DIY Shiplap

Shiplap is one of the most inexpensive and easy way to give a room a farmhouse flair. All you need is 1×6 or 1×8 standard pine boards, table saw, chisel, hammer and nails (or a brad nailer), tape measure. and a level.
First, measure the length and height of the wall you want to shiplap. Standard boards come in lengths of up to 16′. If your wall is more than 16′, you can use the cut end of the second board to start the next row.
To calculate the height, a 1×6 is really 1×5 1/2 and we are going to rabbet the edges so we can deduct another 3/8″. So divide the height of your wall by either 5 1/8 or 7 1/8 (depending on the height you are using). If you don’t get close to a full number, you can adjust your rabbet. For example, a 95″ wall height using 1×6 would take 18 1/2 boards. Since we don’t won’t the last board to 2 1/2″ wide, we can adjust the rabbet to 1/4″ and get very close to needing just over 18 boards. If it was just under 18 boards, you would need to keep adjusting or you will end up with a gap. I would rather rip the last board down than have to stick a piece of quarter round at the top to cover a gap.

Cut the front top and back bottom of each board except for your top and bottom boards. Those will only need one side cut. Depending on the depth you are cutting, you can either chisel the rest of the wood out, or you can adjust your fence to run it through your saw again and again.

If needed, smooth the edge with a chisel. Next, sand all of your boards with 220 grit sandpaper. Then, let the fun begin!

Start from the bottom. Use a level to make sure your first board is straight, then nail it up with either a brad nailer or good ole fashion hammer and nails. Continue stacking board after board until you reach the top.

I am shiplapping a fireplace, I cut my face boards 1 1/2″ longer to cover the 3/4″ endgrain on the side boards, However, I still ended up trimming the edges with 1×3 pine to keep it a little cleaner looking. We also left the bottom 2 boards on the left unnailed because our dish and blueray player is in the top of the left cabinet. So when one of our lovely pieces of entertainment dies, we can pull those boards out to reconnect to the TV without tearing everything up.

Last, add some paint!
To get a weathered look, consider staining some of the knots before you paint and sanding the paint with 220 grit paper.

 

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