How to Make Board & Batten Walls

Board and batten walls are essentially vertical siding. The boards are roughly 12 inches wide and should be at least an inch thick. The battens are about 3 inches wide and about an inch thick. The battens are installed to cover small gaps between the boards. One difference between this type of siding and others is the fact that insulation can be installed between the outside wall and the siding if desired.

Things You'll Need

• Hammer or screwdriver
• Nails or screws
• 1 inch x 2 inch lumber for furring strips
• 1 inch x 12 inch weather treated lumber for boards
• 1 inch x 3 inch weather treated lumber for battens
• Insulation (if desired)
• Vapor barrier (if desired)
• Power saw
• Level
• Paintable caulk
• Weather sealant (if weather-treated wood isn't available)

Instructions

Making Board and Batten Walls

1. If the lumber is not weather treated, then apply weather sealant to all of the lumber and let dry over night. For buildings that don't need to be insulated, raw green lumber is often used untreated.

2. Attach the furring strips to the wall horizontally. One will be at the top of the wall, one in the middle, and one at the bottom. The screws will need to go into studs to securely fasten the strips, as these will bear the weight of all the siding.

3. Install the insulation, if desired. The vapor barrier is then installed over the top of the insulation.

4. Attach the 1 x 12 boards to the wall vertically. Leave a small gap (about ½ inch) between each board.

5. Attach the 1 x 3 boards (battens) to the boards in step 4. These will be installed vertically over the gaps between the boards.

6. Apply caulk to the seams between the boards and battens. This will keep the moisture out and help prevent rotting.

Tips & Warnings

• - Call your local government to make sure there aren't any required permits and to learn the local codes if there are any.

• - You can also use boards that are 8 or 10 inches wide, as well as battens that are 2 or 4 inches wide.

References

• Board and Batten Siding
• Hometips Board and Batten Siding
• Install Board and Batten Siding

Resources

• Information about Board and Batten Siding