Shiplap, shiplap, shiplap. It is entering homes all over America and more recently, my workspace! If you watch Fixer Upper, you’ve probably seen Chip & Joanna uncover original shiplap or install fresh, new shiplap. I decided I wanted a change in my workroom, so I asked for shiplap for my birthday (no joke). I absolutely love how it turned out and for only $150 for an entire room it completely transformed the space! I love the texture it brings to the room and how the white brightens everything up. I was inspired more by modern, clean lined shiplap instead of the weathered and distressed shiplap that is featured in the show Fixer Upper. In the end, it met somewhere in the middle between modern and weathered since I had a few hiccups. Keep reading to learn how to shiplap a room for under $150 and for the before and after!
Before, the room was the same color as the rest of our house: Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore. I love the color in the rest of the house but this space I really wanted to brighten up and not make as cozy. Thanks to a recommendation from my friend Kaylan, I painted the shiplap Snowfall White by Behr. I also loved my workroom before but I needed more space to cut leather and I felt like I was wasting a lot of space, later you’ll see how I fixed this problem with rearranging the desks!
Now Here is How to Shiplap!*
Materials: 4×8 sheets of Plywood Underlayment (I used 8 for the whole room), Miter Saw, Circular Saw or Jigsaw, Nail gun, Nails, Compressor, Sandpaper, Paint, Paint Roller, Paintable Caulk, Spackle, 3-4 Nickels, level.
Process: Find out how many sheets of plywood you’ll need by calculating the room. I used 8 for a 120 sq. ft. room. Have your home improvement store cut the plywood underlayment into 6 inch strips. You’ll have one strip that ends up measuring 5.5inches because of the blade. Take your first strip and level it at the top of the wall. My ceiling and walls were way off measurement since it is a very old home, expect all ceilings to not be perfectly level. Once you get the top strip leveled, everything else will be a breeze. Nail into place and measure the rest of the wall. Cut a strip of plywood to that size and nail in place making sure it is level. Take the rest of the previous strip and using the nickels as a spacer, nail below the top strip. Continue this process for every wall!
For the corners, I wanted it to look clean so I cut 1.25 in. strips and made an L shape on each corner. Around the windows and electrical outlets, I cut the shape using a circular saw. I recommend a jigsaw for this part. After all the wood was up, caulk every edge corner and spackle the vertical lines in between the boards. After the caulk and spackle has had time to set, paint your shiplap!
Edit: Cut the wood closer to the electrical outlets so the outlets sit on top of the wood for a more finished look!
*Please note: This is how I did my room. I’m sure there are many other ways to achieve this look, including actual shiplap. But this was an inexpensive way and achievable with one person working since the wood is so light.
Tips & Lessons Learned:
-I used silicone caulk originally because I just grabbed something at Home Depot. MAKE SURE you get paintable caulk. Silicone resists paint and so my finishes aren’t as smooth as I wanted.
-I spackled every vertical line so that the wood pieces seem to be longer and continuous. This is a personal preference, but I like how it makes it look clean.
-Sand down the edges before you nail to the wall! I was in such a rush/so giddy to put the shiplap up that I forgot this step. It resulted in a more distressed look BUT I really love it.
-This project is so inexpensive and so easy! You can totally do it!
I am in love with how it turned out! What are your thoughts?! Have you thought about adding or uncovering shiplap to your home?