Cheap and Easy DIY Shiplap Focal Wall

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.

BEFORE

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.

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

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.

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.

Thanks for following along!

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