Dining Room Board and Batten with Wallpaper

How to create an easy dining room board and batten accent wall with wallpaper on top

Out of all the design decisions that needed to be made in this dining room makeover choosing the wallpaper was the hardest.

Adding the board and batten was the easiest decision. If you have been following along with us for any time at all you know we love some board and batten in this house.

All trim work actually, but especially board and batten! It is so classic and there are so many ways to customize it to fit your style and space.

In our most recent makeover, we added board and batten to our stairs and entryway and stained it in a beautiful Hickory stain.

This dining room board and batten will follow suit in height and trim detail but I really wanted to paint it to match the rest of the room and complement the wallpaper.

I think this board and batten accent wall turned out so beautiful and I thought I would share all my tips and tricks for DIY-ing one with wallpaper the easy way.

How to Measure for Boards and Battens

Board and Batten Supplies:

1×6 Pine Boards (baseboard)
1×4 Boards (battens)
1×4 Board (header)
1×2 Board (ledge)
Corner Molding

Before:

For this board and batten project I will be using the actual wall as the “board” portion. This is a great way to save money and if your walls are smooth no one will be able to tell.

If you plan on staining the board and batten you will have to use the same method we used in the staircase/entryway makeover and use actual boards.

For the battens in this project I used leftover 1×4 oak boards from our last project, but any good quality board will work.

To figure out the spacing between the battens I use this calculator. It tells you how many battens you will need and what the spacing needs to be.

If you are ever in doubt about how you want your board and batten to look, simply tape it out on the wall using painters tape.

Installing Dining Room Board and Batten

Replace Old Baseboards

The first step is to remove and replace the old baseboards.

The standard baseboards are not usually wide enough to support the 1″ batten and you don’t want the battens to overhang the baseboards.

I like to use 1×6 boards as baseboards because they are taller and wider than standard baseboards, plus they are cheaper!

Tip: Sand the baseboards and battens before attaching them to the wall. It’s easier to sand them while they are flat, especially the edges.

Install the new baseboard with nails into studs. Make sure it is level or all the battens will be off.

Installing the Header Board

The header board is another 1×4 board that runs horizontally across the wall.

I installed the header board 59″ from the top of the new baseboards.

This portion of the board and batten install goes smoother with two people and also a laser level.

We installed this header piece the same way as the baseboards, with long nails into studs.

Adding the Battens

Once the board and batten calculator tells you the exact distance in between battens, cut two spacer blocks that length out of scrap wood. Our spacing is 12-1/4″ in between each batten.

Having the spacer blocks makes it easy to set the distance between battens without having to measure each time.

Just like with the baseboards, I sanded each batten down with 220 grit sandpaper before installing it. This is the only way to get the sides smooth.

Start by installing the first batten against the wall, nailing it into studs if possible. If you don’t have a stud available, criss-cross the nails to hold it securely to the wall.

All the battens should be the same length, but no wall is perfect so I measure each time and make slight adjustments when necessary.

How to Install Board and Batten with an Outlet

Chances are you will run into an electrical switch or outlet when installing the board and batten.

Don’t panic, cutting out the space in the batten for the outlet is not hard.

Here’s the trick I use:

1. Mark the four corners of the outlet with toothpaste

2. Press the batten over the outlet, the toothpaste will transfer the mark onto the batten

3. Use a square to draw straight lines for the outlet

4. Use a 1/2″ drill bit to drill holes in each corner

5. Cut out the outlet square using a jigsaw

6. Pull the electrical outlet through an outlet extender box (be sure to remove power from the system before touching any wires)

7. Install the batten, then reinstall the electrical outlet

This method seems scary but it looks the best when it’s finished, trust me.

Painting Board and Batten

The board and batten technically is not finished yet but I like to do as much painting as possible before the wallpaper is installed.

Fill in all the nail holes and caulk all the seams.

Once the caulk is completely dry you can start painting.

I had this paint color matched to the darkest part of the wallpaper at our local Sherwin Williams store.

Here’s what the mixture turned out to be:

I had to apply three coats total, which is pretty standard for such a dark color.

This blue is so beautiful though! I had my doubts while it was drying but it cured beautifully.

While I had the paint out, I also painted the ledge piece (1×2 board) and the faux crown molding pieces (more on that later) that will be installed after the wallpaper goes up.

Installing Wallpaper Above Board and Batten

Before the ledge and crown molding are installed I like to install the wallpaper. This way the cuts don’t have to be perfect and the ledge and crown can hide any imperfections.

Start with installing the wallpaper on the left side of the wall.

Draw a straight line the width of the wallpaper minus 2″. Walls and ceilings cant be trusted to be truly straight so this line will be the most accurate point to start at.

Again a laser is your best friend with a wallpaper install. Apply the wallpaper directly over the straight line you drew and use a felt lined card or applicator to smooth the wallpaper.

This wallpaper is from WallBlush and they include an applicator perfect for smoothing out the wallpaper.

This wallpaper is made to overlap for a seamless look, follow the installation directions for your specific wallpaper.

Work your way down the entire wall. Don’t worry about the excess wallpaper, that will be handled later.

Once the wallpaper has been completely installed use a sharp razor blade to cut and remove the excess wallpaper.

Finishing the Board and Batten

Now that the wallpaper is completely installed, you can finish up the board and batten.

Install the 1×2 top rail across the top of the header with nails. This piece will hide the bottom wallpaper seam.

To finish off the board and batten I installed a piece of corner molding under the top rail. This matches what we did in the entryway and just makes the board and batten look a little fancier.

Once the new pieces were installed I painted the corner molding and did any touch up painting necessary.

The board and batten portion of this dining room makeover is officially complete!

Installing Faux Crown Molding

If making crown molding cuts intimidate you or are just not in the budget I have the perfect solution for you.

I used a plain baseboard turned upside down and a piece of chair rail as faux crown molding.

Start by cutting both pieces down to size and painting them.

Then install the baseboard piece first, flush against the ceiling.

Next, install the chair rail molding on top of the baseboard and also flush with the ceiling.

Caulk the seam between those two pieces and paint one final coat.