The traditional rule of thumb is that wainscoting height should be a third of the wall's height, including the cap or any moldings. So if you have 9-foot walls, then 3-foot (or 36-inch) wainscoting will look great. Scale down to about 32 inches for rooms with 8-foot walls.
How to fake board and batten
- Measure the wall to figure out how many boards you need. Measure your wall and determine how far apart you want the boards to be placed.
- Trim and paint the boards. Trim the boards to size (if needed) and paint.
- Position the boards.
- Keep going!
Use things like board and batten to make a small entryway or bathroom look larger. We had a very small entryway with a dropped ceiling in our last house, but when we installed extra tall board and batten, it made the space feel WAY bigger, and more open!
I have used MDF for baseboards also & they work great too!
You don't have to do this but I feel like it makes the batten board wall look finished. Wood MDF is very heavy & it definitely takes two people to run through the saw. You can also use a circular saw but you have to make sure your cuts are super straight.Bottom boards: 4-1/2†Top Boards: 3-1/2†Battens: 2-1/2â€
Use the pine, lots of houses and barns have pine siding and it holds up fine. I have had customers mix pine and cypress and after it weathers a bit you could not tell the difference.
For vinyl material, you will typically see a board and batten siding cost of anywhere between 2 and 7 dollars per square foot. This comes out to about $10,500 for a home of 1,500 sq ft. Fiber cement siding is a bit cheaper, coming in at anywhere from 75 cents to 5 dollars per sq ft.
Typically, batten are spaced anywhere from 12†to 24†apart. I think it looks best to space them as close to 18†as possible, but that's just a personal preference. Our wall is 164†wide, so we used 8 batten (for a total of 7 spaces) with a distance of 19.42 inches between each batten.
In some areas it is common to attach vertical 1x2 furring strips before installing board-and-batten siding. If your sheathing is not solid plywood or OSB, these strips are needed to provide a nailing surface. Attach strips around windows and doors, then lay out and attach horizontal strips every 16 inches.
The 240-inch wall-length minus the 75 inches of total batten width would leave you with 165 inches of wall length minus the batten space. Finally, divide the 165 inches of wall length minus the battens by the 24 spaces calculated initially. So, you would have a spacing of 6.9 inches between each batten.
If well maintained, board and batten siding can last for years. Since it adds to the aesthetics of your home, choosing this type of siding can add significantly to its resale value. It will also immediately add to its curb appeal, making your home an inviting place to visit.
Caulk – Caulk around all the boards to fill in the gaps. Paint – We used Sherwin Williams PURE WHITE 7005 to paint the boards and battens (either eggshell or satin finish—can't remember now!) You can paint everything the same color, or paint the boards a contrasting shade.
Today, board and batten is primarily used to give off a relaxed, traditional look, bringing a timeless elegance to the exterior of homes.
Caulk and spackle are your friends! Plan for a lot of time to caulk, spackle, fill nail holes and sand everything smooth. You can hide all of your imperfections and little gaps if you take the time to do this tedious work before painting. Use paintable caulk to fill the gaps between the wall and all board edges.
