Board and batten started as barn siding: wide boards with narrow battens covering the gaps between them. Indoors it became a popular accent wall, with battens nailed straight onto a flat wall at an even spacing.
How to use this calculator
- Choose an accent wall or siding.
- Measure the wall's width and height.
- Pick the batten size, and for siding the board size. Nominal sizes are narrower than their names: a 1x3 is about 2.5 inches wide.
- For an accent wall, enter the gap you would like. The calculator evens it out so every space matches.
Worked examples
A bedroom accent wall
Style: Accent wall: battens on a flat wall · Wall width: 12 ft · Wall height: 8 ft · Batten: 1x3 · Gap between battens: 16 in
- Battens
- 9
- Boards
- 9
- Even gap between them
- 15.19 in
- Batten length
- 96 in
- Length of the boards to buy
- 8 ft
A narrow hallway wall
Style: Accent wall: battens on a flat wall · Wall width: 6 ft · Wall height: 8 ft · Batten: 1x2 · Gap between battens: 12 in
- Battens
- 6
- Boards
- 6
- Even gap between them
- 12.60 in
- Batten length
- 96 in
- Length of the boards to buy
- 8 ft
Shed siding with 1x10 boards
Style: Siding: boards with battens over the gaps · Wall width: 10 ft · Wall height: 8 ft · Batten: 1x3 · Board: 1x10
- Boards
- 13
- Battens
- 12
- Gap between boards
- 0.5 in
- Batten lap on each board
- 1 in
- Length of the boards to buy
- 8 ft
Wide boards and battens
Style: Siding: boards with battens over the gaps · Wall width: 16 ft · Wall height: 8 ft · Batten: 1x4 · Board: 1x12
- Boards
- 17
- Battens
- 16
- Gap between boards
- 0.5 in
- Batten lap on each board
- 1.5 in
- Length of the boards to buy
- 8 ft
Board sizes are smaller than their names
- A 1x2 is about 1.5 inches wide, a 1x3 2.5 inches and a 1x4 3.5 inches.
- A 1x6 is about 5.5 inches, a 1x8 7.25 inches, a 1x10 9.25 inches and a 1x12 11.25 inches.
- These are the dry dressed widths in the American softwood lumber standard, which the calculator uses.
Board and batten siding
The cedar lumber association's guide leaves a gap of about 0.5 inch between boards and asks each batten to lap the boards by at least 0.5 inch on each side, so a narrow batten over a wide gap will not do.
Nail each batten only through the gap, between the boards, so the boards under it can swell and shrink with the weather. Boards up to 6 inches wide get one nail per support, wider boards two.
Common questions
How far apart should board and batten be?
On an accent wall, most people choose a gap that looks right for the room, often a little over a foot. The calculator then evens the gap so every space matches. For siding, the gap between boards is about 0.5 inch, with a batten over it.
How do I calculate board and batten spacing?
Subtract the width of all the battens from the wall width, then divide what is left by the number of gaps, one fewer than the battens. The calculator picks the number of battens closest to your gap.
What size boards are used for board and batten?
Accent walls usually use a 1x2, 1x3 or 1x4 batten. Siding often pairs wide boards such as a 1x10 with a 1x3 batten.
How many battens do I need for a wall?
Enter the wall width and your gap above. Battens sit at both ends, and the number between them depends on the gap you pick.