Board and Batten Siding: What You Need to Know

What Is Board and Batten Siding?

Old-style barns were generally constructed from wooden planks that served as both the interior and exterior walls. This type of construction was quick, efficient, and could usually be built from locally sourced wood. With no insulation, however, these barns were cold during the winter months. To reduce the number of cold drafts entering the barn, farmers would often nail thin wood slats in the joints between two wooden planks. While morning milking and other barn chores were still a cold affair in the winter months, these thin slats diminished the barn's amount of air leakage.

Over time, the distinctive exterior siding of barns became known as board and batten. Home contractors would alternate wide boards with narrower wooden strips. The wider boards are between 12 and 14 inches thick, with the thinner strips of 1-3 inches placed where the two boards meet. Whereas most barns used to be built with vertical board and batten siding, modern-day home contractors use this exterior siding in vertical and horizontal presentations. Board and batten siding can even be used on home interiors for a rustic, cabin-like feel.

Though board and batten siding has traditionally been used for wooden exteriors, many home contractors today use this design for other types of siding alternatives. Vinyl siding, fiber cement siding, engineered wood siding, aluminum siding, and other alternative cladding options have incorporated board and batten aesthetic.

How to Install Board and Batten Siding?

It is necessary for homeowners who are self-installing their board and batten siding to carefully calculate the wall's length. This way, you will be sure to have equally spaced boards. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Find the number of spaces: Measure your wall's total length and divide that number by your desired spacing between each batten. That number will give you the total number of "spaces" you have on your wall.
2. Find the number of battens: Add "one" to the total number of spaces, and you will have the calculation for the number of battens you need.
3. Calculate the spacing between battens: Multiply the desired width of your batten planks by the number of battens and subtract that number from the wall's total length. Divide that number by the number of spaces calculated earlier. This total will give you the precise spacing you should use between each batten.

Consider the following example to guide you through the steps above. 

1. The number of spaces: A 240-inch length wall that wants 10-inch spacing would have 24 spaces.
2. The number of battens: Those 24 spaces + 1 would give you 25 total batten pieces.
3. If you wanted a 3-inch batten width x the 25 total batten pieces, you would end up with 75 inches of total batten width. The 240-inch wall-length minus the 75 inches of total batten width would leave you with 165 inches of wall length minus the batten space. Finally, divide the 165 inches of wall length minus the battens by the 24 spaces calculated initially. So, you would have a spacing of 6.9 inches between each batten.

You can do several of these calculations to determine the best spacing for your board and batten siding.

How Much Does Board And Batten Siding Cost?

The cost of board and batten siding will depend entirely on the type of wood you choose. Homeowners can expect to pay anywhere between $0.75 and $10 per square foot for materials. Cedar siding costs around $3 per square foot, while cypress wood can cost over $20 per square foot. Engineered wood products are usually less expensive than natural wood, costing between $2 and $5.50 per square foot. Depending on your region, you should expect to pay between $1.50 and $2.50 per square foot for installation costs.