
DIY modern farmhouse, country chic barn board hutch
When this hutch and buffet came along we knew it had a lot of potential to ooze country charm. We wanted to put “barn board” on the back of a hutch for a while and this seemed like the perfect piece to do it. Below we’ll share with you the steps we took to create this fabulous country chic buffet using “barn board”.
The before

Step 1 – select wood
The first challenge was finding the wood we wanted to use. We wanted to create a “barn board” look without using real barn board. Why you ask? Well, barn board is pretty expensive and much heavier and thicker than we wanted for the back of a hutch.
What we chose instead was simple grade B pine paneling which cost less than $5 US for 10 sq ft. (less than $10 US for the whole project)! Because we wanted to paint the boards, we weren’t concerned with the quality of the wood and how it would take stain. In fact, the rough knottiness just adds to the rustic look.

Step 2 – remove back panel of hutch
Usually the back of a hutch is stapled in or held on with small nails. We removed the back of this hutch using a flat screwdriver to carefully pry the back away from the frame.

One option would have been to apply the pine planks directly to the back panel of the hutch and reinstall it. Because we opted for pine paneling, we didn’t do this. The tongue and groove of the panels fit together nicely so there are no gaps visible making a separate back panel unnecessary.
Step 3 – measure and cut the wood planks
The next step is to measure the height of the frame from the top to the bottom. You want to cut you panel pieces the same length of the frame. Measure the width of your frame and the width of your pieces to figure out how many you’ll need to cover the entire back of the frame.

Stuart used his radial arm saw for the cuts but even a regular saw would do the trick.
If this is too much DIY for you, you can use peel and stick wallpaper to create a very similar look. We love this pattern by RoomMates.
Step 4 – paint the wood planks
Do not prime before you paint! For this particular project, you want the wood grain to come through to add to the rustic character of the piece. Just choose your favorite color paint and roll it onto the wood planks. Make sure to also paint along the tongue of the planks since this part will be slightly visible when the pieces come together. For us, one coat was enough to add some rich color but also keep the grain and knots visible.

Step 5 – prepare the rest of the buffet/hutch
Before installing the wood planks on the frame of the hutch, paint or stain the rest of the piece as you want. You can read about our process for getting a smooth paint finish here. We wanted to keep the back of the hutch as the star, so we opted for a simple white on the rest of the piece with a walnut stained buffet top.
You can also apply some aging or distressing techniques at this point to further bring out the character of the piece. You can read about some of these techniques here.
Step 6 – attach wood planks to hutch frame
Take each wood plank and nail it into the top, bottom and middle shelf of the hutch. Stuart used one of his favorite tools, his brad nailer, but if you don’t have one, you can use a hammer and finishing nails or even a heavy duty staple gun. Fit each tongue and groove piece together as you work along. You may need to trim the width of you final piece so it fits the last opening exactly. (Update: Stuart now has this cordless brad nailer and LOVES it!).

We painted out the rest of the buffet in white and cleaned up the original hardware with this. And voila, a barn board hutch! A DIY modern farmhouse, country chic buffet. We’d love to hear what you think about this transformation in the comments below!


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