From time to time I would go into our front sitting room (seen below) and would try and figure out what was “off” I liked the room but never liked spending much time in it. I have always been a minimalist, so this room was always too busy for me, to the point that it was unsettling. It also felt a little cave-like. I kept dreaming of an open floor plan with a bright airy feeling and faux shiplap walls.
One typical Tuesday morning I was driving home from school drop-off and made a split second decision and turned left towards Home Depot… and this is a documentation of what occurred in the next 48 hours…
I walked straight to the paneling section in the lumber isle and started comparing board widths, finishes etc. I ultimately decided on a 7/32″ plywood. After some calculating I guesstimated I would need 6 sheets.
My sidekick helped me locate a nice gentleman that could do me a HUGE favor. I needed all the panels cut down into 6″ planks. He was AWESOME and was happy to oblige. 
After our impromptu trip to Home Depot, this is what the rest of our day looked like…
Faux Shiplap Walls – Fast & Easy Install
Within 25 minutes the front room looked a little like this…
Here is what I did. I started by sanding the edges of the planks. I applied these planks to the wall using an 16 gauge nailer. Worked like a charm.
Faux Shiplap Walls – Spacing for Outlets
I cut all the pieces to fit. Making sure to cut out spaces for the outlet placement.
I made sure to stagger the board seams so that it didn’t create a predictable visible pattern. 
Faux Shiplap Walls – Nail Holes
At this point, I used nail hole filler on all the nail holes. After the filler dried, I smoothed out the nail filler patches with a fine sandpaper.
So NOW it’s time to prime! This was a rather time-consuming process. I didn’t want the cracks to be filled with paint, so in between coats I would used a box cutter blade to prevent the gap from filling. 
In retrospect, I wished I had primed the edges before fastening to the wall. 
Which is what I did, on the adjacent wall. ( No, it was not apart of the original plan.) 😉
Faux Shiplap Walls – Top Coat
For the topcoat, I used Behr Ultra Pure White. I used a piece of trim on the edges in order to hide the end edges. I followed up with caulk, it creates a very finished look! Look how pretty! 
I know that to some this may not be an improvement, but I really like it! 
I still have a lot of plans for this room, so stay tuned. It’s gonna be good!
Corey
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Elic says
February 5, 2015 at 4:30 pmI love the crate wall, but I sure can see that it is busy. The “Steampunk” art on the other wall is nice, but also busy. Like what you did, I’d hate that striped wall, but that’s me. You can ship me the crates any time! LOL!
coreydecker@gmail.com says
February 5, 2015 at 5:38 pmAGREED! I liked all of the components individually, and unfortunately it was the catch all space for any decor I wasn’t sure what to do with! It’s so much more welcoming now! Ha, I did sell of a majority of the crates, loved em, but it was time for them to go.
Jill @ The Rozy Home says
February 6, 2015 at 1:10 pmIt looks great! I may steal this for the kiddos playroom. I keep going back and forth on what to do down there.
Brenda says
February 23, 2015 at 7:44 amI love this idea I think I will try this in my grandson’s room. Love you website!!!
coreydecker@gmail.com says
February 26, 2015 at 1:39 amThank you so much, and thanks for taking the time to say so!
Erin Jackson says
March 4, 2015 at 5:12 pmThis is my first time reading your blog and I LOVE it. Not many bloggers can use power tools and sew, which has never made sense to me. I love that you can do both! (I have a whole shop full of power tools and own two sewing machines.) I’m really looking forward to seeing more of what you do!
coreydecker@gmail.com says
March 5, 2015 at 1:37 amThanks Erin, I am with you, if you can use a sewing machine, and aren’t afraid of power tools, there isn’t much you can’t do! Thanks for reading~ !
Anita Anderson says
March 9, 2015 at 12:31 amHi. I am doing it! Home Depot here I come. Are you happy with the paint color?
coreydecker@gmail.com says
March 11, 2015 at 3:06 amAre you referencing the “greige” or the white ? Either way I love both of them!
Lauren says
March 9, 2015 at 1:25 pmOkay, that’s it. You’ve convinced me. I’m definitely going to do this in our foyer. It was really cute before but so clean and crisp now! Love it even more. 🙂 How much did all the wood cost?
coreydecker@gmail.com says
March 11, 2015 at 3:04 amHey lady, I love it too, it is a new favorite. I did a fairly large wall an the partial accent wall. I think I used 5 sheets at $10 a piece ? I think the powder room is next! 🙂
Nola DelaRiva says
March 9, 2015 at 6:14 pmHow did you gap the boards and did you use a stud finder to make sure of good grip? Also did you use flat, eggshell or gloss for topcoat? Probably would use primer paint in one for less work (smile). How wide was the trim piece used and did you also trim out the corner where walls meet?
I love your idea, perfect when you want a casual environment. I am going to use in kitchen as well as ceilings, so affordable and thank you for assisting me with my conundrum of dealing with my ceilings. I used bead board on my kitchen ceiling, tongue and groove and such work this should be much easier.
Thanks again, love, love, love your idea.
coreydecker@gmail.com says
March 11, 2015 at 3:01 amFor the gaps, I actually used a painters straight edge. I used a semi-gloss, it did have a primer in it, but even with it. I still prefer to use a primer. I can usually plan on two coats, especially with raw wood. It is cheaper to do one coat with primer I find. But with most projects you are right. Paint and primer are a good way to go. I did use a small piece of quarter round where the boards meet. I agree it is perfect for a casual environment, and I love the airy feel it creates. Thanks for reading.
Erin says
March 19, 2015 at 3:43 pmOh how I wish I could convince my hubs to do shiplap! It looks great! Thanks for sharing!
Erin
coreydecker@gmail.com says
March 20, 2015 at 1:04 amHaha, you can always do what I do, “Surprise hun! Look what I did today!”
haha.
Lori says
March 19, 2015 at 9:10 pmwhen you say you painted the edges but did not want to paint the crack I’m confused if you painted the edges when you put the boards on the wall than isn’t the crack painted? I love how it turned out
coreydecker@gmail.com says
March 20, 2015 at 1:02 amLori, Sorry for the confusion, I wanted the edges of the board painted, but if you put on too much paint, it will fill the crack. I still wanted there is to be a visible crack. Hopefully that helps ? Thanks for reading!
Kim S says
April 29, 2015 at 2:34 pmWhat is the width that you cut your boards? I have been so undecided between the shiplap and beadboard, then I seen your post and made up my mind. Love it!!!
coreydecker@gmail.com says
May 1, 2015 at 12:53 amMine are just shy of 6″ wide. Good luck!
jan says
May 7, 2015 at 9:36 pmI wonder how this would be as a backsplash. I was heading towards white subway times, but now…hmmm
Lynn says
May 13, 2015 at 1:21 pmLooks great! What color paint is on the wall above the planks?
coreydecker@gmail.com says
May 13, 2015 at 4:36 pmIt is “Silver Birch By: Glidden! Thanks for reading
Rebekah // Charming Imperfections says
May 15, 2015 at 1:24 pmOooh! I’ve been trying to come up with a way to do a faux shiplap wall and this is it! Love the look; you are right, it’s much nicer now that it’s bright and open.