One Room Challenge Week 5: DIY Faux Shiplap

Wednesday, May 2, 2018


It's here, it's here! My DIY Faux Shiplap tutorial! And let me tell you- while this project was budget friendly- it was quite the feat. I would still consider my husband and I newbie DIY'ers and this was probably the most in depth project we have completed together and I'm impressed we got through it in one piece!


Confession time: I am still working on finishing up trimming this wall to complete the look so I will have to update this post later with those instructions.

It must be said that this technique is not truly 'shiplap'. It is actually called a plank wall. True shiplap has tongue and groove connections. So for the sake of technicality I'll be referring to this as a plank wall from here on out.

Let's get started!

What you will need (this post may contain affiliate links- you can read my full disclosure here):

The first step in preparing to add a plank wall is to prime and/or paint the wall you will be planking. The reason you want to do this is because you will be able to see the wall between the wood planks and unless you already have a white or very light colored wall you'll want to paint it the color you'll be painting your planks.



I chose to use HGTV Sherwin William's Showcase paint + primer and have it color matched to Benjamin Moore's 'White Dove'.


Once the wall was painted (no need to go overboard- one coat will do!) we marked where all of the studs were. We were very lucky that we recently had a light moved so we were able to get behind the drywall and see exactly how far apart our studs were.


If you are not able to do this, a stud finder will definitely do!


Now that our wall was prepped it was time to prepare the wood planks. We chose to use flooring underlayment and have two large sheets cut into 8 inch planks. NOTE: When having a big box store cut your plywood the strips will NOT be even so take this into account.


Once the boards were cut into planks we gave them a quick sanding to remove any rough edges.


After sanding the edges I decided to lay out my planks on the ground to make sure that each plank lined up exactly how I wanted on the wall.


Then, I marked each plank so I knew exactly how to stack them on the wall (L for left side).


Now, it was time to measure the wall and make cuts. Using a miter saw we cut each board to the exact measurement of the wall. Luckily, the wall was pretty level from top to bottom but you may want to measure as you go to ensure accuracy.

Once the boards were cut to size it was time to apply them to the wall. We decided we wanted to start our plank wall directly above the vanity working our way up and down from there. We started by using paneling adhesive on the backside of each plank.


Once the board was in place, we made sure it was level and nailed it to the wall in each of the studs.





We continued this pattern all the way up the wall using nickels (and eyeballing) as spacers.



We did have to make a few holes for the light fixture and toilet water line. We do not own any sort of jigsaw so I simply used a drill and made a bunch of small holes that eventually popped out and became one big hold that I then sanded down (i'm embarrassed sharing that, haha).





Once all the boards were in place it was time to fill the nail holes. Using Elmer's Wood Filler we simply filled in the holes, let it dry and then sanded them down.




Now it was time to paint! I used a small roller and made sure to pain with the grain of the wood.


Two coats of paint was all it took!


I noticed some paint would clump up between the boards so I simply used the edge of some sand paper to remove the clumps (I also used a flat head screw driver for some parts).


Some people may advise painting with a small brush between the boards (in terms of in the cracks) but I actually preferred not to. I felt the shadow effect made the gaps more distinct. I did, however, do this in parts where the spaces were large and at eye level.

And just like that the wall is complete!


I was feeling like I may never want to do a shiplap wall ever again but I am absolutely loving the end result! Now I want to shiplap everything in sight! Here's a sneak peek at a few of the finishing details!


And who doesn't love a good before and after?!


Ok, that's all I can share for now! Be sure to check out all of the Featured Designers and Guest Participants completing the One Room Challenge. And check back next week for the big REVEAL of this bathroom makeover! Are you as excited as I am?!

As always, Thank you for visiting R&R at home!





6 comments

  1. OMG what a transformation already!!! It looks so good <3

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    1. Hi Melissa! Thanks so much! I am so excited for reveal week next week! :) :) :)

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  3. Wow!! Such a transformation! It adds so much texture and interest, I love it. Can't wait to see the full reveal :)

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    1. Hi Jude! Thank you for reading! I am so happy with the end result and all the texture it adds! I absolutely cannot wait to share the reveal this week!

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  4. Beautiful!! It looks as though you didn't go all the way up to the ceiling? I can see a small space of wall between the last plank and the ceiling. Reason for that? Doing this method soon in our new build! :)

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