I am finally getting around to redoing my main bathroom downstairs. It was painted a tomatoey red prior to us moving into the house three years ago. I never really liked it but it has been “good enough” while I busily redecorated the rest of my home. It is time for a make over! I decided to put up some board & batten. I love the character molding adds to a space. I was also excited to have the cream board & batten lighten up this rather dark space.
I have been wanting to add some board & batten in my house and I figured a small bathroom was the place to start. Even just the primered walls made a huge difference, don’t you think?
So I decided not to go the cheap route. I chose preprimed MDF for a couple of reasons.
#1 They are easy to cut with just a miter box and handsaw
#2 They are pre-primed making it a timesaver
#3 I didn’t want any wood grain in the board or battens, just a flat, painted surface
I purchased a 6” width for the top board and 4” width for the baseboards and a 3” width for the battens and the top shelf.
Now I have seen many people use their existing baseboards to save time and money but I really like how the plain squared edges look on the baseboards with the battens. The total cost of the MDF was right at $50.
I also spaced the battens 8” apart from each other. I don’t think there is any set width for battens. I would recommend just cutting a few to size and see what looks best. Since my bathroom is so small I thought 8” apart looked the best.
I also decided to repaint my bathroom mirror the same color as the wall but leave the vanity black. I wasn’t sure about my decision but I am glad I chose not to paint the vanity cream as well. I think it would have looked off with having too much cream in the small space.
I used my air nail gun to tack everything in place. I {heart} my air compressor and nail gun. I don’t know how you DIY’ers do without one.
Next up is a whole lot of caulking and patching the nail holes. Then I will use my air sprayer to paint the board & batten. I think sprayed molding looks so much better than when it is brush stroked. Stay tuned.