How to install shiplap on drywall

Though installing shiplap walls over drywall is possible, it’s definitely easier to install the boards directly onto your studs, with no drywall involved.

Tip: You can attach your shiplap boards with construction adhesive or nails or both. Place a nail through the top and bottom of each shiplap board where it crosses a stud. Use adhesive to glue the board down first or ask a partner to help you hold it in place.

Going from the bottom up is the way to go! Whether you are using tongue and groove boards or true rabbit edge shiplap – the process is the same. Once the next level board is in place insert a few of the paint sticks for an even gap between the two boards.

Often, it is simply because the façade of a room is being changed, and drywall is already in place. It is not beneficial in any way to remove the drywall to place shiplap, so the majority of people simply place it over. This ensures the room is fire safe, insulated, and sound-resistant.

Shiplap is falling out of fashion.

Once used to waterproof boats, shiplap siding became a trendy way to decorate interior walls in the 2010s.

If you‘re installing new shiplap, paint it prior to installation. It will be far easier to paint the edges before the shiplap is up on the wall. If the shiplap was already installed, paint it like wall (with a roller and cut in with a brush), taking extra time to paint the gaps and shiplap grooves with a small brush.

Using a brush and roller:

Begin by cutting in with your paint brush along the perimeter of your shiplap area. Next, paint your shiplap nickel gaps since your roller will not reach inside those gaps. You‘ll finish painting by using your paint roller, rolling from top to bottom of your wall.

The modern farmhouse style is all about making a room feel comfortable and relaxing. To achieve this, shiplap walls should be painted in a light neutral gray or off white paint such as Cool Slate or Moth Gray, or even a luxurious dark blue like Goblin.

If you are affixing shiplap using nails, simply place the board in position, and drive nails through the flange, and the face of the board. Afterwards, you‘ll need to fill the nail holes on the face of each board with wood filler to create a seamless appearance.

Alabaster is a highly popular paint color choice for shiplap. And you want to know why? It’s the color Joanna Gaines used in her home.

The 15 to 18 gauge is the right nail size for shiplap with a recommended length of 1.25” or 1.75”. This is long enough to penetrate the shiplap and hold it to the wall, but short enough not to go too deep and hit conduits or electric lines in most homes.

Shiplap boards have grooves cut into their edges for a tight, overlapping fit. Shiplap paneling can add instant character, texture, rusticity and a focal point to any room in your house. It’s affordable and easy to install with just a few basic tools — a saw, level, stud finder, hammer and nails.

Your faux shiplap should be installed before anything else in the room — meaning baseboard, crown, and trim. You can install shiplap right on top of existing baseboards. If you have trim, very carefully notch out your shiplap with a saw and use wood filler/caulk to fill in the remaining gaps.

Shiplap Costs

Shiplap wood prices range between $2.50 and $7.00 per square foot for real boards. On average, shiplap interior installation costs $1,000, with most homeowners spending between $500 and $1,500 for one room. Installing exterior shiplap costs $4,000, with most homeowners spending between $2,800 and $7,500.

Beware of Home Improvement Centers Saws!

The cheapest way to get thin wood shiplap strips at an exact height is to cut them out of 1/4″ plywood or MDF sheets (I went with maple plywood sheets because they seemed to be the smoothest of the 1/4″ plywood options at Lowes).

Shiplap is cheaper than tongue and groove, but it requires a bit more work on the carpenter to get the rows to lay flat against the building in a waterproof fashion. Also, if not installed properly, shiplap is more likely to warp and leak than its counterpart.

You can install shiplap directly to studs. Shiplap siding is an older style of siding that is installed directly onto the studs. It can also be installed on top of sheetrock. We recommend adding insulation between the studs before installing your shiplap siding.

Peel and stick wood walls in white or light hues make the most ideal doppelgangers for shiplap because their pale patina best emphasizes and emboldens the voids between planks that are synonymous with shiplap.

Before plywood and drywall, builders would line rooms in shiplap to keep them warm and dry, then cover it with a layer of muslin or cheesecloth and wallpaper to hide the shiplap’s seams.