Batten spacing and wall layout

Board and Batten Calculator

Enter wall width and the actual batten face, then choose a count or target gap. Add height, openings, and other walls as the layout develops.

Your edits are saved on this device

My Plans

Export

Add another finish layer

Use this when installing both finishes together on these walls. Each layer has its own selected plan and contributes pieces to the project.

Try another style

Measure your wall

Wall width

From the measured left edge to the right edge.

Actual batten width

Measure the visible face, not the nominal lumber size.

Plan by

Number of vertical battens

pcs

Wall edges

Opening layout

Batten length

Optional for spacing. Finished length excludes rails and baseboards.

Wall height & context

Batten bottom from wall datum

Defaults to the wall bottom. Set this to the top of a baseboard when battens start above it.

Measured wall height

The whole measured wall, separate from batten length.

Board & Batten · Plan A · Selected

See your wall, measured to fit.

Enter the wall measurements and the layout settings for this style. Your plan will appear here as you work.

Finished pieces

Complete the measurements to see the finished pieces.

Materials & stock

Only selected plans enter the shopping list. Different profiles keep separate stock, even when their dimensions match.

Project reserve

Project stock estimate

Updating the selected project’s materials…

Shared and existing physical pieces

Sharing requires the same surface, material, geometry and end cuts. Equal lengths alone do not combine pieces. Confirm that the two roles describe one physical component.

No additional matching pairs in the selected plans. Assign matching profiles and confirm a shared floor datum where appropriate.

Choose the edge treatment before the gap

Clear gap is the visible space between batten edges. It differs from center-to-center spacing, which includes one batten face. Use the actual measured face, rather than a nominal lumber name, for either layout.

With full battens at both edges, the first face starts at the left boundary and the last ends at the right boundary. Equal end gaps instead leave the same clear space at each end as between the battens. W is wall width, N is the whole batten count, and B is the face width.

Full edge battens

G = (W − N × B) ÷ (N − 1)

Equal end gaps

G = (W − N × B) ÷ (N + 1)

Worked layout

Full-height board-and-batten layout

Use my measurements

Seven 96-inch battens run from the floor datum to the measured 8-foot wall top. Separate baseboards or top trim are not included; if retained, measure the clear batten length between them.

Example measurements

Wall width: 120 in
Batten face: 2½ in
Finished batten length: 96 in

Layout result

Layout height: 8 ft
Battens: 7
Clear gap: ≈1 ft 5 1/16 in

Compare on the same wall

Only the named layout setting changes. Wall measurements stay the same.

6 battens

1 ft 9 in clear width / gap · 6 pieces on Wall A

Try this variation →

7 battens

≈1 ft 5 1/16 in clear width / gap · 7 pieces on Wall A

Try this variation →

8 battens

≈1 ft 2 5/16 in clear width / gap · 8 pieces on Wall A

Try this variation →

Compare counts and transfer absolute marks

Target-gap mode compares feasible whole counts near your chosen spacing. Look at each candidate’s clear gap, end treatment, and relationship to casing or furniture. The closest number is a comparison aid, not an aesthetic verdict. You can choose a fixed count instead.

Each position is measured from the same wall-left zero. Transfer those absolute marks rather than repeatedly stepping a rounded clear gap. A displayed approximation describes rounding, not the accuracy of the physical wall survey.

Separate the wall height from the batten length

Wall width, face width, and count or target gap are enough for spacing. Add the measured wall height and finished batten length when you need a proportioned elevation or material demand. Missing height must not turn a spacing answer into a pretend full-height cut plan.

Measure the batten’s actual top and bottom stops. A 42-inch batten field is not the same as a 42-inch finished wainscot with rails and a cap. Use the rail-and-stile layout for that assembly and retain the measured wall when comparing it.

Add a window without leaving this wall

Use Add opening in the workbench and record the finished trim boundary from the wall’s lower-left zero. The full-wall rhythm remains in place while the opening changes the pieces that survive around it. A partial-width intersection can leave a notched piece, so inspect its outline as well as its length.

Use Add wall to extend the project. Define independent sections when casing or cabinetry is meant to restart the composition; do not subtract a combined opening width and spread the remainder as one invisible span.

Review actual pieces before purchasing

Assign the real profile, stock length, kerf, end trim, and spare allowance. Pieces marked as existing remain part of the layout while being excluded from new purchases. Review full-height stock and opening fragments separately; equal aggregate footage does not guarantee that the longest piece fits.

Check top and bottom junctions with the actual trim and verify the first, middle, last, and opening-adjacent marks on site. Decorative geometry does not select fastening, backing, or exterior water-management details.