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Board and batten siding is vertical siding with narrow battens over the panel joints and at a regular spacing between them. The Board and Batten Calculator divides the wall width in inches by your target spacing and rounds up to whole spaces, so every space is equal and none is wider than the target; the batten count is the number of spaces plus one. 12, 16 and 24 in spacings divide a 4 ft panel evenly, so a batten lands on every panel joint — 16 in is the most common and lines up with studs. It turns the battens into boards of the length you buy, counts nails the way LP SmartSide Technical Note 028 specifies for battens 2.5 in or wider — two nails at each end, then no more than 12 in apart along alternating edges — and counts 4 ft vertical siding panels from the wall area less windows and doors, plus 10%. LP allows battens down to 0.5 × 1.5 in (under 2.5 in they may not hide the siding nails) and requires a 3/16 in gap between panels and no panel or batten bridging a floor line. A 40 × 9 ft wall at 16 in has 30 spaces of exactly 16 in: 31 battens, 279 lineal feet, 372 nails and 11 panels of 4 × 9 ft with two windows.
Board and batten spacing: divide the wall width in inches by the target spacing, round up to whole spaces so every space is equal, and add one batten for the end. 12, 16 and 24 in divide a 4 ft siding panel evenly. LP SmartSide Technical Note 028 allows battens down to 0.5 × 1.5 in actual (under 2.5 in they may not hide the siding nail heads); battens 2.5 in or wider get two nails at both ends and then no more than 12 in apart along alternating edges, over vertical siding gapped 3/16 in.
| Wall width | 12 in o.c. | 16 in o.c. | 24 in o.c. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 ft | 9 (12.0 in) | 7 (16.0 in) | 5 (24.0 in) |
| 10 ft | 11 (12.0 in) | 9 (15.0 in) | 6 (24.0 in) |
| 12 ft | 13 (12.0 in) | 10 (16.0 in) | 7 (24.0 in) |
| 16 ft | 17 (12.0 in) | 13 (16.0 in) | 9 (24.0 in) |
| 20 ft | 21 (12.0 in) | 16 (16.0 in) | 11 (24.0 in) |
| 24 ft | 25 (12.0 in) | 19 (16.0 in) | 13 (24.0 in) |
| 30 ft | 31 (12.0 in) | 24 (15.7 in) | 16 (24.0 in) |
| 40 ft | 41 (12.0 in) | 31 (16.0 in) | 21 (24.0 in) |
12, 16 or 24 in on centre are the usual spacings because each divides a 4 ft siding panel evenly, so a batten always covers the panel joint. 16 in is the most common and lines up with studs. On a wall that does not divide evenly, split it into equal spaces no wider than your target — a 15 ft wall at 16 in gets 12 spaces of 15 in.
Divide the wall length in inches by the spacing, round up to whole spaces, then add one for the end. A 40 ft wall at 16 in has 30 spaces and 31 battens; on a 9 ft wall that is 279 lineal feet.
For battens 2.5 in or wider, LP SmartSide Technical Note 028 calls for two nails at both ends of each batten, then nails at most 12 in apart along alternating edges (narrower battens: one nail at each end, then at most 24 in apart), no more than 3/8 in from the ends and edges, long enough to pass through the siding. A 9 ft batten takes about 12 nails.
LP SmartSide Technical Note 028 allows battens as small as 0.5 × 1.5 in actual over its vertical siding, but warns that battens under 2.5 in wide may not hide the siding nail heads. Common choices are 1×3 (2½ in) and 1×4 (3½ in) trim boards; wider battens suit wider spacing.
Not with LP SmartSide: vertical siding and battens may span only one floor plate-to-plate. On a two-storey wall leave a horizontal joint with sloped Z-flashing at the floor line so shrinkage of the floor framing does not buckle the panels.
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