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Cheap and Easy DIY Shiplap Focal Wall

Living Room

16 Jan
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LEARN HOW TO MAKE A CHEAP AND EASY DIY SHIPLAP FOCAL WALL WITH THIS SIMPLE TUTORIAL.

I’d been dreaming of doing this for a while now and I’m so glad we finally buckled down and got it done.

Character is something that I crave to have in my house. Even though we bought a newer house (1996), I’m constantly looking for elements to add personality.

Cheap & Easy DIY Shiplap focal wall1

BEFORE

Cheap and Easy Shiplap Focal Wall

Huge shoutout to my dad for making this happen!

What You’ll Need

For the shiplap:

  • Shiplap (I got it from Home Depot)
  • 2 – 1×2 boards
  • Stud finder
  • Nail gun and air compressor
  • Table saw
  • 2″ finish nails
  • Nickel (as a spacer)
  • Paint (or stain)
  • Pencil

 

For the mantel:

  • Mantel
  • 2×4
  • Drill
  • Screws
  • Level

The Process

As you can see in the picture below, we found the studs and marked them on the wall with a pencil. We used a level vertically to make sure the lines were straight.

The shiplap is 8′ long. In our case, we only needed 5 foot pieces. We switched back and forth between a 5 foot cut (leaving us with a 3 foot cut) and a 5 foot cut (which we then cut one foot off of the remaining 3 foot piece). This process gave us 5, 3 and 2 foot pieces. We then staggered them, as seen below.

Cheap and Easy Shiplap Focal Wall

Use your stud finder to find the studs. Use the level to mark them with a pencil all the way up the wall.

Cheap and Easy Shiplap Focal Wall

Once you have the studs, you’re ready to start with the nail gun. We put up the left trim piece first, just to make sure the shiplap was all lining up correctly. This is where you would use the nickel as a spacer.

The shiplap is installed! Now what?

We added a mantel, since we wanted it to feel kind of like a faux fireplace. This part is optional, I suppose, but I think it added a lot. I suggest painting before you add the mantel. We used Benjamin Moore White Dove (it’s my favorite white paint, I just keep a gallon on hand at all times). White paints can be really tricky. There are SO many to choose from.

The reason I love this particular white paint is because it doesn’t have any weird undertones. It’s just a warmer white that looks good with everything.

Cheap and Easy Shiplap Focal Wall

Installing the Mantel

Take your 2×4 and cut it to the correct length for your space. You already know where your studs are, since you nailed the shiplap into them. Use the nails as your guide.

Take your drill and drill some pilot holes in the 2×4 to avoid cracking. Then, make sure the 2×4 is level and screw it into the shiplap.

From there, assuming your mantel is hollow inside, you can screw your mantel into the 2×4 from the top.

Cheap and Easy DIY Shiplap Focal Wall

Cheap and Easy DIY Shiplap Focal Wall Tutorial

All in all

We completed this project for under $100. It adds so much to our room and we love it! We mounted our tv on it, but that’s totally not a necessity. It would be so pretty with some artwork and candlesticks, too.

Cheap and Easy DIY Shiplap Focal Wall

Thanks for following along!

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Cheap and Easy DIY Shiplap Focal Wall

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1 Comment

About Alleigh

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  1. WE SOLD OUR HOUSE! Old House Before and After Tour – Hand Gathered Home says:
    May 28, 2021 at 3:23 am

    […] This space had no focal point when we moved in. I originally wanted to do built in bookshelves across this wall, as well, but it was just too low on the priority list and never got done. I will say though, the added faux fireplace shiplap wall just gave the room a sense of direction. That focal wall cost about $100 and I’m really happy we did it. You can read more about the Cheap and Easy DIY Shiplap Focal Wall here. […]

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Hi! I’m Alleigh, teacher’s wife and mom to Miles. I’m so glad you’re here! Join me and my little family as we add life to our starter house and create a home along the way.

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