May 6, 2022  

Board & Batten Wall Ideas: Which Rooms To Add Board And Batten To


Board and batten (AKA wainscoting) is an easy DIY to customize the look of any room in your home. But which rooms does board and batten look good in? I’ve gathered 12 of my favorite examples to inspire you!

Batten wainscoting is an excellent way to add a modern element to any room. And it gets bonus points for being a fairly simple DIY project! All you need are a few simple trim pieces or MDF boards from the hardware store, a brad nailer, and a circular saw or miter saw.

Today I’m sharing ideas and examples for how to incorporate this modern trim into your home. If you’d like to learn more about the actual nuts and bolts of installing beautiful board and batten, check out this post for lots of tips and answers to frequently asked questions.

I’ve gathered up a dozen modern board and batten ideas for you! It’s really inspiring to see all of the different ways this modern trim work can be used all over the house….in the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and office just to name a few. Where would you add a pop of color or texture?

Looking for more DIY ideas? Take a look at these blog posts:

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Modern Trim Work in Any Room text in navy over white background. Three images below. Left image is green board and batten wall with white tile floor. Top right image is a bedroom with green board and batten wall. Bottom right image is a white board and batten kitchen island.

Where should I add Board & Batten?

Board and Batten walls are a great way to add custom features to your builder-grade home. PLUS it is super easy!

One thing you'll notice about the examples below is how many different styles and layouts you can choose from. There really are no rules in my opinion! A grid pattern taken all the way up to the top of the wall is a classic board and batten look, but it's also very common to see this trim style done on the bottom half or third or a wall.

Some are pretty simple, others are capped off at the top with crown molding, while others add extra decorative trim alongside the wide boards to create more of a formal wainscoting look. It's really up to you and what will look best in your space!

A popular choice is to make a grid with square boxes, but you can also play with the distance between both vertical and horizontal boards. Or, like you'll see in a few of the examples here, you can even skip the horizontal boards altogether and only use vertical pieces. Anything goes!


I hope you’re feeling really inspired by all of these board and batten wall ideas! As you saw, there are so many different styles you can go with when adding this popular wood trim to your home. I’m a huge fan of adding character to our plain builder-grade home and this is an inexpensive way to do just that!

If you are ready to start your board and batten project, I have all of the answers to your questions! Check out my Everything You Need To Know About DIY Board And Batten Walls tutorial. You’ll find simple steps, a full tutorial, plus all of the questions I researched when I first started including what supplies you’ll need, how to plan in your space, installation advice, and more. I also talk through some common questions including if you can do this on a textured wall and how to handle light switches.

Looking for more DIY ideas? Take a look at these blog posts:

Have a fantastic day!

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