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Board and batten details

stephenr | Posted in General Questions on

Hello, coastal Maine zone 6a. I’ve got 8 inch boards with 2.25 inch battens. It’s all 1 inch thick spruce that I will treat with Lifetime wood treatment on the outside before I put them up. I am going to horizontally strap with wood strapping backed with B. O. Slicker Classic (2 inch strips stapled) on 2 foot centers to get some air flow and drainage.  I will shoot the strapping and boards off (one nail in the middle) with 2.5 inch stainless ringshanks. I am considering 3 inch trim head stainless screws for the battens. I’d appreciate feedback on this plan. My walls are 1 foot thick, sheathed with zip without a wrb and filled with dense pack. Thanks

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Replies

  1. Expert Member
    MALCOLM TAYLOR | | #1

    stephenr,

    Sounds like a good plan to me.

  2. Expert Member
    Michael Maines | | #2

    Sounds good to me as well. The traditional way to install battens is to place the fasters to allow one board to move freely, rather than having the wide boards eventually split from moisture-driven movement. On wider boards you can fasten one edge and the center, leaving one edge free to move.

    I recommend getting more strapping than you need and discarding the worst pieces, which are prone to splitting.

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