31 Days of Building Character: Board and Batten

Welcome to day two of my 31 day series,  Building Character.  I am sharing 31 simple ways we have given our newly built, builder grade, spec home character.

Our master bedroom felt large, cold and empty when we first moved in.  It was a great space with a large tray ceiling but it lacked the cozy intimate feeling a bedroom should have.  My solution was to wrap the room in board and batten style wainscoting...

This project was super cheap and super simple.  It's a great project for a beginner (as long as the beginner knows how to properly operate the tools required to complete the job and takes all the necessary safety precautions).

There are a ton of internet tutorials out there.  

I used basic pine 1 x 4's and 1 x 6's.  The entire project cost less than $100.

I started by replacing the door trim with primed and sanded 1x4's and the baseboards with 1x 6's.  Then, I installed the horizontal boards all the way around the room.  I measured each wall separately to determine the spacing of the vertical slats.  

After the boards were up, I used latex caulk to fill the seams.  I gave the entire area two coats of cream colored latex paint in a satin finish.  That's it.  Very simple and the semi rough texture of the cheap boards adds to the character.  One tip I have is to make sure the boards are straight before purchasing.  Some pine boards are warped and curved so be extra picky.

Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow!
To view the entire 31 Day Series, Please click here.