Split Entry Design!

I have one goal in mind with my entry way and that is to have people think twice about split entry homes. I never thought I would settle on buying a split entry a few years back because like many I had this stigma against them thinking they were totally out dated and not something that could look good or function properly. I hope that this post and future posts will show that you can make anything look appealing even if others cant see the vision.

This is not my first board and batten attempt in my split entry home. I have done a half wall in my sons room and a full wall in our master bedroom. Both of which turned out great and I have certainly learned things along the way. Please take a look at my other posts. Half Wall Board and Batten - Full Wall Board and Batten

In our split entry we have nice vaulted ceilings and I really wanted to make the living room and entry way feel as big as I could. So adding this awesome design to the top portion of the wall really helped accomplish this.

I decided to use 3/4 MDF as my material of choice. If you have ever used MDF you know there are some pro's and con's. Low cost and smooth finish is at the top of the list of Pro's the bad part about MDF is it takes a lot of prep to make sure it looks good as a finished product. Priming, sanding, painting, sanding, painting and maybe even another sanding with touch up paint but once its done it looks great.

As far as the dimensions of the squares they are about 16" by 16". I ripped the 3/4 MDF into 3 inch strips. I decided to go with 3/4" MDF rather than 1/2" MDF because I wanted a more drastic look, giving it more depth on the blank boring wall.

When working with MDF I would really recommend using a random orbital sander to make sure all the joints are level and smooth. My goal was to make it look like one solid piece of wood in the end. In certain lights you can definitely see the joints but for the most part it looks pretty dang good.

Also another tip is make sure you use some liquid nails to adhere to the wall and make sure it sticks. I found out the hard way by missing a few of the boards as the nail gun didn't keep them nice and tight when I started sanding. Luckily I only missed 2 of the small pieces so it wasn't a huge deal.

Caulk and wall putty are your best friend when trying to make something look professional.

 Let me know if you have any questions or comments!