I’ve been wanting to shiplap a wall for a while now. Thanks to Joanna Gaines from the HGTV show Fixer Upper, it’s a very popular style now that seems to look great with a variety of decor. However, I just couldn’t find a good fit for it anywhere in my house. So I recruited Ashley to let me help her install it in her bedroom.
Creating a shiplap accent wall does not require much skill, just a lot of time and patience. But if you watch the video above, you’ll find a more budget-friendly option than the real shiplap siding.
Tools and materials needed:
- miter saw
- jigsaw
- sander
- hammer
- Trim Puller/prybar
- razor knife
- paint brush
- primer
- latex paint
- painter’s putty
- tape measure
- 220-grit sandpaper
- level
- nickels
- wood glue
- brad nailer/compressor
- 1.25″ brad nails
- 1/4″ plywood, cut into 6 inch planks
For most projects there’s an easy way and then there’s the right way. And we wanted to do this project the right way! So instead of just stacking our shiplap planks directly on top of the baseboard and up to the crown molding, we needed to remove the trim first.
To do so, we used the Trim Puller to avoid damaging the trim or the wall behind it. Even though we’d be covering up the wall with our planks, we didn’t want any major grooves that could affect the end result.
Speaking of planks, if you don’t have a table saw, you can spend a few extra bucks at the home center to have them rip your plywood into 6″ strips before leaving the store. Or borrow a table saw from a friend and go to town!
Once the trim was safely removed, and our planks were primed and painted with the lovely color Ashley’s fiancee selected, we started nailing the boards up on the wall with a nail gun. We used short, 1.25″ nails to get the job done. We also applied some wood glue to the back of each board before nailing to ensure a long-lasting application, since nails can pop out over time.
Again, the video above can best demonstrate the application process. We used nickels as spacers between each run of boards to keep them relatively equidistant apart the entire length of the wall.We also staggered the boards so the seams didn’t created a funky pattern, just like you would do when laying hardwood or laminate flooring.
With all of our boards glued and nailed on the wall, we moved on to puttying the nail holes and re-nailing the trim in place. We quickly touched up the paint over the puttied nail holes and the wall was looking pretty fine!
Like I said before, it doesn’t require much skill, but a lot of time! Of course you could do it over a few consecutive evenings if you don’t have a full Saturday to devote to a project like this. Anything to get the job done!
I hope you enjoyed the show and hope you’ll browse around my website for even more DIY projects for your house! Thanks for Checking In! ~Chelsea
I loved this! I am going to share it with my granddaughter. Her house was built in the 1880s and her walls look like these…I have suggested she panel over them somehow rather then tearing them out.. And you girls are so smart to paint first.. I can’t tell you how many times I am watching the “man shows”, and I am yelling at the tv screen… guys, paint first! (I couldn’t help but notice your little one starting to show already in your tummy)
I’m getting to the point where it’s hard to ignore my belly anymore! 🙂 Let your granddaughter know if she has any questions to leave a comment and I’ll be glad to help out if she ends up doing this herself! Thanks for checking in, Fran! ~ Chelsea
Great video!! Looks awesome! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks Lauren! ~ Chelsea
Cool video. I grew up in homes that had shiplap. It is customary building in my home town.
So funny how things that are commonplace in certain areas can become a “trend” all over! ~ Chelsea
this is the look we were looking for In our recently remolded kitchen. we have a accent wall at the end of our galley kitchen but we were stumped as to how to do it and within a reasonable cost. thank you so very much. i just happened to be up early in the a.m. and saw the small segment on this. i am going to get started straightaway so we can add the final touches. here’s hoping it turns out as well as yours. thanks again
Good luck, Becky! Feel free to comment with any questions along the way! ~Chelsea
The shiplap looked good. What has happened with the laundry room you were going to remodel? Did I miss it?
Hi Joan! I’m still working on the laundry room. I’ve had a lot of starts and stops with it. Always how my projects seem to go! Ha! But I’ll be posting about my made-from-scratch laundry sorter this week so please check back! ~Chelsea
Great budget accent! So creative. I’m trying to determine where I can use it in my house. Love the idea
Thanks Melissa! ~Chelsea
Love love love it!!!! Thanks for making a video, my husband and I have been thinking of doing this in our house, now I think we can do it!!!!
Thanks, Donna! I know there are a lot of shiplap tutorials out there, but I, for one, love to ‘see’ how it’s done before starting a project! Please share if you end up installing it yourself! ~Chelsea
Any suggestions for an over the fireplace mantel TV storage. I would like to close the hole where the TV would sit. I believe this area was for a TUBE TV. I am just needing and Idea as to how to close it up or cover it so I can hang a wreath etc. I thought about using shutters and just sit them in a slanted position but not so sure. Thank you for any suggestions. I love all your ideas and projects.
Hi Frankie! Using shutters is a great idea! You could attach them to the fireplace to make them more secure if that’s your hang up. Otherwise, I immediately thought of framed shiplap made slightly larger than the opening. I’ve seen it a lot of places with wreaths hanging over it. Easily change out the wreath to go with each season! Here’s a tutorial from a fellow blogger I follow: http://www.athomewithnatalie.com/framed-shiplap-diy-tutorial/ Check back in when you figure something out and let me know what you go with! ~Chelsea
I loved watching this video and how easy you made it look. I wish you would come over to my home and help me! Can you actually tell the difference in this ply wood and the real deal? If I am doing the whole bedroom, would it be better to use the real deal or would this ply wood still do the trick?
Thanks for your video!!
-Nancy Johnson
Amherst, VA
Hi Nancy, yes you can tell the difference between plywood and real shiplap. But that doesn’t mean I would recommend using shiplap for entire room. It would be EXPENSIVE. The plywood looks great, just doesn’t look exactly like the really stuff. Alternatively, I really like the way this luan plywood turned out for a project on Today’s Homeowner: https://www.todayshomeowner.com/video/creating-a-wood-accent-wall/ Hope that helps! ~Chelsea
Hi Chelsea,
Thank you for your video. I was looking for an inexpensive way to cover a ceiling in my spare room. I think this will do very nicely 😀