This is the year of the pool house, hopefully the year we get it all (or mostly) wrapped up.  Last year consisted of a lot of ugly, but necessary work inside the walls, but we did finish the tongue and groove ceiling.

With the ceiling complete, walls covered in plywood sheeting, we’ve started adding batten strips to create the tone on tone texture.

Above is obviously a photoshopped version, while below is the starting point of reality.

Initially, we planned to install the tile floors immediately after hanging all of the plywood sheets.  After a discussion, we agreed it would be best to add the batten strips to everything above the eight foot mark, caulk, prime, and paint.  This way we can avoid dragging ladders over the new tile, potentially damaging it in the process.  The lower wall portions will get the same treatment after the floors are finished, allowing the batten strips to terminate into the baseboard.

Before the vertical strips could be attached, we nailed two-inch strips into place along the ceiling, hiding the gap between the wall and ceiling.  A 3 1/2 inch wide piece of pine casement straddles the eight foot mark, covering the plywood seams.

Two inch strips also cover the ceiling seams, keeping the measurements consistent.

The areas following the vault are square strips, while the rest are cut at a 16 degree angle to snug up against the ceiling slope.

Strips also wrap around the beams, with the ceiling pieces butting into those.  Wires for speakers are still dangling.

With most of the horizontal strips in place, we started installing the vertical pieces.  When I proposed the board and batten idea, Ben wasn’t totally on board with it, but he started researching material and prices.  Pre-cut two-inch by half-inch thick strips aren’t particularly affordable, especially when spaced 8 inches apart.  To keep the material cost as affordable as possible, we cut sheets of MDF into two inch strips.  Once covered in oil based primer and paint, we shouldn’t have swelling issues.

While on the ladder, Ben called out measurements, I’d cut to length and walk it over, then he’d nail into place.  Nailing into plywood is much easier than drywall as it has more bite.  As such, we can get away with small 18 gauge nails, leaving tiny holes to fill.

To further speed up the process, he cut a scrap of plywood to six inches wide to use as a spacing guide.  Similar to hardwood floor install, once the first row is square, the rest go in quickly.

Everything above was installed over a weekend, which is exciting because this part of the process should go along quickly.  I spent my Monday afternoon caulking, so this stretch is almost primer ready!