Shiplap Made Simple: How I Created A Shiplap Feature In One Day With Wallplanks

You know how shiplap obsessed I am, but the only thing I’ve yet to try is actual shiplap!

I’ve used shiplap wallpaper, sharpie shiplapped walls in my home, and have even used a pencil to draw on some shiplap. But I’m a little scared of real shiplap simply because of the work involved with buying boards, cutting them down, painting them, nailing them into the wall, etc.

Seems silly, right?

But why go to all the trouble when there are other solutions out there!

I knew my next shiplap project needed to be a little more ‘real’ looking. I wanted actual boards. But I was a little nervous.

That is until I discovered Wallplanks!

Wallplanks creates peel and stick hardwood and laminate shiplap that is beautifully designed to fit any shiplap look you’re going for.

Those were two big details of real shipap that I wouldn’t have to deal with – painting and nailing!

I was sold.

Now before I keep going on and on here, I need to tell you that I am a Wallplanks partner, but this review of the product is 100% honest, and I’m telling you all the good because, well, it was all good!

So let’s get into all the details, shall we?

SHIPLAP MADE SIMPLE: HOW I CREATED A SHIPLAP FEATURE IN ONE DAY WITH WALLPLANKS

We ordered laminate planks in a Weathered Pearl finish because we wanted them to look a little distressed.

I have to admit — I was a little nervous at first! I didn’t know how faux distressed laminate boards would look. But man, was I pleasantly surprised when I opened the cartons!

The boards were simply gorgeous. So detailed and so pretty! I kept wanting to try to chip more paint off of them even though I couldn’t because they were, well, laminate.

STEP 1: MEASURE YOUR FEATURE WALL BEFORE YOU ORDER

As our very first step, before we ordered our Wallplanks, we measured our feature wall to ensure we ordered enough boards.

They’re sold in cartons by square feet, so this step is crucial! The last thing you want is to get 80% done with your project and run out of boards!

STEP 2: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL THE NECESSARY MATERIALS

For us, this meant our Wallplanks, a J-roller which is a crucial tool needed when installing laminate planks to ensure even pressure is applied to each board, a saw, a level, painter’s tape, a tape measure, and a pencil.

We used our tape measure, painter’s tape, and level to mark off just where we wanted our boards to go.

We used our pencil to mark where the boards needed to be cut in order to cut around outlets and light switches.

We obviously used our saw to make the cuts and our J-roller and level to install our laminate, but we’ll chat a little more about that as we go!

STEP 3: MAP IT OUT

Because our boards were distressed a little differently, I wanted to map out where I wanted each board to go before installing them on the wall. I measured and taped off a space on the floor that was the same size as above the fireplace, and I laid out my boards to give me a sense of the patterns.

I also planned in a way that made sure my board lines were not going to stack on top of each other and would instead stagger up the wall to create balance with the boards.

Once I have a good idea in mind, it was time to cut.

STEP 4: BEGIN INSTALLING YOUR WALLPLANKS

Once you have it all mapped out and have all the tools you need, grab your first board and mark any places it needs to be cut, cut it with your saw, double check that your board is level, remove the paper backing to reveal the adhesive, and stick to the wall!

Then use your J-roller over the board to ensure it’s attached to the wall evenly.

Grab the next board, make any markings, cut, and repeat!

Do this until your entire wall is finished!

STEP 5: FRAME IT UP

This step might not be necessary for you if you’re doing a full feature wall! We shiplapped right above our fireplace, so we knew we wanted to create some kind of trimmed out frame.

So that’s just what we did! We grabbed a couple pieces of trim, cut them to size, and used liquid nails to attach them to the wall.

Then we caulked around the sides to ensure there were no gaps and the feature looked like it belonged!

And that’s it!

EASY PEASY – SAVE ON YOURS!

This process was simple, and once we got the hang of it, it went really quickly! The hardest part for us came when we reached the top of our feature wall and needed to cut the boards lengthwise, but even that wasn’t as difficult as we thought it was going to be!

Wallplanks was the perfect solution for our shiplap feature wall, and you can save 25% on yours with the coupon code: #FARMHOUSEISH25

Whether you want hardwood or laminate, they have finishes that match any and every style. Go check out all their pretty designs and start planning your next feature wall today, for 25% off!

Code to save 25%: #FARMHOUSEISH25