Wallpaper removal is a daunting task, especially in an investment property where speed of renovation means money. So, is there another approach to add interest to a room with tired wallpaper and NOT remove the paper? Yes! Board and batten!
In a recent investment property renovation, the kitchen had 1990’s wallpaper throughout the entire kitchen and to be honest, the prospect of removing the paper was daunting and a huge time suck. Instead, we invested time in adding some architectural interest to the kitchen walls – and, in the process, covered the wallpaper with board and batten.
It’s always fun to see the “before” – check it out below. There was also a chair rail and linoleum flooring which were already removed.
There are tons of blogposts and YouTube videos on how to put up board and batten – so, I studied several before beginning the project and used several suggestions from the various videos.
Flat Paneling – I took a suggestion from Holly and Brad from @ourfauxfarmhouse and used flat paneling to adhere to the wall. I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with the paneling. On the “love side”, the paneling is affordable (approximately $15/panel and I needed 8), lightweight and thin (1/4 inch). It has a shiny surface but paint adhered nicely. The paneling covered the wallpaper like a champ!
On the “hate side”, these are 4 x 8 sheets making them a bit challenging to maneuver and required a second set of hands (in my situation, but, maybe you are more coordinated). Keep in mind, my aim was to cover the entire wall – so, it’s either fewer large panels or several smaller panels. The panels needed to be ripped down to fit the wall height and cut to accommodate outlets – super messy dust coming from the cuts. 🙁 Also, my design for the wall did not include a horizontal board at the ceiling, so the panel needed to go exactly to the ceiling. I installed base moulding at the floor so any variation in panel length was covered by the molding. Lastly, the panels needed to be fitted around the window. This was tricky and I had trouble with the panel bowing on one side of the window.
Batten – I used 3 inch MDF boards for the vertical pieces. I was looking for a material 1/4 inch thick, but could not find anything in a 3 inch width (without ripping it down) The MDF pieces worked out fine.
I contemplated using MDF board at the base of the paneling, but in the end, installed base moulding in this room for continuity to the moulding in the surrounding areas. To create a more gradual transition from the vertical MDF to the moulding, I used a 45 degree cut at the end of MDF. If I had more advanced carpentry skills, I am sure there was another way to approach that. I was happy with how it turned out though.
Now I am not a fan of math, so spacing the batten was less mathematical and bit more visual. In the end, I found I needed to treat each wall separately as opposed to trying to have exactly the same spacing of the batten throughout the room. I was guided by the seams in the panels – meaning, the seams needed to be covered by the batten. And, then I attempted to get close to equal distance between the batten.
In hindsight, I would have gotten some 4 inch batten for the corners by the window. With the 3 inch width, I needed to align the boards at the front corners of the boards so the width on each wall was 3 inches.
I applied wood trim around the window to cover the raw edge of the panel. (Not shown in photo)
Painting
All of the nail holes were filled with wood filler and sanded smooth. All of the seams of the batten and the ceiling were caulked for a smooth finish. I primed the panels for better paint adherence (the panels were a slick surface) and applied two coats of paint. Generally speaking, I do not lean toward white walls. However, for this room, we used Sherwin Williams Pearly White, (a pick by my daughter and sister) and the luster of the product along with the architecture of the walls, made this color a perfect choice!
Outlets
There are two outlets where the batten needed to be trimmed to accommodate the outlet. Additional trimmed needed to be added in order to install the outlet on a flat surface. (Not fun!)
Lighting and Flooring
To finish off the room, I changed the light fixture. This little gem was a purchase from a Wayfair liquidation sale for $30. It was oil rubbed bronze and I spray painted it black to match the kitchen faucet and cabinet hardware in the other parts of the kitchen. It looks so pretty in the room.
I used vinyl flooring from Floor and Decor. It is a higher quality vinyl product and was on clearance. This is the first time I used vinyl flooring. It was inexpensive to install and the product cost was similar to tile. I am happy with how it turned out!
Hope this blogpost gives you some inspiration for dealing with wallpaper or using board and batten! Sending you blessings for a speed and beauty in your next home transformation!
