Board and batten is all the rage in DIY land, and for very good reason.  It’s a fantastic way to add architectural interest to your home and a project any homeowner can tackle.  Board and batten adds clean lines, breaks up bare walls, and complements many styles of modern homes, and these days it’s de rigueur to install it yourself, and then blog about it. 

I call my project basic board and batten because for me it was extremely simple to install, but that was because I had no corners to deal with, no strange angles to cut or windows to work around.  Just a simple light switch to accommodate along a straight wall. We did a full room of board and batten, you can read about that here.

I’m going to install this same board and batten treatment in my son’s room, and in that space, I will run into all those issues named above, so I’ll be sure to do a follow up post addressing those more difficult cuts and installation when I tackle that project later this year.

For yesterday’s before and after project, I had the four supplies I needed to whip up this wall treatment rather quickly:  1) pre-primed MDF, 2) a compound miter saw, 3) a fast brad nailer/compressor, and 4) a handy husband helping me cut and nail boards on his extended lunch hour.  

Installing Simple Board & Batten

My Supplies:  4 x 8” panel (1/8 inch thick);  ½ x 3 ½” pre primed MDF boards for base and top; ¼ x 2 ¼ pre primed MDF boards for battens; ¼ x 2 ¼ strip for ledge; 11/16” cove molding; jigsaw; compound miter saw; brad nailer; Gorilla glue; spackle, caulk. 

1) Remove your existing baseboards if their thickness will not accommodate the bottom of your battens (the vertical strips).  Most existing baseboards will not allow for the battens to sit on top, which is why I replaced it (see below). We talk about cutting and reusing baseboards for board and batten in this post.

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Thanks everyone!  Both Mia and I love the quick fix on yesterday’s budget bathroom makeover.  Be sure to check out all the links over there too, over 100 bathroom remodels from around the blogosphere, so inspiring!  I’m so ready to tackle my own hallway bath thanks to all of your ideas!

A few questions came up on Mia’s vanity so I’ll give the quick answers below. 

Paint color on the vanity: That rich espresso color is Valspar’s latex ‘Betsy Ross House Brown’ #6011-2 in the soft gloss Kitchen & Bath formula.  See yesterday’s post for the step by step application.

I’m still going to give the vanity one coat of Polycrylic for durability and easier wipedown.  The formula states it’s easy to scrub, but because this paint is a soft gloss in latex, I think it could use one more protective coat. 

Hardware on the doors and drawers:  Atlas Alcott square knob and square pull, both in polished nickel. 

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Spray paint on the faucet handles: I highly recommend using an outdoor formula, designed to repel moisture.  These RustOleum metallic formulas are the most durable and work best for this project.   I love the ‘Matte Nickel’ ! 

Mirror frame by Mirrormate: That’s the Cherokee style in Dark Walnut.

Here it is up close!

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You know those oak vanities picked out by builders and installed in bathrooms across America over the last two decades?  I am not a fan, and I imagine you are not either.  Unfortunately, I happen to have one of those very same bathrooms in my own home awaiting a remodel.  Patience icky bathroom, patience, you’re next!

Meanwhile, my friend Mia and I got to talking over the Christmas break.  We were discussing her master bathroom.   Mia said “It needs help.”  I said, “I’ll bring my paintbrush.”  So I set to work to bring this bathroom into the modern age and add a few more upgrades as well.

Mia’s has an affection for warm earth tones and rich dark wood ~ her style is the yin to my ‘paint it all pale gray or white’ yang.  With all the dark wood and light bedding in the adjoining master bedroom, painting the vanity a rich espresso color made perfect sense.

Some of the pros of the existing master bath:  good paint on the walls and clean white tile countertops.  The cons: oak cabinets, those bathroom vanity light fixtures that should be outlawed, a very plain mirror, gold accents on the faucets, and no hardware on the cabinets.

Here it is Before:

And After:

The most time consuming part is the refinishing of the vanity cabinet.  Here are the six simple steps I followed.

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It’s roundup time right?  My good friend Rhoda is hosting a fab party, and how perfect is a ‘Top Projects’ post this time of year?  Here are my favorite projects from 2010, the ones that gave me the most satisfaction, taught me something new, scared the bajeezus out of me, or simply made my world a better place. 

January: 

That ‘Five Days to a Fresh Start’ series where I kicked my booty into gear with some serious decluttering, recycling, filing, and all natural cleaning. 

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February:

I repainted my kitchen island and walls.  There are more improvements on the horizon next year for this space, including a new backsplash just behind the range.  The white tile stays, the yellow can say ‘buh bye’. 

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