"board and batten" style wainscot layout

[mound]

When laying out paneling in this style along one wall, it's easy to figure out proper spacing so you have even panel widths across the entire wall.

LOML wants this look around the perimeter of the powder room - all four walls. One wall has a door, so we've really got 3 different wall lengths to consider. 

Do you treat each wall as its own thing, evenly sub-dividing the space, meaning the "panel widths" may vary on adjacent walls by an inch or two?

Or, do you pretend you laid out the entire perimeter as one wall, find the spacing and lay out the vertical boards so that all "panels" are the same width on all 4 walls, but that means that in some corners, there may be no vertical trim board at all if the "panel" actually spans/wraps the corner? 

I hope I'm making sense!

thanks!

[EatenByLimestone]

The bathroom I did was small, so things like the toilet, vanity, and door trim easily hid irregular width boards. I’d start in the most visible corner and work out from there.

Since the board and batten has lots of irregular sizes and texture, I don’t think any irregularities are very noticeable.

[jteneyck]

When I did my sauna many years ago, I started in the least visible corner.  When I got to the next corner I cut off the board to whatever width it needed and used the remainder of that board on the other side of the corner.  It's essentially a full width board that's folded into the corner.  Repeated that on the other corners.   

You do have to measure the lengths of the walls and make sure none of the corners are going to end up with a really narrow piece going into the corner.  If that's the case, you cut the first piece in the least visible corner narrower.  If you end up with a really narrow piece for the start of a new wall, you replace it with a full width board.  The eye won't notice the difference.  

I'm not sure how this strategy would work with board on batten, but it worked very well for typical tongue and groove lumber.  

John

[Gary G™]

Do a mockup and see what looks best.
It’s the visual which matters not the math.

[DieselDennis]

When laying out paneling in this style along one wall, it's easy to figure out proper spacing so you have even panel widths across the entire wall.

LOML wants this look around the perimeter of the powder room - all four walls. One wall has a door, so we've really got 3 different wall lengths to consider. 

Do you treat each wall as its own thing, evenly sub-dividing the space, meaning the "panel widths" may vary on adjacent walls by an inch or two?

Or, do you pretend you laid out the entire perimeter as one wall, find the spacing and lay out the vertical boards so that all "panels" are the same width on all 4 walls, but that means that in some corners, there may be no vertical trim board at all if the "panel" actually spans/wraps the corner? 

I hope I'm making sense!

thanks!

Keep your eyes peeled for outlets.  Try to land them in a board if you can.

[Roly]

Keep your eyes peeled for outlets.  Try to land them in a board if you can.

Good Point !     Roly

[K. L. McReynolds]

Treat each wall separately for panel sizes. Reason? Our eyes expect differences in lengths. Getting the panel widths to within an inch or two will usually not be noticed.

[mound]

Thanks all! I'll update once/if we proceed