DIY Ship Lap Wall

As part of our laundry room makeover for the ORC back in November we put up a ship lap wall with hooks on top. Originally, I wanted to ship lap the whole room, but when you're on a budget, you need to work with what you've got. I love the look of ship lap on walls. I think it gives more architectural interest to a space. Putting up a ship lap wall is super easy! Here's our tutorial:

Material List:

2 sheets of birch 3/16'' thick plywood (@$25 each)

liquid nails for paneling ($5)

nail gun with brads

level

nickels (for the spacing)

Paint (we used Benjamin Moore China White)

  

                                               Here's a good BEFORE picture: BORING!

-Cut strips of plywood at 5 7/8'' width. You can use a full sheet of plywood with almost no scrap with that measurement. Home Depot or Lowes can cut your plywood for you too. Sometimes they charge a small fee, but it's worth it if you don't have the tools or room to cut it yourself.
-Lightly sand the cut edges
-Lay out the first row slightly above the baseboard.

-Use Liquid Nails to adhere the paneling to the wall.
-Use the level to make sure it's straight.
-Nail in place using brads and a nail gun if you have it.
-Lay out the next row using a nickel as a spacer. You'll want to stagger the ends so the seams don't line up.
-Repeat.

Once the boards are adhered and sanded, then you can prime the boards. Steve's got his nice painting clothes on for you.

I chose hooks from IKEA that we installed right onto the boards.

We topped the last row with a piece of decorative trim. We used bullnose trim, but you can use any type of trim or nothing at all.

I definitely see us doing more ship lap walls in our home. I think ship lap looks classic and nautical, which is my favorite look. The half wall with the boards, nails, paint and trim piece above cost about $100. Have you done ship lap walls before?