The Daily Insight

Connected.Informed.Engaged.

Fortunately, shiplap comes in numerous widths to best fit the interior design of your home; however, 5 ½-inch and 7 ¼ -inch are the most commonly used widths. You can use one width of shiplap board to create your home’s style, or you can mix the widths to create a unique design.

How thick is pine shiplap?

Pine Shiplap BoardsNickel Gap ShiplapSize7/8″ Thick 5″ – 10 7/8″ Face3/4″ Thick 5″ Face Including GapGapNo, but gappable on siteApproximately 1/4″ReversibleYes Smooth 1 Side, Rough 1 SideNoUsable OutdoorsYes Stained, Painted or NaturalNo

Can I use 1x4 for shiplap?

Depending on the final look you want, there are a ton of wood options you can use to make shiplap. Almost any 1x material (nominal 3/4″) is a good choice. You can use select grade for a super smooth look or common grade boards, pine, cedar, really any type of solid wood that suites your needs.

What size shiplap does Joanna Gaines use?

The best-rated product in Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines Appearance Boards is the 1/4 in.x 5.1 in. x Varying Lengths Stone HDF White Oak Shiplap Wall Plank (20.3 sq. ft./Carton).

Can you use 1x6 for shiplap?

Milled smooth on both sides, the 1×6 Tongue and Groove Shiplap Siding can be either stained or painted to enhance your existing décor.

What wood should I use for shiplap?

The Best Wood for Shiplap “When it comes to water resistance (think bathroom walls), cedar works best. But if moisture is not an issue, you can make shiplap planks out of cheap, pine wood.”

How wide is 1x6 shiplap?

Even though a pattern is called 1×6″ or 1×8″ that does not mean it measures 1 inch thick and 6 or 8 inches wide. Nominal 1×6, 1×8 refers to the size before the pattern profile is milled and NOT the board’s final finished or “dressed” dimensions. A 1″ NOMINAL is usually 11/16ths inch thick.

What Sheen is best for shiplap?

Matte or flat are 2 of the most popular paint sheen choices for shiplap. Eggshell is the finish I prefer. Its easier to clean and only has a slight sheen to it. Prep the shiplap boards by making sure all the boards are sanded smooth for the ideal paint application.

What size shiplap looks best?

1×6 shiplap boards are the most commonly used width of shiplap. Smaller than the 1×8 inch width, this 6-inch shiplap size provides the most classic, versatile look. For best optimization of the nickel gap reveal, use in small to medium sized rooms.

Do you put trim around shiplap?

Install your faux shiplap before anything else in the room – meaning baseboard, crown, and trim. … If you have trim, very carefully notch out your shiplap with a saw and use wood filler/caulk to fill in the remaining gaps.

Article first time published on

Should I start shiplap from top or bottom?

You can start applying shiplap either at the top or at the bottom of your wall. If you start at the bottom, gravity will work for you. If you start at the top, you’ll have to prevent each board from falling before you nail it in place.

Can you have too much shiplap?

As much as we love shiplap, there can be a time and a place when there is too much shiplap. When you want to fully decorate the walls with shiplap, it is best to stick with soft, neutral colors and limited texture.

How high should shiplap be on wall?

Give some thought to how high you want your trim. So 1/3 or 2/3 of the wall will look better than half of a wall. It won’t be exact, but try to get close. I wanted mine to go a bit higher, but then it would have impeded with the electrical outlet, towel racks, and light switch.

What does Joanna Gaines use for shiplap?

Joanna uses natural wood shiplap as wainscoting in this home’s living room. You can also create a taste of rustic style by adding wooden box awnings over your home’s windows, like Joanna Gaines did in this Craftsman-style living room.

Does shiplap make a room look bigger or smaller?

Wall to Ceiling Shiplap Picking the same pattern for walls and ceiling can help define a space and point one’s focus toward the room’s furnishings. You can even switch up the colors on the shiplap to make a room feel bigger or smaller.

Is tongue and groove the same as shiplap?

The main difference between shiplap and tongue and groove is in the profile. Once installed, shiplap and tongue and groove look very similar. … Tongue and groove planks, however, have a small projection sticking out of the center of one side’s edge, while the other side has a corresponding small indentation.

How many shiplap boards do I need calculator?

To calculate the area of this shiplap, we multiply the length and width and then divide by 144 to get the result in square feet. You should then round up to at least 258 boards.

How long is a shiplap board?

Pattern Stock Primed Shiplap Board (Common: 1 in. x 8 in. x 12 ft.; Actual: 0.625 in. x 7.12 in.

What is the cheapest way to buy shiplap?

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).

Is MDF good for shiplap?

As long as you’re not installing it in high moisture areas like bathrooms, MDF can work very well as a substitute for shiplap. You’ll get a much smoother finish from this material than you will from wood, and it tends to cost around 5 percent less than its wood counterpart.

How wide is the gap in shiplap?

Spacing the Boards: Enlist spacers to create uniform gaps (typically 1/8 inch) between each board. You can use any type of spacer you’d like, such as the edge of a carpenter’s square or tile spacers. Make sure that you position each board using the same spacer so the boards appear evenly spaced.

Should you stagger shiplap?

Stagger the shiplap boards so that the end joints are spread out along the wall or ceiling randomly. If you stack seams on top of each other, you’ll create an eyesore that draws your eye to the dark lines of the jointed ends. Building pros agree that staggering seams provides a better looking aesthetic.

Can you paint shiplap with a roller?

If you don’t have a paint sprayer, you can still paint shiplap with a paint brush and roller. Simply buckle in for a good chunk of time commitment.

Do you paint shiplap semi gloss?

The Best Paint Sheen for Shiplap If your shiplap is in a high-traffic or moisture-filled room (like an entryway or bathroom) then semi-gloss is the way to go. For a place where it won’t get much contact and you don’t want it to have any shine, choose eggshell or flat.

Do you caulk shiplap?

The edges of the shiplap wall need to be caulked (with paintable caulk) wherever there is molding and then they need to be “cut in” with the paint brush. For my wall, we caulked the gaps along the inside wall corners (where we installed quarter round molding), the floor molding, and the top crown molding.

Do you Miter shiplap corners?

If you’re wrapping shiplap around an inside or outside corner, or down a ceiling-to-wall edge, we always miter all those corners at a 45* angle to ensure a seamless transition and so that it looks like the board is literally wrapping around the corners.

Do you need drywall behind shiplap?

If you are remodeling your home or building new, you may consider installing shiplap in place of drywall in select areas to lower your overall cost. If don’t already have drywall installed, you do not need it as a base for affixing shiplap.

Do you need baseboard with shiplap?

Make sure that your baseboard will cover the space between the floor and the bottom of the shiplap, while having enough shiplap board behind it to support it. Leveling the first board is key: You must get this right at the start, or your shiplap will be crooked all the way up the wall!

Do you paint shiplap before installing?

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.

Do you nail shiplap on every stud?

Once each board is in place, put a single nail at every other stud about an inch above the gap in the newly placed board. Be sure to nail on the same studs that you nailed the first board to, so that the nail pattern is consistent.

What size nails do you use for shiplap?

We recommend using 16- or 18-gauge finish or brad nails. 1-½” to 2” in length should be sufficient. Both gauges are strong enough to hold the lumber securely, but small enough as to not leave a large hole on the face of the board.