Board and batten siding

The look everyone is asking about

Board and batten is vertical siding: wide boards run up the wall, and narrow strips called battens cover the seams between them. The result is a strong vertical shadow line that reads as farmhouse, modern, or somewhere in between, depending on the color and trim. White board and batten with black windows and trim is the look that has taken over North Jersey renovations, and it works just as well in darker colors.

The house in the photo above is one of ours: a raised ranch reborn with white board and batten on the upper walls and gables, lap siding below, black roof trim and a black front door.

Whole house or accent

• Whole house board and batten gives the full farmhouse or modern look, best on houses with simple, strong shapes.
• Accent: board and batten on the gables, a front bump-out or the entry, with lap siding on the main walls. This is the most popular combination, because it adds character without committing the whole house to one texture.

Installation details that matter

Vertical siding needs solid backing to fasten into, because it does not run across the wall studs the way lap siding does. We plan that backing, the house wrap and the flashing before any panels go up. The transitions matter too: where board and batten meets lap siding, a trim board and flashing keep water from getting behind the change in direction. Done right, the line between the two textures looks intentional rather than patched.

See all our siding options, or compare the two styles in our guide to board and batten versus lap siding.

Common questions

This page was last updated in September 2026.