Lee Burnett
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They can be tricky to renovate and update because professional help is often needed for plumbing and electrical work.
Instead of swapping fixtures or changing layouts, consider just adding a simple planked accent wall behind a vanity or around the perimeter of the room. These tightly fitting boards “sheathed” homes and provided protection against outdoor elements.
There are many ways to add the shiplap walls from ripping down larger sheets of plywood to purchasing pre-primed and ready-to-paint planks. You can head to your local home improvement store or shop online to find just the right product. Since the shiplap look is created with wood planks, homeowners often wonder if it’s going to hold up in their bathroom renovation. Any time you are working with a wood surface (especially a painted one) it pays to be cautious so you can avoid chipping, mildew, and water damage. Here’s a few precautions to take before adding shiplap to your bathroom to make sure your new space stays looking clean and fresh. If your bathroom doesn’t have this and/or you know the room is particularly prone to mold and mildew, look into a PVC shiplap option.
Using a higher-gloss finish (avoid “flat” or “eggshell”) can also help keep moisture from causing damage. The warm wood of the mirrors and the darker light fixtures really pop against the neutral shiplap accent wall. This lovely “California Casual” Bathroom Makeover from Lauren at Bless’er House shows how even the smallest powder room can be transformed with a little shiplap.
If you really love shiplap, you might be tempted to fill every square inch of your bathroom with the planked wall treatment. Here, these shiplap walls from Joyful Derivatives are accented with natural wood shelving and décor to warm up the space. The great thing about planked walls is that you can customize the style simply by painting the treatement.
This pretty vertical shiplap wall from The House of Hood Blog has been painted in Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams, which is a beautiful coastal green-gray-blue color that adds beach vacation vibes. In this sweet bathroom update, Ashley from Cherished Bliss opted for a half-wall of Gray Vertical Shiplap which provides visual interest in a minimal way.
I love the wide 8″ pieces of planking (painted with Swiss Coffee by Kelly Moore) paired with the statement flooring.
Here, this Farmhouse Bathroom from Tessah (1900stonefarmhouse on Instagram) uses a half wall of shiplap, statement flooring, and antique accents (like the mirror and salvage trim piece) to give a small powder room tons of character.
This contemporary bathroom makeover from Sustain My Craft Habit features a DIY shiplap wall above the vanity area. The blue painted vertical shiplap is placed behind the double vanity under round mirrors and an industrial farmhouse light fixture.
Because the vanity includes a built-in backsplash, the vertical ends of the boards are safely above the splash zone from the sinks. DIYing a whole bathroom’s worth of shiplap might feel a bit daunting, but what about adding just a small accent area?
This Vertical Shiplap Half Wall from Mary at The Handcrafted Haven adds towel hooks for a cute area of storage. If you are renovating a bathroom and considering shiplap I hope these inspiration photos (so many of them from DIY bloggers who installed everything themselves!)
