I’m still working on my living room board and batten project. I’m holding back on the full reveal for now, but I wanted to share today’s progress and a few details about what’s left to do.
All of the vertical boards are now up on the walls — a big step toward completing this living room makeover. That said, I still need to install the top ledge on each wall. The ledge must be purchased, primed, painted, and mounted, which shouldn’t take too long, but it’s an important finishing touch for a clean, professional board and batten look.
There are also about five small boards around the kitchen bar area that I need to prime, paint, cut, and attach. My goal is to finish the living room first so we can move furniture back into place and stop living with everything clustered in the middle of the room — I’m definitely over the chaos of temporary arrangements.
Today my two best helpers were simple but effective: a tube of caulk and a container of spackling.
I spent the day caulking seams and filling nail holes with spackling. Caulking the joints between the boards and the wall, and sealing gaps where the trim meets, instantly lifts the appearance. Before caulking, the installation looked raw and unfinished; after caulking, the room already feels much more polished and cohesive. That gap-sealing step really makes board and batten look intentional and high-end.
On a less glamorous note, I think I slightly irritated my finger while wiping excess caulk from the rough MDF edges — lesson learned: gloves next time. Despite that little mishap, it was rewarding to watch the transformation happen. Small, careful steps like smoothing caulk lines and applying spackle over fastener heads bring a project from “in progress” to “almost done.”
You might notice the pink spots in the photo on the right — that’s the spackling. I tried a pink spackling compound that dries to white, which is incredibly handy: the color change shows you exactly when it’s dry and ready to sand and paint. That visual cue makes the sanding and painting stages much less guesswork and helps speed up the finish work.
With the caulking and spackling done (or nearly done), the next steps are sanding, priming any raw areas, painting the trim and ledge, and then mounting the top ledge on each wall. After that I’ll move furniture back into place, hang art and mirrors, and arrange accessories to complete the living room makeover. I can’t wait to get to the decorating stage — hanging pictures and styling shelves is one of my favorite parts of a renovation.
This board and batten update is getting me closer to a finished, refined living room. It’s been a satisfying DIY process: planning, cutting, fitting, caulking, spackling, and painting. Each step adds up to a much cleaner, more intentional space. I’ll share the full reveal once the trim, ledge, and final paint are finished.
Wishing you a happy weekend — and if you’re working on a home project, may your caulk lines be smooth and your paint streak-free!
More Living Room Makeover Posts:
- Part 1: Paint
- Part 2: More Paint
- Part 3: You’re here!
- Part 4: Blue Accessories
- Part 5: Gallery Wall
- Part 6: Super Easy Throw Pillows
- Part 7: Final Reveal