Tyree Jefferson
Learn how to install DIY shiplap accent walls easily and on a budget! I’m super excited about today’s post on our DIY shiplap accent walls!
Ever since I fell in love with shiplap walls, I knew I wanted to add them to our home, and the perfect opportunity for them came along with our living room makeover plans.
I really wanted to add some character and coziness to our living room and white shiplap walls were the solution! Originally, I was thinking of doing the whole room with DIY shiplap walls, but decided not to because of the cost and the fact that we aren’t going to be living in our current house long term. Keep in mind in these photos, the living room makeover is far from finished and we have a lot more decor to add still, so that’s why it’s a little empty!
The only part that slowed us down with this project was replacing our base molding, which you don’t have to do. Then, have your home improvement store cut the sheets into 8″ strips (note, the boards will be slightly less than 8″ due to the blade width). Also, I chose 8″ strips because I wanted a thicker board look, but feel free to do more or less.
You can nail the boards into the drywall in some places, but it’s best to secure each one into the wall studs.
Because our wall was more than 8ft long (the length of the board), we had to make alternating cuts. Continue to repeat the above steps until you reach the final level of boards.
Make special cuts for wall outlets and angles (if needed) For our accent wall with the staircase, we had to make some angled cuts.
Measure how wide your boards need to be for the final row and rip them to size with a circular saw, table saw, Dremel, or jig saw.
Note, if you aren’t using any type of crown molding or top trim, make these cuts pretty perfect!
However, if you are unable to do that, just make sure the boards are about 1/2″ from the wall so you can cover the gaps with trim. Originally, we planned to do crown molding and left a small gap between our final row of boards and the ceiling.
We ended up nixing the crown molding plan and decided to use a thin piece of lattice trim (shown in Step #11) to frame out the top and cover the small gap between the top row of shiplap boards and the ceiling. Spackle, Sand, and Paint DIY Shiplap Walls
Fill all the nail holes on your shiplap boards with a lightweight spackle, let dry, then sand.
Add all trim, Spackle, Sand, Caulk, and Paint
After painting the shiplap boards, we attached our base molding. On most of the trim edges we used caulk, which really helped to give a finished look.
We used Benjamin Moore White Dove in eggshell for everything except the base molding. For the base molding we used Benjamin Moore Simply White in semi-gloss. I love the final look of our DIY shiplap accent walls!
It has warmed up the space so much and added just the right amount of character and feelings of comfort.
Here is a full shot of the largest DIY shiplap accent wall, just ignore those ugly cords haha! I am definitely planning on adding shiplap to some more rooms in the future, it’s just so beautiful, affordable, and makes a huge statement in a subtle way!
Follow along on Instagram or Facebook for my latest projects and for future updates on our living room makeover!
