Calling all Joanna Gaines wanna be’s… are you dying for the look of shiplap, but not ready to commit to the real thing? Do you currently live in a rental where you can make any changes to your living space? Or maybe you don’t have access to an arsenal of power tools at your disposal. For me, I’m the queen of indecisiveness so it’s hard for me to make a big time commitment to any design trend. The thought of destroying a whole wall of drywall for something I might not like in the future makes me a little leary.
My IG buddy Amanda @houseoncanal has this AMAZING shiplap wall in her home. When I asked her about it, she told me it wasn’t even real, and I couldn’t believe it! It was peel and stick wallpaper! After that, I was sold. I knew this DIY project wouldn’t be easy, but it would be well worth it to get the “Fixer Upper” look. Here’s how to apply shiplap wallpaper…
Materials
- Devine Color Textured Shiplap Peel & Stick Wallpaper -Ultra White (I chose to use this wallpaper, because I loved how it had texture which gives it a more realistic look. Also, I found the price to be really affordable as well.)
- Wallpaper plastic smoother
- Measuring Tape
- Craft Knife
- Ruler to use as a straight edge
Instructions
- The first step is determining how much wallpaper you’ll actually need. You need to measure the space you hope to wallpaper. If you choose to use the same wallpaper that I did, there’s enough in one roll to cover 27.5 square feet. I ended up using 5 rolls for the space.
- Before getting started, I would highly recommend watching this video first. It helped me to understand the whole process.
- Then, you’ll want to find a friend to help you out. This is most definitely a two person project. Also, I wouldn’t recommend the hubby for this one unless he has the patience of a saint. Mine almost lost it over the first piece. lol
- Before getting started, I would highly recommend cutting and lining up all your sheets of wallpaper. Not only do the lines on the shiplap need to match up, but you’ll also need to match the grains of the woods as well. If you’re using the Devine Color Shiplap Wallpaper, there are four different wood grains and then the pattern repeats. We found it easiest to look for the one piece that had a “knot” in the wood, and then we were able to line up the other grains off that piece.
- I would also recommend cutting one additional “shiplap piece” each time that you cut measure a new piece. Then when you get to the very end, you can just cut off all the bottoms. When you go to cut using your craft knife and ruler for a straight edge, I would also recommend using a scrap piece of cardboard to cut into.
- When you go to stick your first piece, start at the top of the wall and only pull the backing off for a couple of feet rather than the whole piece to get started. Then once you get the top portion on, you can gradually pull the backing off more and more. The best part about the wallpaper is that it’s very forgiving. You can peel and re-stick a number of times if you need to. So don’t feel like you have to get it perfect on the first try. But, I will say that the first piece important that it’s perfectly straight, because it sets the tone for the rest of the wall.
- I found that using the wallpaper smoother to take all the air bubbles out before moving to the next piece was very helpful. There were just a few air bubbles that we weren’t able to work out, so at the end, we used a very small needle to “pop” the bubble and flatten it out. After that you couldn’t even tell it was there!
- As you work your way along the wall adding each new piece, use the straight edge to insure the shiplap lines are staying straight along the wall. This is important! If it’s not straight, peel off and try again.
- If there’s a certain piece giving you trouble or maybe you peeled and tried to re-stick one too many times, don’t be afraid to patch in with multiple pieces. We had to do this a few times, and I promise you really cannot even tell. We actually just laid one piece over the next piece vertically to line up the pattern, and it was as good as new.
- Once you get all of the pieces up, I found it easiest to go back at the very end and cut off all of the excess wallpaper on the bottom to line up with the trim on the wall. Then you’re done! That’s how to apply shiplap wallpaper.
All in all, I am in LOVE with how this turned out. For wallpaper, it actually looks very very realistic. I’d be lying to say this was the easiest DIY project, I’ve ever done. So if you’re going to take this on, be sure to have lots of patience and take your time. In the end, the finished product really is worth it.
This project is just the beginning of our home office makeover. I can’t wait to show you the progress. Check back in to see the finished look.
xo,
lauren
No Comments