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Install Budget-Friendly Shiplap

September 1, 2016 By Chelsea Lipford Wolf 19 Comments

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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

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Comments

  1. Fran Pecorella Pierce says

    September 1, 2016 at 1:59 pm

    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)

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lipford Wolf says

      September 6, 2016 at 9:13 am

      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

      Reply
  2. Lauren Baxter says

    September 6, 2016 at 10:49 am

    Great video!! Looks awesome! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lipford Wolf says

      September 11, 2016 at 5:04 pm

      Thanks Lauren! ~ Chelsea

      Reply
  3. zan says

    September 6, 2016 at 10:43 pm

    Cool video. I grew up in homes that had shiplap. It is customary building in my home town.

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lipford Wolf says

      September 11, 2016 at 5:09 pm

      So funny how things that are commonplace in certain areas can become a “trend” all over! ~ Chelsea

      Reply
  4. becky says

    September 11, 2016 at 4:07 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lipford Wolf says

      September 11, 2016 at 5:09 pm

      Good luck, Becky! Feel free to comment with any questions along the way! ~Chelsea

      Reply
  5. Joan says

    September 20, 2016 at 7:36 pm

    The shiplap looked good. What has happened with the laundry room you were going to remodel? Did I miss it?

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lipford Wolf says

      September 20, 2016 at 9:48 pm

      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

      Reply
  6. Melissa says

    September 24, 2016 at 4:52 pm

    Great budget accent! So creative. I’m trying to determine where I can use it in my house. Love the idea

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lipford Wolf says

      September 24, 2016 at 8:54 pm

      Thanks Melissa! ~Chelsea

      Reply
  7. Donna says

    October 16, 2016 at 9:50 am

    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!!!!

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lipford Wolf says

      October 20, 2016 at 1:09 pm

      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

      Reply
  8. Frankie Hendricks says

    November 19, 2016 at 5:19 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lipford Wolf says

      November 28, 2016 at 12:12 pm

      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

      Reply
  9. Nancy Johnson says

    April 19, 2018 at 11:29 am

    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

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lipford Wolf says

      April 23, 2018 at 7:44 pm

      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

      Reply
  10. Barbara kutra says

    January 20, 2020 at 9:00 pm

    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 😀

    Reply

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FINALLY painted this eyesore of a wall and finishe FINALLY painted this eyesore of a wall and finished just before dark last night!🙌🏻 My husband and I decided instead of starting a new project (ahem a baby nursery) we should finish the projects we’ve already started. Since baby is due in the summer, it will be so nice to have our backyard up to par so we can rest and relax out there during recovery. ☺️
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We started this project back in October by stripping and scraping the many layers of paint so we could waterproof the bricks and paint the wall to match the house. But the house was painted exactly a year ago. So it was way past time to knock this huge item of the time-do list. And it feels like such a relief to not have to walk by the unfinished-ness every time we come home now!
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