It seems as if shiplap or plank walls are going up in just about every home these days (thanks Joanna Gaines). I’m not mad about it, because I love the way it looks! It compliments any style of a room- whether it being a mid century modern vibe, traditional setting, or the modern farmhouse (duh)! For this particular ‘shiplap’ wall, I was going for a really bright and airy vintage/antique theme for my daughters nursery, and what better way to brighten up the room, then to add a plank wall! I think it suits the theme well.
I wanted this project to be as budget friendly as possible and without damaging the drywall (incase we move- I didn’t use wood glue, but I recommend using it for a stronger hold). If you love this cute faux shiplap wall just as much as I do, follow these simple DIY steps below to create a nice modern or farmhouse feel to any room in your home!
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Materials You’ll Need:
- Underlayment Plywood (4 ft. x 8 ft. Sheets)
- Wood Glue
- 2″ Brad Nails
- Wood Filler/Puty
- Sandpaper
- Paint
- Paint Brush
- Nails (*only if you don’t have a brad nailer/brad nails)
Tools You’ll Need:
- Brad Nailer
- Jigsaw (if you have outlets on your wall)
- Hammer (*only if you don’t have a brad nailer)
You can rip the sheets with your table saw, or you can have someone at your local Lowe’s or Home Depot rip it for you. To save me time and effort, I just had someone at Home Depot to do it for me 🙂 A table saw is not required for this project.
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So here’s what I was working with- a really dim, bland, and “not what I envisioned for a nursery” room.
- First and foremost- MEASURE, MEASURE, MEASURE. I measured from the top of my baseboard to the ceiling (you can always take your baseboard off and measure from true floor to ceiling, but since the underlayment boards are so thin, it wouldn’t hang over the baseboard- so whatever you choose to do!). Make sure you have the correct measurements before your sheets are cut… because if it’s wrong, how annoying is it going to be having to drive all the way back to the hardware store for a few extra boards. Find the studs along the wall and make marks all the way down from the ceiling to the floor. Doing this helps you know where to nail them in the wall to ensure a stronger hold.
***A little rule of thumb my Aunt Carin taught me to always keep in mind when cutting or ripping wood (at the hardware store), is that the blade on the monster cutting machine at Lowe’s/Home Depot is 1/8″ thick.
So for example: I wanted each row of boards to be about 6″, but remembering that the blade is 1/8″ thick, I had the home depot guy rip the sheets into 5&7/8″ strips to make them fit correctly up the wall.
I made the mistake and bought the wrong size of underlayment plywood but already had them cut and had paid for them, so I didn’t feel like going back to buy and recutting the bigger sheets. Don’t buy the 4’x4′ sheet if you have a large wall like this (if you have a tiny wall measuring a little above or below 4 feet, then then 4’x4′ sheet it will work perfectly!). It ended up not being a big deal after filling the gaps in with wood puty and sanding.
- Once you have all of your boards cut, start nailing them to the wall with your brad nailer or hammer! Again, you can choose to put wood glue on the back of each board for the best hold, along with the nails, but I chose to skip this step because I will probably remove the plank wall in the future and I didn’t want to damage the drywall. While attaching them to the wall, I placed 3 nickels in between each board to ensure even spacing.
- You may run into plug outlets so obviously don’t cover those up. Just measure every direction and use a jigsaw to cut out the space needed.
- Since buying the wrong size of underlayment, I still wanted all of the boards to look like one super long plank, so I used this wood filler to fill in all of the cracks. Once it dries, sand it down to create the smooth surface.
- Lastly, paint as many coats as you need, let it dry, step back, and marvel at your new faux Shiplap wall!
I already had the paint and all of the other tools & materials for this project.
The total cost of the project for me was $40 !!!!!! $40 for an entire wall! What a WIN. Am I right?
Share, Like, & Comment below if you loved this DIY! Be sure to tag me in your finished projects posts on Facebook and Instagram. I’d love to see how it turned out!
-Katie Perri
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