DIY Board and Batten Entryway Wall with Beadboard

One of the very first big DIY projects I wanted to tackle in our home was to get rid of the fake brick peel and stick wallpaper that was falling off of the wall. I had a vision for a lovely board and batten treatment with navy blue on the upper portion of the wall. Right around Christmas, Luke got to work to help bring my vision to life. Let me show you how we made this DIY board and batten entryway wall.

Here’s a look at the before. This entryway already included a gorgeous old chandelier that I absolutely love. I’m not sure if it’s original to the 1956 house, but it brings a sort of old world elegance that I just can’t get over. The original parquet floors are also here in the entryway, and I think they give it such a classic look. We definitely didn’t want to change those, and we both really like the rest of the entryway, but the fake brick wallpaper that was falling off of the wall, just had to go.

So we peeled off the peel and stick wallpaper to reveal regular wallpaper underneath. It had been damaged, so we used a spray to help loosen it from the wall and then we scraped it all off.

Our five year old daughter was very much into helping us remove the wallpaper. She kept telling Luke he needed to get back to work!

Once the walls were clear of all of the wallpaper, Luke put up the beadboard. We found these beadboard sheets at Home Depot. They are actually the same beadboard sheets he used when he built our farmhouse bed.

He used a pneumatic nail gun and brad nails and wood glue to attach the beadboard to the wall, then did the same with the actual board and batten. Of course, he also used a level to make sure all of the horizontal pieces was nice and straight.

He put 1″ x 6″ boards across the top and the bottom of the treatment. He used 1″ x 4″ for the vertical boards and the horizontal board in the middle. To get the spacing between each of the smaller vertical pieces, he measured the length of the wall and divided it into four equal spaces.

He used 1″ x 6″ for the two vertical pieces on either end of the wall, and he used 3/4″ x 1″ boards for trim pieces.

Next, he filled in the nail holes with wood putty and sanded the wall with 120 grit sandpaper.

He then put the 3/4″ base shoe back at the bottom to completely finish the look after painting the board and batten with Behr Ultra White paint. He then sealed all of the gaps with white caulk.

I am still not 100% sure about the paint color we chose. I feel like we should’ve color matched the paint for the board and batten to the white paint on the front door. The Behr Ultra White has almost a yellowish tint in some light. He did two coats of paint on the board and batten.

We decided to upgrade the old outlet with a new plug and added a nightlight outlet cover, which is very helpful when you’re coming upstairs at night.

The final step on this wall was deciding what to do with the top portion. I really wanted to wallpaper it, but Luke decided that it would be easier to just paint it. There was a funky texture left behind after removing the wallpaper, so it would need a little extra work to make it wallpaper ready.

I had a difficult time deciding on paint colors. I knew I wanted a navy blue, and ended up settling on Compass Blue from Behr. I think I probably should’ve gone with something a little smokier because this one looks a little more royal blue than I was thinking it would, but it will work for now.

Eventually I would love to hang a navy blue wallpaper with a design similar to this one.

My ultimate goal for this space is to add a parsons bench like this one and some sort of statement piece of artwork over the board and batten. I think having a bench in the entryway just looks inviting.

This entryway is also where I have our home altar. The lighting in this room in the morning is absolutely stunning. I often imagined being able to sit on a bench and do my morning devotions here, but since the entryway is right at the top of the stairs and I have a brand new walking toddler, it has not happened. Maybe it will happen in a few years when we move back.

Overall, I’m completely thrilled with the way this board and batten entryway wall turned out. I think it adds a lot of character and charm to our farmhouse here!