If you’ve ever watched Fixer Upper, chances are you know what shiplap is. Brought into the public eye by Chip and Joanna Gaines, shiplap has become popular over the past several years. But it’s not just for the modern farmhouse aesthetic. Many styles, like industrial, traditional, and even mid-century modern, often incorporate shiplap into a room’s design. Shiplap is a doable DIY that adds warmth, texture, and interest to a room. Want to give it a try? Read on for all you need to know.
What is Shiplap?
Shiplap is a term that refers to overlapping wood planks that lock together. They have “rabbet” grooves that make the pieces fit together, resulting in clean lines and evenly spaced boards. Shiplap was previously used to build, well, ships! But today, it is used for home interiors and exteriors.
Interior shiplap is usually made of pine, poplar, or MDF (medium-density fiberboard). On the outside of the home, shiplap siding is often redwood, pine, cedar, composite wood, or cement board. This article will be about interior shiplap.
Shiplap is usually installed horizontally and looks great in rustic, farmhouse, modern farmhouse, coastal, or traditional homes. It can also be installed vertically, which makes ceilings look higher, and works well with modern, mid-century modern, or contemporary homes.
Most people think of white when they hear shiplap, but other colors can have striking, moody vibes. Consider dark gray or blue, green, or even black shiplap, especially on an accent wall. You can also leave shiplap a natural wood tone for a minimalist look. Make sure you seal any shiplap you install in humid or wet areas like a kitchen or bathroom.
Sometimes shiplap is confused with tongue and groove because of how the wood pieces link together. The difference is that shiplap leaves a larger gap between the planks, which looks more rustic and textured. Tongue and groove siding links together fairly smoothly, giving it a more modern, streamlined, clean look.
Where Can I Use Shiplap?
You can install shiplap onto all the walls of your house if you want to. Many people use it on ceilings, for an accent wall, or around the fireplace. In the kitchen, consider a shiplap backsplash or kitchen island. You can use shiplap halfway up the wall in your bathroom, or floor-to-ceiling for a cozy vibe. It looks great on a screened porch. It’s popular for foyers and stairways, or in a finished basement in a room that has little architectural interest. It also looks good in a bedroom on the walls or the ceiling. If you want a smaller application, you can add it to the backs of bookshelves, or to the pantry walls. It looks good just about anywhere.
Can I Install Shiplap Over Drywall?
If you want to hang shiplap in a room that already has drywall, never fear. You can absolutely install your shiplap right over top of the drywall. It’s actually great–the drywall gives extra insulation and buffers noise. You can install a shiplap ceiling over a drywall ceiling too, meaning no messy demolition project. It’s a great way to cover outdated popcorn ceilings and change them to great-looking, on-trend focal points.
If your drywall is relatively smooth and flawless, you can nail the shiplap right to it. If it’s not, any imperfections in the ceiling or walls will be transferred to the shiplap. This can lead to an uneven surface or prevent the planks from lining up properly.
Furring Strips
If your drywall isn’t in great condition, you can still hang shiplap! Simply use furring strips. These one-by-three strips of softer wood are installed vertically, screwed through the drywall to the studs, using three or so screws per strip. Then the shiplap can be nailed directly onto the furring strips. This also allows you to make your shiplap run parallel to the ceiling joists if you want.
Using furring strips is also a good idea if you tend to change up your space and may not want shiplap on your walls forever. It’s much easier to remove the planks from the furring strips, and it results in less damage to your walls. Simply pry off the shiplap planks, and then unscrew the furring strips. Patch the screw holes, repaint, and you’re back to drywall walls again.
Can I Install Shiplap Without Drywall?
Yes, you certainly can. It’s a lot easier to find the studs without drywall over them! Just make sure you have insulation in the walls–shiplap does provide some insulation, but not as much as you probably want (or possibly need, depending on local building codes). Installing shiplap without drywall means you can save money, time, and mess on your construction or remodeling project.
How Do I Stagger Shiplap?
Aesthetically, shiplap won’t look right if you don’t stagger the planks. If you have a line of end pieces in a row, it will look off. Strength-wise, especially if your planks are being installed over studs (not drywall), they can twist and warp if they are lined up. The weakest part of the wall is the place where two planks come together, and you need to spread out that weakness for a sturdy wall.
To stagger the planks, start your first row in the bottom corner of the room, and install planks all the way across. Then on the next row, measure to a stud and cut there (any stud except the one you stopped at in the first row). This means that the seam will be at a different stud. On the next row, measure to yet another different stud and cut there. You can repeat the pattern, but make sure you leave three or so rows in between your repeating rows, so their pattern isn’t obvious to your eye.
You can also use the cut-off piece from one row to start the next row, and the cut-off piece from that row to start the row above it. But make sure you don’t use very short pieces. They stop your eye and draw your attention to that one place instead of the whole wall.
Avoid horizontal H shapes by making sure you stagger seams on every other row. And keep an eye out for a staircase look–you probably don’t want that predictable a pattern. The best shiplap wall is staggered in a way that looks random.
How Do I Install Shiplap?
Installing shiplap is easier than you might think! You will need a miter saw, a finish nailer (a type of nail gun), a stud finder (if you’re installing over drywall), a level, and a pencil.
- Remove all baseboards, crown molding, electrical outlet plates, etc.
- Use the stud finder to find and mark stud locations.
- If you’re using furring strips, attach them vertically to the studs using screws.
- Start at the bottom of the wall, and make the open groove the bottom edge of the plank.
- Level the plank. Use the nail gun to face-nail the plank to the studs or furring strips. (Face-nailing is driving nails perpendicular to the surface of the wood.)
- Install the second row, nailing on the grooves of the first.
- Remember to stagger the seams!
- Work your way all the way up the wall. Finish with trim on the sides if needed. Reinstall outlet covers and anything else you removed.
Summary
Shiplap is very versatile. It looks great on walls, ceilings, bookshelves, fireplaces, and more. And it goes with so many different styles, depending on whether you install it vertically or horizontally and what color you paint it. You can install shiplap over drywall or directly over studs–just make sure to stagger the planks. Hanging shiplap in your home is a project you can tackle on your own, and it will add warmth, texture, and interest to your space. Give it a try!
