Enhance your powder room with a shiplap accent wall using this easy DIY guide.
Our townhouse powder room bathroom is quite small.
When exploring powder room ideas in a farmhouse style, shiplap walls were a must-have from the start.
Shiplap walls.
We are already familiar with shiplap in our home.
We have used shiplap closet doors and created farmhouse shiplap walls in the living room.
This marks our first time applying a shiplap accent wall in a bathroom setting.
Simple Steps to Install a Shiplap Accent Wall in a Powder Room
Note: This article includes affiliate links for your convenience when shopping.
What exactly is shiplap?
Webster’s dictionary defines authentic shiplap as “wooden sheathing in which the boards are rabbeted so that the edges of each board lap over the edges of adjacent boards to make a flush joint.”
Shiplap can be arranged in various ways to achieve different aesthetics.
Horizontal installation, like what we used for our powder bathroom refresh, means laying the boards across the wall.
Alternatively, it can be set vertically, resulting in a vertical shiplap wall.
For this project, we are creating a simulated shiplap wall by cutting thin plywood strips, which saves the cost of genuine shiplap boards.
Materials Needed for This Faux Shiplap Wall
- measuring tape
- 1/8 inch rotary mahogany plywood sheets cut to fit your wall's width and length (sometimes called “doorskin plywood”)
- nail gun (brad nailer)
- brad nails (1/2 inch brad nails)
- pennies used as spacers
- wall finish paint
- wall primer paint
- paint roller
- circular cutting tool
- wall finishing paste
- spreading tool
Complete Guide to Installing a Shiplap Feature Wall
1. Determine the exact lumber quantity required
The initial phase of creating a shiplap wall always involves calculations.
However, there is no need to worry, as the task is simpler than it appears!
Begin by measuring the wall's vertical dimension and deciding on the desired board width in inches. Next, gauge the horizontal span of the surface you intend to cover.
I prefer to draft the measurements on paper and bring that diagram along when shopping for materials at the building supply outlet.
2. Acquire the lumber and request it be ripped into strips to achieve the faux shiplap appearance
Because we lack the equipment to divide large plywood panels into strips ourselves, we sourced the material from a retailer offering cutting assistance. (Our preferred destination is the regional Windsor Plywood location; similar services are available at major chains like Lowe’s and Home Depot.)
We arranged for a full 4 x 8 panel of 1/8 inch rotary-cut mahogany plywood to be divided into thirty strips, each measuring 4 1/8 inches in width. The combined expense for the materials and the cutting service amounted to precisely $25.90.
Subsequently, my spouse utilized his circular cutting tool to trim the plywood strips to the exact span needed for the accent wall surface.
3. Apply paint to the wall surface behind the shiplap installation
We have discovered this lesson through experience! If you prefer the gaps between the (faux) shiplap boards to blend in rather than stand out, coat them with the same hue you plan to use on the boards themselves. It is extremely difficult to apply paint into those narrow seams after the panels are affixed!
In our specific project, we first sealed the surface with a versatile primer, followed by applying a coat of Simply White paint to the walls.
Ensure the surface is fully cured before proceeding with the attachment of the faux shiplap panels.
4. Coat the borders of the shiplap panels prior to wall mounting.
We also picked up this clever technique from previous shiplap endeavors. Align the plywood slices and secure them with clamps. Then, employ a roller to coat the exposed edges as a group.
Separate the sections to allow them to dry, and then trim them to the precise length required for the wall section you are addressing.
5.Employ a locating device to identify the vertical framing members within the wall, and mark their positions lightly with a pencil
6.Fasten the shiplap panels to the wall using a pneumatic nailing device
Once the panels have been trimmed to the necessary length, securing them to the wall is a straightforward process using a brad nailer and appropriate fasteners.
An ideal starting position is at the uppermost part of the wall. Position the initial board so it aligns with the external angle where the wall meets the ceiling. Fasten it in place with the nailing device, relying on the pencil markings made with the locating device to ensure accurate spacing.
Position the subsequent plank beneath the uppermost board, inserting a few pennies as spacers to maintain a small separation between the pieces, then secure it using the nail gun.
Proceed downward along the wall until you reach the base.
It might be necessary to tailor some boards to accommodate electrical outlets, such as the telephone cable outlet in our instance.
After affixing the shiplap to the wall, cover the nail punctures and apply paint.
Installing the shiplap behind the toilet presented a minor challenge, yet the slender sections fit smoothly behind the toilet tank.
We used drywall compound to conceal the nail holes, followed by priming and the final coat of Benjamin Moore’s Simply White (two coats).
Ensure you utilize the correct initial sealing paint, consulting your local paint store for the appropriate primer, to achieve a beautiful white shiplap; otherwise, plywood oils could bleed through and alter the color.
Consider adding two shiplap accent walls if that appeals to you!
With leftover shiplap, we chose to cover the wall near where the vanity will be situated.
This technique using faux shiplap created a delightful accent wall treatment for a powder room costing less than $30, and we are thrilled with the result!
View the video to observe the installation of an accent shiplap wall within a bathroom!
I filmed segments of this procedure for my Instagram stories, and I thought you would enjoy seeing it in action.
Curious to see how this powder room transformation looked before the changes?
The powder room before post contains all the relevant information!
Access my proprietary method for economical room updates!
Throughout my experience, I have completed numerous highly affordable room renovations.
I have consistently applied this straightforward methodology across every project, which I've compiled into a helpful guide alongside a complimentary printable worksheet.
