Do you need some inspiration for your DIY board and batten entryway, complete with coat hooks? In today’s post, I wanted to share some photos of our entryway makeover, while answering some questions homeowners often ask about installing board and batten.
My husband and I, along with our young children, moved into this house about a year and a half ago, and we immediately decided that we were going to dramatically change up every room, one by one. We started with the large entry, which previously been part of a three-stall garage.
This won’t be your typical step-by-step tutorial, mainly because my husband is the one who built it, and I didn’t take many photos during the installation process.
However, because I personally designed the entire space and because I had several questions pop up along the way, I wanted to share my thought process and answer some of those questions for you.
But first, let me share the before and after photos.
Entryway Makeover: Before and After
As you’ll see in the Before shots, our entry was painted a light green color, and there was some tin wainscoting on one wall. It was cute in a sense, although it felt big and cold to me.
Not to mention the lack of storage. (Imagine the mess of coats, boots, and mittens!) This was the #1 reason we absolutely needed to start our whole-house makeover in the entryway.
The flooring was the only thing that had to stay, so I worked my entire design around the very busy wood-looking tile.
And now for the Before photos:
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My vision for this space? Well, I wanted to feel like I’m stepping into a big hug every time I walk into my house. And because it’s such a large space with high ceilings and lots of natural light, the old paint color was too “light and airy”.
The foyer simply begged for a dark, moody color.
Which is why I opted for In the Navy by Sherwin Williams, paired with Pure White on the board and batten, as well as the baseboards, for some high-contrast drama.
The navy herringbone peel-and-stick wallpaper is a perfect match with my wall color, and it was pretty easy to install (even at 36 weeks pregnant).
You can see the results in my After photos:
I no longer have large, blank walls staring back at me. And while there are a few small finishing touches I’d like to eventually add, I feel like I’ve accomplished my goal in this space:
When I walk through the front door, I’m greeted by a welcoming, functional entryway.
The Artwork & Gallery Wall
I had initially chosen an accent pillow to use as my inspiration piece for the entryway, but later decided I just didn’t love it, so I tossed it into another room. After scouring Etsy, I fell in love with this gorgeous giclee print by Christine Bell and decided to use it as my inspiration for the room.
Eventually, I’d like to either buy or build a frame to give it a more “finished” look, but I’m perfectly okay with displaying it in my entry as-is in the meantime.
We installed board and batten on two of the walls in our entryway. The art piece filled the space above it on one of the walls. On the other, I put together a photo gallery using family photos we’d taken last fall.
I used six square-shaped gold photo frames. Printing photos in a square shape gets a little awkward, though, so if I could re-do it, I’d use rectangular frames. Still, I love how it turned out!
Board and Batten Wall With Hooks
I was on the lookout for coat storage ideas and I’d been browsing Pinterest for ideas when board and batten walls with coat hooks kept popping up.
It seemed simple enough, and board and batten was the perfect way to break up the large, empty walls, so I started planning it out.
How Tall Should Board and Batten Be in the Entryway?
In an entryway, the height of board and batten can vary depending on a few different factors. BUT! If you plan on hanging coat hooks directly on the board and batten, then you’ll want to take coat hook height into consideration before making a final decision.
In our entryway, the coat hooks are 56.5″ from the floor, and the total height of the board and batten is at 60.5″.
Now, a few different factors to consider:
- Proportion. You’ll typically see it anywhere from one-third to two-thirds of the wall height, depending on total wall height.
- Existing architectural features. Take into consideration the way the board and batten interacts with other elements, such as baseboards, chair rails, and windowsills.
- Functional considerations. An entryway, for example, is a high traffic area that’s susceptible to damage, so a little more height can offer more protection.
- Personal preference. Ultimately, it comes down to your aesthetic preferences. Some homeowners want to go higher for a more dramatic effect, while others prefer a shorter, more subtle look.
When it comes to determining how tall the board and batten should be in the entryway, there are no hard and fast rules. The goal is to hang your coat hooks at a comfortable height while considering proportion, architectural features, function, and personal preference to help you achieve visual balance.
Does Board and Batten Have to Go Into Studs?
The general rule is to nail board and batten into studs if possible for the best stability and support, but if you’re using thin, lightweight boards, then you don’t necessarily have to.
A few possible alternatives:
- Use anchors. Wall anchors are pieces of hardware that provide additional support when attaching something to drywall. They help distribute the weight across a larger area of the wall.
- Install backing strips. You would attach the backing strips to the studs, then install the board and batten onto the backing strips.
- Try construction adhesive. You can get extra stability by using construction adhesive along with fasteners. Apply the adhesive to the back of the boards before attaching them to the wall, in order to create a strong bond between the boards and the wall surface.
Of course, while these alternative methods can help provide some extra support and stability, it’s always best to go into the studs if at all possible.
Coat Hook Height and Spacing
The standard coat hook height is approximately five feet, or 60 inches from the floor, and spacing can be anywhere from 8-12 inches apart.
You can adjust the height up or down depending on personal preference, or the height of the people who will be using them.
Our coat hooks are slightly lower, at 56.5 inches. We also installed a few hooks for the kids at 43 inches to help foster independence (and hopefully encourage them to actually hang their coats rather than drop them on the floor!).
Our hook spacing is about 13 inches apart, although they could have definitely been closer together if I’d had more hooks and less wall space.
I found these little round coat hooks on Etsy and absolutely fell in love with them. While they’re not the most practical, since you can only hang one or two coats on each one, they’ve proven durable. They’re even strong enough to hold a fairly heavy backpack.
Unfortunately, these exact hooks are no longer available on Etsy, but if you take a look on this search results page, you might find something similar.
Anyway, I’m thinking about (temporarily) swapping out the lower ones for double hooks so that my daughters can hang both a backpack and a coat together on one coat hook.
Board and Batten Entryway Paint Colors
I was looking for a dramatic, high contrast effect, so I decided on navy for the wall color and white for the board and batten. And since we have a Sherwin Williams nearby (and I’m very familiar with their paints), I decided to sample some of their colors.
I ordered peel-and-stick samples from Samplize and hung them in my entry for comparison. In the end, I chose Pure White — a soft, clean white color — and In the Navy.
Use code FIRSTFIVE for a discount on your first Samplize order!
Because entryways are generally high traffic areas, you’ll want a good quality paint in a durable, washable finish. For the Pure White board and batten, I chose a semigloss paint, and went with Sherwin Williams’ Velvet finish for In The Navy.
I’d never used one of the Velvet paints before, and I’m seriously in love with the gorgeous, velvety appearance.
Full disclosure: Velvet is not quite as durable as a satin or semigloss, so it scratches and chips more easily, which is super obvious when you use a dark paint color. It’s a fine choice above board and batten, but we have had a few dings where we used this paint on the lower walls.
Planning an Entryway Makeover
Are you feeling inspired…or, perhaps, overwhelmed? If you’re planning your own entry makeover, you might be wondering how to get started.
First of all, if you found this post via Pinterest, you’re off to a good start! When I plan any given room, I compile inspiration photos (usually on a Pinterest board). Then I figure out what all of these spaces have in common to get an idea of the ambiance, or mood, I’d like to convey in my own room.
As I mentioned earlier, I started by choosing an “inspiration piece”, a colorful art print, which I used to put together a cohesive color palette. Between my Pinterest board and that color palette, I was able to choose furniture, rugs, paint colors, and decor for my entryway.
Grab a copy of my How to Choose Paint Colors With Confidence five-step action guide, where I walk you through this process in a little more detail.
Board and Batten Entryway With Hooks
While I could probably write…and write…and write some more about every little detail in our entryway makeover, I’ll drop a couple more photos here and call it a day.
Rustoleum Black Door Paint | Halifax Entryway Storage Bench from Target | Navy Blue Outdoor Rugs from Ruggable
Waterloo Contemporary Console Table from Target | Blue Connections Canvas Art Print from Kirklands Home | Water Hyacinth Baskets
And there you have it! Our board and batten entryway with hooks for coat storage. 🙂
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