DIY Bedroom Board + Batten Accent Wall {Plus Nectar code!}

The Planning

        Out of all the DIY projects we do in our home, our bedroom has never made it to the top of the list. After almost 2.5 years, we have finally made it a priority! We painted right before we moved in, and we loved the color {Gray Mist by Behr Paint}, but that was as far as we made it. I've been pinning and saving pictures along the way and I always seemed to gravitate toward a classic look with rustic elements {my fave!} I also loved the way our board + batten entryway came together, so it was no surprise I ended up deciding on that style for our feature wall. For our bedroom, I really wanted a slightly more "moody" feel. With all of the dark focal walls I've been seeing, I fell in love with the dark gray/almost black colors. Believe it or not, my husband and I loved the SAME color out of the stack of color chips I brought home! {Carbon Copy by Behr Paint}  When we did the entryway project, the one thing that I felt really "finished off" the space was the "cap" at the top. As we did in our closet upgrade, we chose a dark color/stained wood combo making the "cap" a rustic stained piece. We chose our usual stain color Provincial by Minwax for cohesiveness with the rest of our home.

The Prep 

        Selecting wood can be pretty tricky sometimes. I like to stand the wood up and be sure to look down the edge to make sure its straight. Be sure to look horizontally and vertically because a bow either way can cause issues during your project. You can also lay the boards flat on the ground and check for warping as well. If it teeter-totters, try another board.

{Left} This may seem like an easy fix by simply securing the bow to the wall, but this severe of a bend can cause the board to split. Plus you'll be using an unnecessary amount of fasteners.

{Right} This is what we want to see. No bowing in either direction with a nice straight edge.

        Something else to look for is too many knots {for some projects, they can add texture and interest, but they can be difficult to cut through and can cause splintering}. The goal for board + batten is to give the illusion of one single piece.  Knots just cause extra work filling and sanding, so I avoid as many as possible.

        Another thing to consider is which type/grade of wood you'll use for your project. We typically use common pine boards for our projects. It takes a little extra work finding good, useable boards, but the price is usually a fraction of what nicer cuts cost. If you are staining or leaving wood grain visible, you may want to consider a nicer piece of wood. In our case, we painted the whole thing, so the less grain and character the better. Side note: {MDF is also a common material for this wall style because of its smooth characteristic.}

The Process

        After moving our bed and giving the wall a good wipe down to remove any dust, I taped along the trim and laid out the plastic to cover the carpet. We measured height and taped a line to give a stopping point when I painted. Our ceilings are 8' and went with 64" from the floor but I could have gone a little higher and been happy.

        Since our trim is tapered, my husband cut the bottom of the uprights to fit over the face of the baseboards using this contour gauge and our table saw.

        After the bottoms were cut, and the rest of the boards were sanded and filled with wood filler, I painted a couple coats of Behr's Carbon Copy on the them and the wall. We like to assemble the boards on the wall, just to get an idea of how it will look and to make sure everything is fitting properly before we start cutting.

        Once we were happy with the fit, and started cutting, we hit a snag when one of the boards was extremely warped {refer back to the tip above about picking out wood} Unfortunately, I hadn't noticed when I painted and it delayed us a few days. I must have grabbed from the "put-back" pile in the store. Things went much more smoothly once we were back on track! Installing was a breeze because we had marked out where the boards would be ahead of time.

        We really didn't want to damage the drywall more than needed so we used screwed the boards into the studs where we were able and used drywall anchors where absolutely necessary. We aren't fans of the "liquid nails" technique, so we opted for a less drywall-damaging option. After all of the boards were installed, I filled the cracks with spackle and caulked the corners where the boards meet the wall. Tip: Be sure to use the paintable variety of both spackle and caulk. Also, since we needed to use 2-2x4 boards for the cap, I filled the gap between the two boards with stainable wood filler to give the illusion of one long board. 

        Once board + batten and cap boards dried and were sanded, I gave one last quick touch-up coat of paint and stain.

         This was a fairly simple project, even with a few snags. I really think it elevated the look of the room. 

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Nectar+ResidentHome

         One of the most important things as a busy mom, perpetual DIY-er and small business owner is sleep. We were gifted a mattress and bed frame by our friends at Nectar!

        Shortly after getting married and moving to a new state, we had very little time to furnish our first home. I was 4 months pregnant at the time and my husband was fresh back from a year long tour overseas. We stopped in a strip mall mattress store that had a cash and carry sale of $299 for a box spring/mattress combo. For just over SEVEN years and 4 moves later, we slept on that sad excuse for a mattress. {Did you know you're supposed to replace your mattress after 6-8 years? That's for a decent mattress...} That thing had gotten us through the years but our backs and nights of restless sleep were telling us it was time. Our Nectar mattress was just what we needed. Not only was the setup and assembly a breeze {only a few hours before it was fully assembled} we were able to sleep on it that night!

        We didn't think twice pulling our old, tired mattress out of the room. It's always a little worrisome trying something new, especially something that is literally part of your everyday routine. Nectar offers a 100% risk-free 365 day in-home trial period that also comes with free shipping if, for some reason, it doesn't work out for you. Another thing that kept us from wanting to delve into the mattress buying process was: "how do you choose firmness/softness and all the options?!"   Something else that's cool about this mattress is that it's formulated to be at the optimal firmness of a 6.5 on the standard 1-10 firmness scale. This literally took the guess-work away!  Something that isn't really an issue with my sleeping is temperature and breathability, since I'm always cold, but my husband doesn't have any complaints since he tends to sleep a little on the hot-side. The folks at Nectar really have found the balance for firmness, coolness, breathability and comfort in this mattress.  I was also given a discount code to share! Click here and use my code LittleMamaWandering to save!

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        Have a mattress you love but are in desperate need for some new, luxe sheets and pillows? I have a code for 20% off ResidentHome's Serenity Bundle: click here and use code LittleMamaWandering. They're the softest, comfiest sheets! I can't believe they're on my bed! The pillows seemed a little firm at first but they form around my head and neck just perfectly. My favorite feature of the pillow cases is that the ends are envelope style to keep the pillow from sliding out.

        I hope you enjoyed this look into our bedroom makeover and I hope it inspired you to elevate your bedroom sanctuary! Let me know what you think or if you have any questions. I'd be happy to clarify any part of our process!

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