ORC Fall 2023: Bedroom Transformation
The Fall 2023 One Room Challenge just concluded and Isla’s big girl bedroom has been completely transformed. Blank, textured walls have been replaced with elegant millwork and wallpaper. Now, you may not initially assume a dark, moody blue is the appropriate color for a little girls room—but I think it’s safe to say, this is a risk that paid off! Isla affectionately calls it “her blue room” and I was able to integrate some beautiful warm tones and textures with this darker backdrop to make it the perfect little girls space!
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I partnered with NOVO Building Products and Ornamental Decorative Millwork on this project—taking blank walls and creating a traditional, yet fun board and batten wainscoting. I’ve always loved the look of traditional wainscoting, but wanted to add some playful touches that could grow with Isla over time. So, I utilized NOVO’s millwork for the board and batten framework and Ornamental for the beautiful reeded detail.
Before
Before we jump into the process, let’s appreciate how far it’s come! Our home was built in the 1960’s and had original carpeting, textured blank walls and dated fixtures. After living on the east coast for over five years, we also had some added dings from the renters.
Board & Batten vs Wainscoting
If you’re unfamiliar with these terms, let’s break them down so you understand the difference. Board and Batten refers to the style of paneling, consisting of boards and battens. Board and batten can take up a portion or the wall or the entire wall. Whereas, wainscoting refers to wall paneling that lines the lower part of the wall. In my case, going up about three-fourths of the wall. Additionally, I added some extra details that go beyond your traditional board and batten. So, I use both terms to describe what I’ve done in Isla’s room.
Planning
There are a lot of board and batten planners out there, as well as other design programs. However, with my background in graphic design, I find that Adobe Illustrator allows for the most efficient planning. Additionally, it allows me go back and quickly make adjustments or check measurements as needed.
Mood Board
While flat black & white models are super helpful when it comes to the blueprint, it makes it hard to visualize the overall design of the space.
I make mood boards to achieve just that! Again, I use an Adobe program called Photoshop (you may be familiar). Seeing how the wainscoting works with the wallpaper and secondary colors, helps to solidify my design choices and move forward with the install.
Installation
Quick Tip: With any wood materials like this primed pine, make sure it acclimates to your home temperature before cutting and install, as wood expands and contracts with changes in temperature.
Step 1: Door + Window Trim
The first step was the framework of the room—door and window trim. I first started updating our door and window trim when I installed battens in our primary bedroom project, so I replicated those steps for Isla’s room. Three sizes of primed pine boards were utilized for this project: 1×2’s, 1×4’s and 1×6’s. For the door and window trim I used 1×2’s and 1×4’s. For specifics, you can follow the detailed how-to here.
Step 2: Baseboards
After door trim, baseboards were next! I used 1×6’s for all of the baseboards, which meant they are all 5.5 inches in height. The first baseboard I installed butted up against the door trim for a tight fit. It’s best to start there because a square, 90°edge is needed to meet the trim of the door.
All other baseboard joints and corners should have a mitered cut. For example, where one baseboard meets another (the right image below), I make both cuts at a 45°angle. This method makes those joints less noticeable than a butt joint. Meanwhile, the corner joints can be a little bigger than a 45°angle, as most homes do not have square walls and you may end up with large gaps like I did.
I should note that I do not use adhesive for my baseboards, just brad nails. If you’re unsure or unable to secure to studs, nail in different directions for a more secure fit.
Step 3: Installing the “Board”
From the baseboards, I needed to work my way up, which meant adding the board of the “board and batten”. This step isn’t absolutely necessary—if you have flat walls, you can get away with not putting up boards. On the other hand, if you have textured walls, you can either opt to live with the texture or smooth it out by skim coating.
I used hardboard for my “board” because it was one of the cheapest options—about $14 for a 4’x8′ piece. Additionally, it is only 1/8 inch thick. This was important because I was installing battens on top of the boards (versus in between). Because of the moulding above, I had to install this way. Otherwise, I would have installed the boards behind all of the top rails as well.
Step 4: Wainscoting Top Rails
For the upper trim work, I used a combination of millwork and moulding. I’ll cover the moulding next, but because it is sandwiched in between the top rails, I wanted to go into a little detail.
The horizontal top rails are 1×4’s and the ledge is a 1×2. So, above the hardboard, I installed a 1×4, then the ornamental moulding, then a 1×4, and then a 1×2 turned on its side, so it’s vertical height is only 3/4 inch. This is what creates the ledge and gives the wainscoting some dimension.
The install for these was very similar to the baseboards. It was important for the first top rail to be as level as possible because the moulding installed above needs to fit perfectly, and therefore needs a level surface to rest on. Just like the baseboards, for all of the top rails, I used a 45 degree mitered cut to join any two boards.
For the very top piece of millwork, I turned a 1×2 on its side so it had a vertical height of 3/4 inch. This creates a ledge and gives the wall paneling some additional dimension. It can sometimes be referred to as a top rail or chair rail. Just like the other pieces, I joined any two pieces with a 45 degree mitered cut.
Step 5: Decorative Moulding
If you remember back to the plans I shared above, the ornamental moulding fits in between the two horizontal top rails. Ornamental Moulding has a beautiful variety of decorative millwork to transform your space, which I’ve shared here. These were all cut to the same height of 10 inches, which made cuts super easy. I ended up creating a stop block, which allowed me to make accurate repeated cuts.
While cutting the moulding, I learned a helpful trick. While your blade is spinning, glide it across the face of your moulding. I found that this creates a very clean initial cut. Then, cut all the way through. I noticed my cuts came out so much nicer using this method!
Cutting Across the Moulding 
Cutting Down the Length of the Moulding
Install for the moulding was easier than expected! It’s as simple as cut to size, apply adhesive and put in place. For the corner pieces, I held a whole piece of moulding and marked where to trim. I chose using Liquid Nails over securing with brad nails because I didn’t want chance damaging the front of the moulding and the adhesive held extremely well!
Step 6: Installing the Battens
For the battens, I used primed pine 1×2’s. Because the top rail was installed above the hardboard, instead of on top, the battens would need to be trimmed to fit properly. The hardboard was 1/8 of an inch, so that’s approximately how much I would need to rip off. This step is not necessary in most cases, but because I needed to install the top rails to the wall, instead of the hardboard, this was the route I took. I used my table saw to rip them down before installing.
During the design process, I determined I liked the battens at 10 inches apart. You can either measure for each batten or create a spacer for faster install. If you’re wondering where to start installing the battens, I planned for this… If you remember back to when I cut the hardboard, I specifically made the seams where I knew there would be a batten. So, I placed a batten over the seams of the hardboard and worked from there. After measuring and marking placement for a batten, I would use my level to make sure the batten was plumb and then secured using a brad nailer and 2 inch nails.
Step 7: Finishing Work
After everything is installed, all the finish work can begin. While it can be tedious, it is also usually the most important and can make all the difference in completing the look of wall paneling. This step involves caulking and apply wood fill to all of the seams and visible joints.
Caulk is always applied where two pieces meet at an angle, whereas wood fill is applied on flat surfaces, like nail holes or where two boards meet flush. Remember that wood fill can be sanded (and needs to be sanded down after it dries), whereas caulk cannot. Therefore, any excess caulk needs to be cleaned up before it dries. I usually keep baby wipes handy for easy cleanup!
Step 8: Paint
This was the first time I had ever used my paint sprayer inside. Let’s just say, I learned a lot! I cannot stress enough about the importance of prep before painting, especially when using a paint sprayer. I wrapped the entire room in plastic and still, I had overspray—on the carpet, past the door, behind the plastic. The second coat of paint went better—I tightened up the plastic, put protective film on the carpet and wore better PPE.
I used the Graco TrueCoat 360 Variable Speed Airless Paint Sprayer to paint the room. It is corded, so that’s something to keep in mind when painting an entire room like this. Each coat of the room took about 30 minutes and several refills of paint in the sprayer. This was also the first time I used Benjamin Moore’s Command paint. It has the same durable qualities of their Advance paint, but with a faster drying/curing time. So, I was able to put the second coat on the very next day.
After the second coat of paint, I immediately removed the protective plastic and allowed the breeze and fans to assist in airing out the room. The second that plastic came down, I was blown away with how beautiful and cohesive the paint color made all of the trim work and wall paneling.
The One Room Challenge Finale
This board and batten wainscoting really took this room to the next level. It is traditional, but with fun details that will make this room grow with Isla over time. Although you may not immediately think of blue as a color choice for a little girl’s room, I think it’s safe to say my risky move payed off! Although other design elements solidified the space, the millwork is something that grounds the design and defines the style.
I can’t wait for the next One Room Challenge—it was such a fun experience for so many reasons! You can find more details and videos on my Instagram.
You have great projects. I like your choice of dark green that you repeat across your projects (at least in similar shades if not tge exact color). I’m sure you’re going for a bit of a monochrome look but you put so much work into the details, you could at least use a lighter color for the batons or do the dark green on them with a lighter color on the flat panels in-between. In a palatial house it might look better the way you did it but your rooms aren’t that big (same, I’m not rich either) so the dark color makes it seem even smaller.
Thank you! I was definitely going for some drama in this room, but totally hear you in that darker colors making smaller rooms feel smaller. Luckily, paint is easy to change down the road when we’re ready for something a little more light and fresh. I appreciate your perspective!
Oops, came back later and misremembered the color of this project. It’s still the same thought though regardless of the dark color.