Installing shiplap is a simple way to add character and charm to a home. But it’s not easy to get right. After completing 4 DIY shiplap accent walls, I found myself still regretting some decisions I made along the way and not exactly happy with my own work in the middle of the project. If you’re planning an accent wall project, let me walk you through how I tackled the challenges and my lessons-learned. So you can get it done faster and better!
Tip 1: Use MDF shiplap for a smooth, painted accent wall
It’s not mentioned very often in online tutorials, but there are major differences between MDF and pine shiplap boards. Of course, you can make your own faux shiplap with plywood, if your goal is to save money. But having worked with both MDF and pine, I don’t think I’d ever go back to pine.
Back in 2021 when I remodeled my home office, I used MDF nickel gap shiplap. The boards were perfectly straight and flat. Except for being a bit too smooth for a spray gun, they were easy to work with and gave a uniformed look.
This time I installed pine shiplap in the movie room at the basement. Oh man, it was a totally different story.
The pine boards looked fine at first glance. But once I put them up on the wall, it was apparent that they were warped. There were uneven gaps along the edge where the two boards met.
Working alone, I had to hold the board in place, while holding a bubble level and adjusting it ever so slightly to get the most consistent fit.
Some boards were so bowed that I could see a hump right in the middle.
What made matters worse were the knots, finger joints, wood grain, cupped shape, and issues common in pine boards. These made painting quite frustrating. Under light I could see the flaws clearly even after 2 coats of paint. The only way to fix them was to sand the whole plank down and repaint, which took a lot of extra time.
In terms of price, pine and MDF are comparable. But the quality is different. Unless you’re installing shiplap in a bathroom or you like a more rustic look, I recommend choosing MDF shiplap for a super smooth finish. Also, it’s a good idea to order extra shiplap panels, so you can account for any mistakes or swap out the defected ones right away without running to a home improvement store mid-project.
Tip 2: Keep the baseboard and add a transition piece
The standard process of building an accent wall is to remove the existing baseboard first, then add it back in after the shiplap is in place. However, there are downsides to this.
Shiplap boards are typically thicker than the top of the baseboard. If you install shiplap directly on top of the baseboard, the shiplap will stick out, making the bottom of the accent wall look lopsided.
If you install the baseboard over vertical shiplap, however, caulking between the shiplap and the baseboard gets tricky. The grooves are perpendicular to the ceiling and floor, which means caulk can easily get in the gaps.
I used the tip of a screwdriver to remove excess caulk, but it was time-consuming.
Another issue with the baseboard over shiplap approach is you may end up with ugly corners where the baseboards meet.
To keep the miter cut of the baseboard in the corners, you need to cut the adjacent baseboard at a 45-degree angle, which is hard to do perfectly with a multi-tool. If you cut it straight, you would end up with a small gap between the baseboards. Either way, it’s hard to get a nice miter joint.
Removing the baseboard and putting it back in simply creates too much work. So, if I were to do this again, I would leave the baseboard in, add a transition piece such as cove trim or quarter round and call it a day.
If you’re planning to install new baseboard, use 1-inch thick baseboard for the accent wall, and place the shiplap on top directly. This would give you the best look among all the options.
For the home office, I installed the shiplap horizontally and flipped the last shiplap board upside down, so the thin part (groove) connected to the top of the baseboard, making a natural transition.
Tip 3: Paint between the shiplap boards before installation
Before installing shiplap on the wall, paint both sides of the edges.
Once the boards are installed, it’s a lot harder to reach into the nickel gaps. A tiny paint brush works. But it’s slower and can cause drips more easily.
Brush paint on the edges first, then even out the paint on the face of the plank with a roller right after.
This gives you the best finish, covering all sides of the board without too much extra work.
For both of my black shiplap walls, I used semi-gloss trim paint in the color SW Tricorn Black.
Tip 4: Apply construction adhesive behind the shiplap to secure it
For my first two accent walls, I used construction adhesive (liquid nails) to secure the trim. The boards never shifted. Nor were there cracks.
In recent years, there is a popular trick on Instagram for creating accent wall—interlock the brad nails by shooting nails at opposite angles, which creates an X shape behind the board and locks it in place. This makes removing the trim piece easier further down the road. As there will be less damage to the drywall.
However, even though this approach prevents the trim from pulling away from the wall, it doesn’t entirely remove movements. Due to the temperature and moisture changes in a house, wood tends to expend and contract between seasons. This can cause shifting of the trim pieces if they’re not secured to the drywall.
On the black shiplap wall in the movie room, I noticed exposed white gaps in the first winter the wall was completed. It’s subtle. But something annoyed me quite a bit.
I wanted the accent wall to stay black and finished all year long. But without construction adhesive, it inevitably moves as the season changes.
Of course, if you’re not 100% sure you will keep the accent wall and want more flexibility, you should do what suits you the best. Just know that movements can happen. You may need to touch up the paint once in a while.
Tip 5: Locate wall studs, plumbing and electrical (hidden danger!)
Interior walls in US are typically built with 2×4 framing lumber, usually 16” apart. Securing shiplap panels to wall studs is a lot more secure than only securing them to drywall.
Using a stud finder, first locate the stud near an electrical outlet. Because electrical boxes are attached to wall studs, this allows you to find the first wall stud easily.
Then based on the location of the first stud, find the next stud 16 inches away.
Put a painter’s tape on the floor to mark where the stud is. Or make a chalk line. Use these as references, as you install the shiplap.
It’s not always easy to do, but besides wall studs, finding plumbing and electrical wires are also important. Brad nails can punctuate pipes causing water leaks. They can also damage electrical wires, posing fire hazards.
If possible, try to avoid nailing in areas that could have plumbing or electrical behind the drywall. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Tip 6: Make special cut around electrical outlets (the toothpaste trick)
At some point in your project, you may encounter an obstacle, such as an electrical outlet or light switches. Making a cutout for the outlet may seem hard. But with the toothpaste trick, it can be done easily.
Turn off the power first.
Dab a bit of toothpaste on the four corners of the outlet. Line up the shiplap. Press it against the outlet. You should see 4 toothpaste marks on the back of the shiplap board.
For wall outlets, the key is to cut the opening as big as the electrical box. That is right above and below the screw holes.
Next, you can use a pencil to draw an outline, accounting for the size of the electrical box.
To make the opening, first drill holes in the corners, then cut along the marked line with a multi-tool or a jig saw.
Bonus tip: not every DIYer knows this, but make sure to add an electrical box extender behind the outlet. This way, the outlet is flush with the shiplap panels, instead of recessed. It looks a lot better this way, and most importantly, meets building codes.
Tip 7: Trust the laser level, not the ceiling or floor
It may be tempting to install the shiplap boards by resting them on the floor or lining them up against the ceiling.
This would be a big mistake.
Walls, ceiling and floor are never straight. Placing shiplap boards right on top of or next to them without checking levelness would make installation much harder. You will end up with uneven gaps. Or worse yet, an accent wall with all boards slightly tilted.
My recommendation is to invest in a laser level. Set it up, so that you can check if the shiplap board lines up with the laser line.
Make sure the first board is level or plumb, so it serves as an additional reference point for the other boards.
If the board is not straight, you can slide a spacer underneath to balance the board on the floor.
Tip 8: Getting an ultra-smooth finish is achievable, but requires attention
I don’t want to brag, but I painted this accent wall at least 4 times. LOL
The first two times, I was mindlessly rolling on paint, thinking the more layers I got on the wall, it better it would look.
Oh was I wrong.
Look at this half-done accent wall. You can clearly see the brush strokes and roller marks. It screams amateur.
I sanded everything down plank by plank. And started over.
The 3rd time, I was careful with the roller. It looked better. But the nail holes and knots in the pine boards were still visible.
So I sanded the boards down once again.
After the 4th try, it finally worked. There were still imperfections when I checked the board at different angles of light. But it was a lot better.
What I discovered was besides sanding in between coats, I need to roll on paint in one long, continuous pass from one end to the other, using very light pressure (watch my YouTube video to get a feel for how I painted the panels.)
This is a great way to even out the coat and removes any drips or streaks.
You may wonder if it would have been better if I used a spray gun.
Not really.
With a spray gun, you need to tape all the adjacent walls, floor, ceiling, learn how to set it up, clean afterwards, and hold it at a consistent distance away from the wall (which is not easy to get right for beginners). Otherwise, you can easily cause drips or runs, and end up needing to use a roller.
Because of all the prep work and the complexity involved with a spray gun, I tend to use a roller more often. It’s easier to control in my opinion.
Tip 9: Trim the accent wall to hide uneven ends
This is optional, but trimming an accent wall can take it to the next level.
Even if you’re precise at your cuts, the walls and corners are not always perfectly straight. With decorative trim, you can cover the uneven gaps and give it a more professional look.
Besides, if the adjacent walls have crown molding or baseboard, continuing the trim can tie in the entire room. They’re the perfect finishing touches for a shiplap wall project.
I used quarter round on my shiplap wall. Mitered the corners to make them fit.
Tip 10: Fill nail holes and caulk seams
The rule of thumb for filling holes/gaps is to use wood filler or sparkle for nail holes and joints in wood surface and use caulk for seams between trim and wall.
The first time I installed shiplap, I squeezed out thick beads of caulk. It turned into a big mess. The residual caulk left bumpy, wiggly lines that stood out even after painting.
The trick is to cut only a small, angled hole in the tip of the tube, so there is just enough caulk to cover the seam without getting excess caulk smeared all over the place. Watch this video by The Funny Carpenter on caulking tips.
When nailing the boards, if you test out the depth ahead of time and get the nail head just below the surface, you have a smaller hole to fill and the wood filler dries faster.
Caulk is flexible, but it can’t fill a gap greater than ¼”, it can crack over time. For a bigger gap, cut a filler piece from the trim (baseboard, quarter round, shiplap) and insert it in. Unless the gap is on an outside corner. Patching gaps in the molding with Bondo can be really frustrating (don’t ask me how I know). It dries so fast (within 10 minutes), before it hardens, I would run out of time to get the material to fit just right.
Once the caulk is dry, paint the trim and give the whole wall a final coat of paint.
To get crisp and clean paint lines, seal the edge of the painter’s tape by painting the original wall color first, then the new color. This way, there is no bleed through and the paint lines are a more straight. I learned this trick from Lone Fox Home.
Final Thoughts
I’ve summarized these tips from my own experience of DIY shiplap wall. Lots of sweat, tear, trial and error that went into the projects to find out what actually works. I hope you find these tips helpful.
Tools:
Brad nailer or nail gun, miter saw, circular saw, paint brush, paint sprayer or roller, laser level
Materials:
Shiplap, 180 grit sandpaper, 1-1/2″ brad nails, wood filler, paintable caulk, wall paint
If you know any good tips for making a beautiful shiplap accent wall, I’d love to hear them!
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