Installing DIY Shiplap – Everything You Need To Know!

It’s no secret that buying the premade shiplap (true shiplap boards) is pretty expensive, but there are several very affordable ways to do faux shiplap in your home.
– Drawing lines to mimic shiplap on your walls with a Sharpie paint marker (like this)
– Install peel & stick shiplap wallpaper (like this one)
– Ripping down 1/4″ sheets of plywood into shiplap slats with a table saw (like we did with this faux shiplap wall and this vertical shiplap wall)
– Get creative with the type of wood and use MDF instead of plywood
– You can even route out groves in a sheet of MDF or plywood like this

Wood treatments are always a little risky to install in a bathroom or area exposed to a lot of moisture or humidity.
I would not recommend putting the shiplap in a place where it will be frequently exposed to water or come in direct contact with water (like behind a sink where water will splash up or above a shower/bath or shower surround in a bathroom that is used regularly). However, there are several steps you can take to protect your shiplap in the bathroom.

If you are going to install shiplap in a bathroom or an area where there’s moisture, it’s important to protect it so that water doesn’t penetrate the surface of the wood. This is the most important thing if you’re putting shiplap in a bathroom.
You want to start by coating the entire piece of wood (all sides and edges) with a high-quality primer that is made for bathrooms before installing. Be sure to also fill all nail holes with a high-quality paintable wood filler or spackle, covered by primer and paint.
Lastly, be sure all gaps and corners are filled with caulk. With these simple steps, you can protect your shiplap from moisture damage in your bathroom.

Even though I usually do shiplap as an accent wall, you could totally shiplap an entire room. I love this mudroom that has shiplap installed on all walls.

Yes, shiplap can be installed horizontally, vertically, or even diagonally! Horizontal boards have more of a traditional feel and bring your eye around the room. Vertical shiplap has a more modern look and will make the room feel taller. It’s a great choice if you want a different look!

The width of your shiplap panels is totally up to you! I’d say a standard size is 6″ – 7″.

Again the spacing between your shiplap planks is your personal preference, but a popular opinion is between 1/8″ & 1/16″ – which is the same size as a nickel, so it is also called a nickel gap. Nickels work as great spaces between the shiplap pieces, so that’s what we always use. Alternatively, you can also use tile spacers in between your shiplap during installation.

Gluing your shiplap is not absolutely necessary. If you are installing shiplap horizontally, you want to find the studs in your walls with a stud finder and add your nails there.
However, if you are installing the shiplap vertically, it can be trickier because not every slat would line up with a stud. For this reason, we recommend using a high-quality construction adhesive for vertical shiplap in addition to nails (or staples, as we used on this vertical shiplap wall).

Nails are the preferred method for attaching to shiplap to the wall, rather than screws. With screws, you’ll have a large hole to fill, it takes longer and it is more likely to split the wood.

Mark the location of the studs on your wall. You want to line the nails up to that line so they go into the wall studs. Hold a finish nail gun at a 45-degree angle and put the nail into the shiplap into the tongue on the edge. If you aren’t using tongue-and-groove, you can also put the nails into the face of the shiplap.

I would recommend doing your first coat of paint before installing your shiplap. This will save time. Keep in mind that after you attach the shiplap to the wall and fill the nail holes, you will definitely need to paint the 2nd coat.

Even though it is small, you will be able to see the wall behind the shiplap in between the small gaps. Instead of painting in between the shiplap boards (which is very tedious and must be done with a small artist paintbrush), paint the wall before you install the shiplap with the color that you will be painting on the shiplap.
Even if you’re using a paint sprayer for your shiplap, I would recommend painting the wall first because the sprayer may not be able to get in between the small gaps fully.

This is up to you! For a more rustic look, you can leave the nail holes exposed. We left the visible nail marks from our finish nailer exposed on this plywood shiplap wall in our living room.
For a more modern and finished look, you can fill the nail holes with spackle applied with a putty knife, sand smooth, and paint. Learn how to fill nail holes here.

Yes, you should caulk the corners of shiplap walls and where the shiplap meets the ceiling & baseboards or floors. This will cover any gaps and give you a nice, finished, and professional look. You can use painter’s tape on each side of the caulk line if you’re worried about it being messy. We always use this high quality paintable caulk. Check out these tips and tricks for caulking to learn the basics.

If you are installing DIY shiplap on an outside corner, you can miter the edges with a miter saw so they come together at a point and then caulk the edge. Alternatively, you can install a corner trim to cover the corner completely.

To calculate how much shiplap you need, start by measuring the height and width of each wall and multiply them together to determine the total square footage needed. Next, calculate the total square feet that each shiplap plank covers by multiplying the length of the board (in inches) by the width. Now, divide the SF of your wall by the SF covered by each plank to determine how many planks you need to buy. Lastly, add 10% more or round up to accommodate for waste.