So, I’ve been messing around with some wood lately, specifically this “batten dancing beech” timber. Let me tell you, it’s been a bit of a journey. I had this idea to create a feature wall in my living room, something with a bit of texture and movement. That’s where the “dancing” part comes in – I wanted the battens to have this staggered, uneven look.

First things first, I had to get the wood. I went down to my local lumber yard, and they had a decent selection of beech. It’s a pretty smooth, light-colored wood, which is what I was after. I picked out a bunch of boards, making sure they were relatively straight and knot-free. This took some time. I found a staff who could understand what I said.

Prepping the Wood

Once I got the wood home, it was time for prep. I measured my wall and figured out how many battens I’d need, and what lengths I wanted them to be. I wanted that random look, so I didn’t go for any specific pattern, just varied the lengths.

• Sanding: Beech is pretty smooth already, but I still gave each batten a good sanding. Started with a rougher grit, then moved to a finer one to get it nice and smooth to the touch.
• Cutting: I used a miter saw to cut the battens to the different lengths. This was probably the most time-consuming part, just getting all those cuts done.

Putting it Up

With all the battens cut and sanded, it was time to actually put them on the wall. I started by marking out a rough guide on the wall, just to get a sense of spacing. I didn’t want them too close together, or too far apart.

I used construction adhesive to stick the battens to the wall. I put a good amount on the back of each batten, and then pressed it firmly onto the wall. I used a level to make sure each batten was straight (even though the overall look was uneven, I still wanted each individual piece to be level, you know?).

I worked my way across the wall, placing each batten according to my rough guide, but also just eyeballing it to get that random, “dancing” effect. It was kind of like putting together a puzzle, but without the picture on the box.

I use some spacers help with that. It take me an afternoon.

The Finish

Once the adhesive was dry, I filled any small gaps between the battens and the wall with some wood filler. Then, I gave the whole thing a final light sanding, just to smooth out any rough edges.

I decided to leave the beech natural, without any stain or varnish. I really like the light color and the subtle grain. It gives the room a nice, warm feeling.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It definitely adds some character to the room, and it was a fun project to do. It wasn’t super easy, but it wasn’t overly complicated either. Just a good, solid DIY project.