One of my biggest obsessions that I have in common with Fixer Upper is SHIPLAP! I love how quick and easy it is to install and that it instantly adds character to a room. Call me crazy, but shiplap walls almost feel more…substantial.
I wanted to add some character to the living room of our second home. The easy solution was to install shiplap around the fireplace. This was the first time we had ever installed shiplap.
NOTE: This is about the time that I learned just how different my husband and I are when it comes to house projects. My husband loves to do his research…which is not a bad thing…but he researches for weeks and then he usually never makes a decision to move forward. I on the other hand, am a fan of jumping into projects RIGHT NOW! I usually have a pretty good idea of how I will complete the project, but will worry about all of the small details as they come up. I feel as though there is no time like the present…so why wait?!
So…after a solid week of researching how to install shiplap, my husband decided it would be best to rip plywood to create shiplap. (He is also all about saving money. To be honest, I’m surprised he is ok with me doing so many projects..) We ripped the plywood into 6″ pieces and used 1/4″ spacers, an all purpose construction adhesive, and nail gun to install the shiplap.
It only took us about a day to install all of the shiplap. The hardest part was cutting out the shiplap around the decorative molding on the fireplace. I created a stencil for each of the pieces of molding and drew on the shiplap where it needed to be cut. Using a coping saw, I trimmed the individual pieces and fit them in around the fire place molding.
Once it was all installed, I caulked the seams around the fireplace and along the walls. Since we purchased plywood, it was important to paint inside of all of the spaces. I did this with a little brush…which took forever! Once the spaces were painted, I painted the face of the shiplap with a roller. It instantly added so much character to our living room!
When we purchased our third home, there was shiplap installed around our fireplace and in our guest bathroom (which was painted black). I’m pretty sure this is one of the many things that made me fall in love with the home.
I have been wanting to add shiplap to our kitchen island…and finally pulled the trigger (with little warning to my husband). I chose to skip the ripping and spacers and opted to use real shiplap. I went with a primed shiplap so that I wouldn’t have to worry as much about painting the spaces. I was able to quickly install the shiplap one afternoon.
The shiplap that had been installed around our fireplace was ripped wood that was cut much thicker than the shiplap installed on the kitchen island. It might not have bothered anyone other than me…that tends to be a theme around here.. So, I decided it needed to be replaced with the new shiplap…and then I decided the wall next to the fridge needed shiplap as well…SHIPLAP EVERYTHING!
Back to the part where I like to jump into projects and worry about the details later.. I purchased molding for the corners instead of cutting the shiplap on a 45 degree angle to form a perfect corner. After I installed the shiplap, and cut the corner molding, I discovered that it wasn’t quite wide enough to cover the edges of the shiplap.
This is where my problem solving skills save me! I took a trip to Lowe’s and decided that I would use two pieces of wood to form the corner piece. I used both the construction adhesive and finishing nails to install the corner molding. It gave it a more rustic/rugged look that the corner molding and I love it!
As soon as the trim was installed, I caulked all of my seams and used a flat head screw driver to clean the caulk out of the shiplap spaces. I painted the shiplap with a semi-gloss paint and roller…I didn’t worry about painting the spaces because the I used primed shiplap.
My kitchen has so much character now! Now on to my next shiplap project…
