Do-It-Yourself Board Batten Siding

Use long, wide boards for board and batten siding.

Board and batten siding uses wide boards, typically 8 to 10 inches wide, and narrow boards, typically 3 to 4 inches wide, for vertical siding. The narrow boards overlap and cover the spaces between the wide boards. Apply board and batten siding over housewrap and furring strips attached to the outside walls of the house. Because of the substantial overlapping of the boards and batten, you need more wood than for other types of siding.

Things You'll Need

• Stain or paint, acrylic or oil-based
• Paintbrush
• Saw
• Housewrap
• Flashing
• Hammer
• Nails
• Furring strips
• Boards
• Battens

Instructions

1. Stain or paint the boards with an oil-based or acrylic paint or stain, using a paintbrush to get good penetration. Pre-cut the wood with a saw and paint the ends. If you make additional cuts after you start to mount the boards, paint the ends before proceeding. Install a housewrap or gas permeable building paper on the exterior walls of the house according to the manufacturer's instructions. Use the hammer to nail flashing over doors and windows to divert any water that may penetrate the siding.

2. Use the hammer to nail horizontal 2-by-2-inch furring strips on the exterior walls of the building. Attach them on 16-inch centers so that the nails penetrate into the vertical studs. Nail strips right at the top of the walls and right at the bottom. Leave 1/2-inch gaps where the furring strips meet to ensure good air circulation and drainage for possible water infiltration. Nail extra furring strips the width of the opening above and below windows and above doors.

3. Attach the boards vertically to the furring strips. Use 3-inch stainless steel, hot-dipped galvanized or aluminum nails to avoid rust stains from nail heads. Use splitless siding nails, which have thin shanks and reduce board splitting. Use nails with textured heads to avoid the appearance of glossy nail heads reflecting light from the siding. Hand-nail the boards to the furring strips with nails placed about 3/4 inches from the edges, two per board per furring strip. Leave a 1/4-inch gap between the boards.

4. Attach the battens over the cracks between the boards. Use a single nail per furring strip, hand-nailed so that the nail goes through the gap between the boards. Check that the battens are wide enough to cover the nails used to fasten the boards. A common width is 3 inches.

References

• Western Red Cedar Lumber Association: How to Install Western Red Cedar Siding
• Maibec Sidings: Genuine Wood Siding Installation Guide
• HomeTips.com: Board-and-Batten Siding