the easy way
DIY Board and batten
DIY Board and batten
I had this sign made from a company called Vintage Metal Co. They did a fabulous job!

You can see more of Vintage Metal Co HERE.

If you enjoyed seeing this modern farmhouse mudroom, you might enjoy our budget friendly coastal mudroom in our current home.

That’s it! I love the way my DIY BOARD AND BATTEN (or wainscoting) creates a nice Modern Farmhouse Mudroom.

Looking for more easy wall molding ideas? Check out my list of 10 great molding ideas here.

wall moulding ideas

It’s really nice to walk into a more organized and lovely space. Isn’t it funny how a few 1 by 4’s and a few hooks will transform a space.

Did you enjoy this post? If you did and want to save it for later I would love for you to pin it to Pinterest with the image below!

DIY Board and Batten

Lindsey**

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  1. […] The Easiest Board and Batten for my Modern Farmhouse Mudroom […]

  2. […] my last DIY modern farmhouse mudroom makeover (you can see it HERE), I wanted to add more texture and […]

  3. […] The next room you enter as you leave the far end of the dining room is a hallway off of the garage. This hallway later became our modern farmhouse mudroom.  […]

  4. […] If you are interested in seeing more of the easy DIY board and batten click HERE. […]

  5. […] types of wood to my walls. I’ve created a faux shiplap wall with no power tools, an easy DIY board and batten with minimal materials, and now I’ve decided it’s time to install real wood to planks our column and side […]

  6. Laurie Portenier says:

    Absolutely lovely. Did you also make the bench? And if so, could you share how you made it? Many thanks. Laurie

  7. Love this update to your mudroom Lindsay. Thank you for sharing at Create, Bake, Grow & Gather this week. I’m delighted to be featuring this at tonight’s party and pinning too!!
    hugs,
    Kerryanne

  8. […] DIY Board and Batten for A Modern Farmhouse Mudroom @ repurpose and upcycle […]

  9. Cindy says:

    Love the board and batten look. Could you please tell me the paint color you used above the board and batten.

  10. I simply love this look for an entry or hallway, and such a great tutorial Lindsey, thanks for sharing it at #FridaysFurnitureFix, pinning for a future project in the house!

  11. I love how your board and batten walls turned out! We recently put a board and batten accent wall in one of our bathrooms. It really is easier to do than a lot of people might think. I’m sharing your AMAZING DIY project over at our weekly link party! http://www.thelifeofjenniferdawn.com/2017/08/modern-farmhouse-diy-projects-weekly.html

  12. Jane says:

    Looks fantastic! I’m researching easy board and batten ideas for our cottage and am liking this approach. Thanks!

  13. The old area definitely did not look bad but the new one is fabulous.

  14. Featuring this awesomeness tonight. Pinning and sharing on FB too. Have a great week.

  15. tinmccarthy says:

    love this look so much

  16. A stunning transformation! You made this DIY project seem very approachable and relatively easy to achieve. Thanks for the tutorial. Pinning!

  17. Board and batten is not very common in our country but I think that some spaces are not completed without it! Thank you very much for sharing at Sweet Inspiration Link Party 🙂

    http://www.artdecorationcrafting.gr

  18. Jen says:

    I think I could do this! YAY! It turned out so cute. Thanks for sharing this at the #happynowlinkup

  19. Kate says:

    This is great! I love how simple and modern it is. Very pretty!
    Kate | The Organized Dream

  20. Gentle Joy Homemaker says:

    That looks great… so nice and fresh… very pretty. 🙂

  21. I love the way board and batten completely transforms a space – your hallway looks so beautiful! xx

  22. Katrin says:

    I love this and I think this would look fabulous in our entrance area. It´s a small wall I have available but needs something like this and I had no idea it was that easy actually. I really love how you styled it and added the hooks. So beautiful.

  23. Cathy says:

    Beautiful. Looks very fresh!

  24. playdatesparties says:

    You make this look so easy I think I might be able to actually do it, too! Thanks so much for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!

  25. Michele says:

    I love this look. You have proven that it doesn’t have to be difficult to create something like this. Sometimes simple is best!

  26. diyadulation says:

    This is absolutely gorgeous! I love the board and batten but you also did an incredible job with your decor. Stunning makeover!

  27. larr says:

    Your board and batten wainscoting looks like it was always meant to be there and your tutorial is excellent. I am a big believer in adding architectural detail. It’s amazing how inexpensive DIY projects like this can complete transform a space. Great job!

  28. This looks lovely! Add so much character to the space. It’s amazing how it really adds to the space.

  29. I love your “faux” board and batten! It looks fantastic and really made the space pop! As long as it works for you without adding the batten boards, why not? Thanks so much for sharing this great project at Celebrate Your Story!

  30. Jodie Fitz says:

    It looks BEAUTIFUL! Would LOVE if you’d share at my first ever Reader Tip Tuesday: http://www.jodiefitz.com/2017/07/27/try-delicious-recipes-weeks-menu/

    Hope to see your gorgeous makeover there…

  31. Tina says:

    It looks amazing!!! You did a great job and it takes your mudroom to the next level!

  32. Very nice! Love the chalkboard and how it all came together.

  33. K.Rupp says:

    Looks great!! I am such a fan of board and batten. It makes such a huge difference in your hallway! I will be pinning this one:) Found your site through the linky party!

  34. Emily says:

    I love the board and batten look and how you styled the finished project! looks fantastic!

    ~ Emily from So Sunny Day

  35. Genius! I am pinning this project and doing it. Thank you so much!

  36. […] You can see more of the DIY Industrial Pendant Light makeover above the sink HERE.  If you’re interested in the DIY Board and Batten off the hallway next to the kitchen click HERE. […]

  37. tarahlynn says:

    Turned out just beuatiful! Thanks for sharing with us at the To grandma’s house we go Wednesday link party! Hope to see you there tomorrow!

  38. Michelle James says:

    This turned out beautifully! Just love it! #HomeMattersParty

  39. Sahana says:

    Board and Batten looks really nice for mudroom. #HomeMattersParty

  40. sandi Magle says:

    Perfect idea for the long hallway with nothing but doors. Great tutorial also, thanks for sharing, Sandi

  41. Leanna says:

    Love it. I have been describing to my husband how I want our back entrance. This is going to help alot. Great job and I dream ours turns out this nice. Pinned.

  42. Sabrina says:

    This looks so easy but still super pretty! Thank you for sharing!

  43. Teresa B says:

    It does look beautiful, you did a great job. Thank you for sharing at The Really Crafty Link Party. Pinned!

  44. Beautiful! This would be great in my entry way too!

  45. laurieopop says:

    This looks amazing! And try-able

  46. Cordelia says:

    Think that you did a great job and it looks like much more than a simple mudroom.