Yesterday we shared the results of our board and batten hallway makeover for the Pinterest Challenge, and today we’re posting the full step‑by‑step tutorial. It’s detailed — long enough to wear safety goggles — but don’t be intimidated. This was one of the most cost‑effective, foolproof upgrades we’ve done: modest materials, a few evenings of work, and a big impact.
We’d been planning to add molding to our hallway for a while and now we can’t believe we waited. Materials for our installation cost about $57 (we did add a tool to our collection) and the project stretched over several short work sessions across six days to allow for paint drying. If you tackle it evenings and weekends, you can likely finish within a week since each step only takes a few hours and can be spaced out.
Planning Our Board & Batten
We pulled ideas from several tutorials and adapted the techniques that fit our home best. Board and batten can be done many ways, so pick the approach that matches your walls, trim, and personal taste.
A few choices we made:
- No separate flat “boards” behind the battens. Our walls are smooth, so we used the drywall as the backdrop and installed the vertical battens directly onto it. Once painted, it reads like a seamless panel. If your walls are textured, consider adding flat boards first.
- Kept the existing baseboards. We used battens slim enough to sit comfortably above our current base trim, saving time and expense. If you prefer a chunkier look, replacing the baseboards is another option.
If you prefer visual instruction, we created videos for the building and finishing steps. Below is a written walkthrough of our process, including tips for keeping boards level, spacing them consistently, and preventing bowing.
We also produced two short videos that cover the installation and finishing details in motion.
If you can’t watch the videos right away, this post includes photos and clear descriptions to guide you through each stage. Watching later can still be helpful if you run into questions while working.
Measuring & Shopping For Materials
We began by measuring the hallway and sketching a plan. A quick drawing on graph paper helped us estimate the lengths of top rails and the number of vertical battens required.
On our supply run we only needed to buy a few items. We already had paint, filler, and caulk at home. When you buy wood, give it several days inside to acclimate so it won’t expand or shrink excessively after installation.
Tools & Supplies Needed
These are the tools and materials we used. Many of these items are optional or can be substituted depending on what you already own:
- Pneumatic or battery brad nail gun (or rent one)
- Pre‑primed lattice strips (or 1x2s, depending on the look you want)
- 1×3 pine boards for the top rail
- 1×2 pine for an optional ledge
- Measuring tape
- Laser level (optional)
- Traditional level
- Stud finder
- Miter saw (or have boards pre‑cut)
- Spackle, joint compound, or wood filler
- Paintable white caulk and a caulk gun
- Sandpaper or palm sander
- Primer
- White paint (we used a durable, satin finish)
- Paint brushes, rollers, and other painting supplies
*Tip: Allow lumber to acclimate indoors for several days before cutting and installing.
Installing The Top Rail
We used 1×3 pine for the top rails and cut them to fit each wall run. If you prefer, many home centers will cut long boards to length for you. Start by deciding the height of your top rail—higher rails can feel dramatic, but in our eight‑foot hallway a lower, traditional height looked more balanced. We settled on 40″ from the floor.
Using a laser or a long level, mark the 40″ line at several points along each wall as a guide. Then use a stud finder to locate studs so you can drive nails into solid framing where possible.
We attached the rail with a nail gun, driving fasteners into the studs. Because the pieces are lightweight, nailing alone was secure; caulk around gaps adds a final bond and a finished look. If you prefer, you can also add construction adhesive for extra holding power, but we skipped it to simplify future removal if needed.
Adding The Vertical Battens
For the vertical elements we used pre‑primed lattice strips because they’re thin, affordable, and don’t extend beyond our baseboards. In wider spaces, 1x2s provide a chunkier look, but for our narrow hallway the lattice maintained depth without crowding the walkway.
We spaced battens at 16″ centers to align with typical stud spacing, which lets many of the fasteners hit studs for a solid hold. To speed layout, we made a spacer from scrap 1×3 and used a small piece of tape to temporarily hold each batten in place while checking vertical alignment with a level. Once plumb, we nailed them off.
About an hour later the battens were all cut to size and installed. If you can’t get every batten into a stud, prioritize balanced placement for the best visual result; the battens are light and will hold well even when anchored into drywall with proper fasteners.
We considered adding a narrow ledge but found it made the hallway feel tighter and added sharp corners at head height, so we left the ledge out and called the construction phase complete.
Prepare For Painting
Next we filled nail holes with spackle and caulked gaps where the battens met the wall. Many readers recommended spackle or joint compound for a smooth finish that sands easily. Caulking bridges minor surface irregularities and gives a clean, professional look. We sanded the dried spackle lightly with a palm sander to prepare for primer.
Prime & Paint
We applied a coat of stain‑blocking primer to the rails and battens, including the pre‑primed lattice, to ensure consistent coverage and reduce the risk of bleed‑through. After the primer dried we painted the trim with a durable satin finish in white, which stands up well in a trafficked hallway.
Once the trim paint cured, we painted the walls above the board and batten. One of us cut in carefully around the trim by hand to avoid tape lifting fresh paint, and then we rolled the field with two coats for an even finish. We chose a subtle wall color to keep the narrow hall feeling open while tying the space to adjacent rooms.
With everything dry, the hallway looked transformed — suddenly interesting and polished. A modest investment and a few evenings of work added a lot of character to a previously plain pass-through.
Total Project Cost
Here’s a quick summary of costs. We already had paint, caulk, and filler, so our out‑of‑pocket expense covered lumber and a few pieces of trim. If you include a new nail gun, the total is slightly higher; if you already own tools, the project was about $57 for materials in our case.
- Four 12′ pieces of lattice — approximately $32
- Two 8′ and two 6′ pieces of 1×3 pine — approximately $25
Timewise, we worked across about five days. With dedicated blocks of time and no interruptions, you could likely complete this in three days: build and fasten, sand and prime, then paint. If you plan to rent a nail gun or use hand tools, allow extra time for nailing.
We’re thrilled with the final look and surprised at how much personality it added. Now we’re deciding what to hang above the molding and which trim project to tackle next.
UPDATE: We repeated this project in our new home with some extra details to make it feel fancier and created a follow‑up tutorial showing that variation.
Update – Want to see paint colors or sources used in our house? Check the resources we’ve gathered in our project archives.
