DIY Vertical Shiplap

Vertical Shiplap is an easy way to update your space and make it comfortable and homey. I decided to shiplap our entire upstairs living room and hallway areas.

The upstairs area in our house is the kids area, which means the walls take a beating. We had two options: shiplap or repaint. DIY vertical shiplap tied in the farmhouse feel we have throughout our house and was less expensive than hiring a painter to come in and repaint our space. The decision was made and I set out on my journey to DIY vertical shiplap the entire upstairs by myself during a quarantine with kids. Here is my journey!

GETTING STARTED DIY VERTICAL SHIPLAP

While I did not want to make extra work for myself, I quickly decided I needed to frame out all of the windows in the upstairs living room. The upstairs windows needed a frame to tie the vertical shiplap together and make it look cohesive. I decided to purchase the same boards I would be using as a top edger for the shiplap to frame out the windows.

First, I measured the space I was working in and got a rough idea on how much shiplap I would need to complete the project. Let me tell you, my original measuring was incorrect due to varying baseboard heights. Just be prepared because nothing is ever level and the walls are never even!

Next, I determined how much edging I would need for the top of the shiplap. I did not need to purchase edging for the bottom of the shiplap because there is an existing thick baseboard that would act as an edger.

I did not buy finishing cap pieces for corners until the end of my project.

MATERIALS:

– Classic 5.25-in x 8-ft White Pine Shiplap Wall Plank (Shiplap Boards)

–Trim Board Primed Pine Finger-Joint (Common: 1 in. x 3 in. x 8 ft.; Actual: .719 in. x 2.5 in. x 96 in.) (Top Edger for Shiplap and my window trim)

–Plastic Wood 6 oz. White Latex Wood Filler (I prefer to use White)

–Alex Flex 10.1 oz. White Premium Molding and Trim Sealant

–Nail Gun

-Jig Saw

-Miter Saw

-Table Saw or Circular Saw

–Electrical Box Extenders ( this is needed for each electrical outlet/light switch)

-Sand Paper

–1 in. x 1 in. x 8 ft. Wood Primed Outside Corner Moulding

-Quarter Round Moulding

-Level

-Paint

INSTALLATION Of TOP EDGER:

The first thing you need to do is decide on the height of your vertical shiplap. Since I was working with 8 Foot boards, I decided the easiest and most economical approach would be to cut the boards directly in half. Due to the fact that the boards would be resting on top of my existing baseboards, the 4 foot boards would be perfect.

My biggest mistake during this project was precutting the shiplap boards for the first wall. Turns out my baseboards are not level! I know, I know; measure twice cut once. Honestly, It just wasn’t something I thought about prior to cutting those boards. You live and you learn!

Another mistake I quickly figured out was, the top edger must be installed prior to adding the shiplap because it will save you a lot of time further into the project! Since I was doing vertical shiplap on all of the upstairs walls, the top edger needed to connect at the same height throughout the entire space. Placing the top edger up first throughout the space just makes your life easier when it is time to add the shiplap to avoid boards not lining up (been there done that and got the badge!).

I attached all of the top edger to the wall using 1 1/4 Brad Nails and my Nail Gun and level. After the top edger us up, I framed out my windows with the same wood I used for the top edger.

INSTALLATION OF VERTICAL SHIPLAP:

After the windows were framed out, I attached the shiplap pieces to the wall using the same brad nails and nail gun. While it is ideal to shoot the nails into a stud, if you cannot find a stud in the area you are hanging you can alternate shooting brad nails at an angle into the board.

All of the walls I installed vertical shiplap on had power outlets and/or light switches. When you encounter an outlet or light switch you must first mark the location of the outlet/switch onto your shiplap board piece. I marked the outlet locations by flipping the outlet cover and reattaching it to the outlet backwards. I applied paint to the edge of the backwards outlet cover and then placed my shiplap boards against the wall to get the exact location of the outlet.

Using a jigsaw, I cut the outlet locations out of the shiplap boards. Because the cut you need to make to the shiplap may be in the middle of your board, you may need to use a power drill to pre drill holes in the corners before cutting with the jigsaw.

INSTALLING REMAINING TRIM PIECES:

Depending on your space, you may need trim pieces to finish off the walls. I added outside corner molding to all of the outside edges and quarter round molding to the interior edges.

INSTALLING OUTLET EXTENDERS:

Once the shiplap is up, the outlets and light switches will need to be extended. The outlets and switches should sit flush to the shiplap.

First, turn the power off to the area you are working. I used a lamp to ensure the power was indeed turned off. Next, I detached the outlets from the wall. Finally, I added the plastic outlet extenders and reattached the outlets to the wall.

FINISHING TOUCHES:

First, I used wood filler to fill all of the nail holes. Next, I added paintable caulk to all of the vertical shiplap and trim edges. Finally, I sanded down all of the wood filler and painted the shiplap and edger with white paint I had on hand.

This project transformed my upstairs area into a beautiful living room/office/kids area. I could not be any happier with our new functional space!