Renter-Friendly Board & Batten Wall DIY✨ 100% REMOVABLE Accent Wall

If you love the look of board and batten accent walls, but live in an apartment like I do, then I have the solution for how you can achieve a board and batten (or wainscoting) wall all without power tools, nails or permanent fixtures, and without painting the walls. When it's time to move out, this feature wall is completely removable!

This is an easy DIY tutorial where I take you through the entire process of how to install a renter-friendly board and batten wall from start to finish. The end result is INCREDIBLE!✨

L I N K S :

C H A P T E R S :
0:00 Welcome
0:29 Let's get started
1:16 Measurements
2:37 The spacing formula
3:39 Installing removable wallpaper
6:29 Installing the boards with Command Strips
8:16 Caulking the wall
9:33 Taping off the wall
10:59 Priming and painting the wallpaper
13:46 Renter outlet hack
14:46 The board and batten reveal
15:25 Final thoughts and cost breakdown

L E T ' S B E F R I E N D S !

A B O U T :
Hi I'm Alli. I'm a 20-something just trying to balance a full-time job with with full-time creative life. I love everything about DIY and home decor, especially finding affordable ways to make high-end looking decor (that's renter-friendly too). So join me here as I help you craft your dream life! ✨

M U S I C C R E D I T :

Track: Doing Nothing (LoFi version) — sakura Hz [Audio Library Release]
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[danicaarcher]

I’m not a renter so I can paint my walls but I also don’t have power tools and don’t want to buy them for one project. This is perfect for me so I can transform my baby’s nursery

[katylowe]

One of the most useful DIY videos I have seen. Only things different I would have done is overlapped the contact paper, glued the boards onto that using panel adhesive, painted the contact paper once it was up and painted the wood boards before they got installed.

[TK.]

Finally someone who is like me, a novice with No power tools and an easy way of making a beautiful change. Thank you!!!

[TheJanicetunes]

Great idea! This came out awesome. I think one tip I would do is probably paint all the wood first. I would paint the wall paper once on the wall before I added the strips and then attach the wood, caulk and then do paint touch ups where needed. This way you could have lower risk of getting the paint on the wall or baseboard. But great idea. You could sell this as a kit!

[ellenkelley]

This method is soooo creative. It is earth-shattering. Not penicillin earth-shattering, but shattering none the less. Thanks for the inspiration.

[Euniceathome]

I never thought board & batten could be done a renter friendly way until this! It turned out amazing Alli 😍

[sharonpeterson]

Awesome! I'm in a small apartment and have often this were my place...."

[kellydanilovich]

This just gave me an excellent idea…what about this with peel and stick wallpaper and painting the boards before putting them up with a color that compliments the wallpaper.

[dazy]

The wall paper was just a brilliant idea! I just finished my board and it looks great! Thanks for also posting a "year later" video! Made me much more confident :)

[cncrissy]

I think that is such a great idea I really was trying to figure out what can I do to that ugly bumpy lumpy wall in my rental apartment and it's at the dining room area shall I say it's an open concept but yeah I think that's a great idea I absolutely love it thank you so much for sharing and don't stop sharing cuz we are watching ☺️ and the price isn't bad at all you could probably get the paper somewhere little cheaper or what have you but the price that you shared with us that again is not bad at all that's completely doable 🥰 Continue To Stay Safe Healthy Strong and Happy Many Blessings and Much Love-n-Peace 💜☮️💯😇🙏🏾💙❣️

[gardenjoy]

Well done! The room looks upgraded. If I were the one letting you the apartment, I wouldn't have mind, if you'd made this permanent.

[lindawarden-burglund]

Great job Alli! I never would have thought to do this, although I am a big fan of Contac paper. I've covered the tops of play tables for my kids when they were little, and I used it for a kitchrn back splash in my first apartment back in the day. My (ex) husband was in the service and it was off-base housing and we couldn't paint or tile. Both projects turned out great, but certainly weren't as labor-intensive as yours! I would love to see more projects like this one!

[christyevans]

I've been wanting to help my daughter with her new home. It doesn't have to be "renter friendly" but just incase she changes her mind. Haha. You did a great job and it looks great. You broke it down to where it would be very easy to do.

[ApBarr]

So love your ideas and the renter friendly options are always appreciated. Even in someone's home, renter friendly ides can be an easier option if you are not able to do a full remodel. Love your ideas and style and attitude!!

[APerfectPlacetoStart]

I love it! I would have never guessed this was put up with command strips and contact paper. You are amazing!

[TheIntendedOutcome]

Her energy makes this not look like a chore lol, this is great Alli

[romepix]

Fastest follow ever! Thank you so much! I am renovating my home but running out of budget insurance money so I need to do some stuff myself without tools! Love this idea!

[dickstarrbuck]

This gives me a GREAT idea. I'm building a studio and I want to be able to change the walls based on set design ideas. I'm glad I found this!

[rossanaholyoak]

Yes, I will try it! Genius move with the contact paper and hot glue!

[pf]

Pretty smart idea. I remember my days in a rental where I wished I could’ve done stuff like this.