I’ve had second thoughts about choosing the basement rec room to makeover for the One Room Challenge primarily because I can’t seem to get a decent photo given the 0% natural light and 100% florescent lighting!
I guess I will need to find someone much more skilled than me to take photos for the Week 6 reveal but until then I hope you’ll bear with me.:-)
This week I was able to pretty much finish the storage wall system (I still have a few trim pieces to add) as well as add a shiplap wall treatment!
As a refresher last week I had gotten as far as the photo below by using this tutorial and then this tutorial.
I added another shelf on top of the bookcases in order to completely hide the steel support poles that are in my basement. But for those who plan of making a wall storage system like mine you wouldn’t need to add an extra shelf.
I will be sure to write up a post on how I built the entire storage wall system and for only $100 but for today let’s talk shiplap.
I’ve noticed shiplap being used a lot more and love it’s relaxed, somewhat coastal vibe. I love it in this classic bathroom below.
via STUDIO MCGEE
via Pinterest
I thought it would be fun to use between the bookcases and as an eventual backdrop to the TV we will have there. It is very easy to install and economical too if you use MDF instead of real wood.
How to Install Shiplap
I bought a 4′ x 8′ sheet of 1/2″ MDF at Home Depot for $30. Then I had it cut into 8 inch strips for free at Home Depot.
When I got home I laid them out as shown above and spray painted them (more on that in a future post). Once they had a couple of coats of white paint (I used Behr’s alkyd enamel) I started installing them.
It’s important to start from the bottom and to use a level to make sure the first board is nailed in completely level.
After nailing in the first board I lined up several pennies on top of it…
and then placed another board on top of the pennies and nail it in.
Once the board had been nailed in I pulled the pennies out and put them on top of that board. I continued this process until I got to the top.
After I nailed them all in I filled in the nail holes with spackle and plan to do a light, last coat of paint with a foam roller.
I feel like this shiplap wall treatment gives a lot of bang for the buck!
As for this week I’ll be working on getting the ceiling done (I will likely need to hire an electrician). Originally between the two steal beams there was a super low drop down ceiling and I hated how cave like it made that part of the basement feel.
So I took down the drop down ceiling in that area only to discover that the previous owners who had finished the basement had jimmy rigged the lighting in a super dangerous way hence needing to hire an electrician to fix it.
As you can see above I thought about just painting the wood beams white and leaving them exposed but have decided instead to try installing wide headboard for the ceiling and having 6 can lights installed in that area.
I would also like to get the TV in the space sometime this week. We’ll see how it goes!! Here is a a projection that I mocked up in photoshop of how it might look with the TV and headboard ceiling.
Little by little!! What do you think of shiplap?? Let me know if you questions and don’t forget to check out the progress of the other One Room Challenge participants, Here!
As always thanks for being here!:-)
Follow me on Pinterest and Instagram for more decorating ideas and inspiration!
Related Posts From the Blog:
The Importance of Architectural Details & DIY Media Wall Unit
DIY Beadboard Ceiling + The Fall Season
Basement Rec Room Makeover Reveal! (ORC Week 6)
How to Paint a Gray Weathered Finish on Furniture
DIY Horizontal Board & Batten
Our Media Room Makeover Reveal
Gersby Bookcase IKEA Hack
DIY Chic Marble Top Console Table
Room looks so much NEATER, clean and up to date! good job!
Thank you, Mary Ruth!
love it! very inspiring! I wish I could see it in person! I will definitely
be doing shiplap….
Lol, Wendy, I know how you love to try out all the different kinds of wall treatments!:-) Miss you!
Looking really good, Tamara! I admire you ladies who jump right in and build stuff.
Thank you, Jana!:-)
Looking great!
Thank you!
It looks great so far! Can’t wait to see the finished project!
Thank you, Vineta!!
Love the built ins and the shiplap adds great detail. I would love to try this in our house, now I’ve got my tutorial, I just need to choose a wall! 😉
Awesome, Kimm! Thanks for dropping by!!
Wow! How long did it take altogether?
The shiplap went pretty fast. The wall storage system I worked on over time so it would be really hard to say. I’ll have to think about it!
Your built ins are looking great and the shiplap is the perfect touch!
Why do u leave space with ship Lap? Can u just butt it together
Hi, Barbara, you can just butt it together but then it’s more a planked wall rather than a shiplap wall. Shiplap has a more distinct gap between the rows of wood.
I was wondering if it’s an issue to leave a gap in a bathroom? Will moisture be an issue? I want to do this in my son’s bathroom.
Hi Kimberly, that’s a great question. I looked it up on google and couldn’t find anything about it. I have seen SO many high end homes with shiplap in a bathroom that I would assume there isn’t any problem. Sorry I couldn’t be more help!
thank for this!
Aw, you’re welcome, Marlene!!:-)
I love ship lap too but I want the real overlapping edge (tongue and groove) None of this imitation stuff . The “Real”- knots , small insect cavities one dings in the wood make it 100%nicer . I used a min wax pickling stain in a white tone and varethaned . It was so nice . A little more work but so much more character .
I bet it look great, Ruth!:-)
Tamara I was searching Pinterest for shiplap inspiration and came across your post! How did I not read this before!! Such a fantastic post!! It looks awesome! : )
Thank you, Lacey!! Glad to have you come by my friend!!:-)
Pretty boss. I’m more of a nickel spacing kind of guy though. 🙂
Tamara! I found your post a it shiplap and am wondering if you’ve experimented with plywood vs MDF?? I see a lot of DIY using plywood isn’t…. Just wondering your thoughts ❤️
Hi, Stacey, thanks for your question! I’ve only used MDF for shiplap so I can’t say which is better. The plywood that I’ve worked with for other projects hasn’t been very smooth but perhaps there is such a thing as pre-sanded plywood. I can tel you that I had a super positive experience using MDF sheet “ripped” to 8 inch pieces. I would do this method again in a heartbeat! Best wishes in whichever you choose!!:-)
your wall is made by wood?
Can you do this type of wall on jus framed new walls? No dry wall
Hi Michelle! Thanks for the question! It wouldn’t be the “right” way to do it. I’m sure contractors would say no. But technically it does seem like it would work.:-) I would just make sure first that there aren’t any laws that say for a room to be considered finished it has to be drywalled.
great tips – we’re going to do this next weekend in my daughter’s new condo! Question regarding the staggering of seams. I don’t see seams (where the boards end) in your pictures and wondered how you staggered the boards being that the wall is longer than the planks. thanks!
Hi, Lisa, that’s a great question! I actually only had to deal with one seam since I mostly only had the shiplap going between two bookcases that weren’t that far apart. When I did the shiplap above the bookcases I had a seam. I just butted the two boards up against each other and added white caulk in the seam, smoothed it out and let it dry, and then lightly sanded it. I have heard that it doesn’t matter how you stagger the boards just as long as the boards don’t end in the same places on the wall…so that they eye isn’t drawn to a clump of seams all in a vertical line on the wall. Does that make sense? Congrats to your daughter on her new condo!!:-)
thanks a bunch! I’ll send before & after picts!
Awesome! Would love to see them!:-)