My Shiplap Fireplace DIY

My Shiplap Fireplace DIY

Thanks to Chip and Joanna Gaines,”shiplap” has become a part of a main stream global conversation. As a result shiplap has now and and will forever, hold a very special place in the history of interior design.

When we custom built our house a couple years ago, shiplap was not a considered a design staple, as it is today. Our builders design center did not have, or even offer, shiplap as an “add” or option for us. So we opted to leave our fireplace wall blank in our great room. We had hoped that we would install our own shiplap after getting settled in. Sadly, from the pictures below, you can see how the lack of a full fireplace facade makes the room very unfinished, a total blank slate.

Only a few months after our closing, I was so excited to learn that one of our local big box retailers had recently started to carry a faux version of shiplap, in a beautiful gray barn wood color. Now you can actually get the entire Rustic Collection Shiplap collection online and delivered directly to your door which is so much simpler. It also comes in several other beautiful colors, I had originally wanted to do white shiplap, but I truly fell in love the rustic gray. I decided, if I should ever change my mind about the color I could always paint it white to match the rest of my trim at a later date. We devised a plan to install shiplap above the fireplace up to the top of our 22 foot ceiling. Please keep in mind this is not a DIY for the faint of heart an anyone that is afraid of heights, lol. One major piece of equipment that we needed to complete the project was scaffolding.  We decided to rented a two story, bakers rack scaffolding available at Sunbelt, a local tool rental company, for a very reasonable day rate. 
Once we got the scaffolding all set up, my husband enlisted the help of one of our neighbors to help install the shiplap boards. It turns out that he was also interested in working with product for his home, too for a a future nursery. So it was a great time to see how the product was to work with and it really helped us out too. The plan was to first make a grid, by using the exterior trim boards, running from the mantle to the ceiling. Then filled in the frame work with the shiplap panels. Which we custom cut to size for each section, which keep everything plumb. By choosing to install a grid first, we created a perfectly straight visual line all the way up to the ceiling. Then by measuring each of the boards to go inside the grid, we were able to avoid any uneven or bowed boards, to form a perfect vertical view. Another really important tip is, we chose to start with a full board at the top and work our way down. The reason for this was to insure that the ripped board, if needed, would be installed at the bottom, directly into the top of the existing mantle. This would help to covered the board by the TV and sound bar. Therefore the ripped board, would not be blatantly visible while sitting or standing in the room, as it would near the ceiling. In my experience, your eye will always have a tendency to travel the to imperfections in a room first. This is very unfortunate truth, and an absolute fact.

TIP: It is always important to think through your entire DIY project and visualize the end result, prior to starting. As exciting as it is to start a project, this step can truly save you a lot of re-work or heartache.

This was our final result, and we are very happy with the out come of this project. What a huge difference the shiplap makes for the overall design of this room. I have to tell you, I have a feeling my shiplap addiction will not be end here. I already have a few more projects and ideas up my sleeve. If you liked this DIY and love shiplap you may want to check out our posts on The Shiplap Dropzone, The $100 Room Challenge Shiplap Linen Closet , and our DIY Cedar Ceiling Beams.

DIY TIP: This project would be considered more on an intermediate skill level.  You must have the proper tools, and basic carpentry knowledge for this task.

*This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. You can view my full advertising disclosure here.

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76 Comments

  1. I had never heard of shiplap until now but it looks so so good! When I own my own place I would love to add this in!

  2. Jennifer

    I know am right there with you. Shiplap has recently been a huge development in interior designs. Mainly brought to the forefront by the Chip and Joanna Gaines on HGTV’s Fixer Upper.

  3. Jimmi

    I know this is not original shiplap but it does looks really good. Where did you find it? Was it already ready the weather gray color if not what paint did you use?

  4. Jimmi, it is available at Home Depot and is already painted Behr Gray. Thanks for stopping by and checking out our little blog. 🙂

  5. Chieko Tisch

    Good topic. I need to spend a while studying much more about ship lap and diy work. Thanks for excellent information that I was searching for on my ship lap mission.

  6. Sharon

    Say, you got a nice posthere. Really thank you for sharing this great idea!

  7. Aubrey Andrews

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  8. Cathy Clausan

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  9. Addison Wheeler

    An interesting discussion here is your price comment, I agree on the DIY part. I love that you are saving us money by doing it ourselves. Cheers to that!

  10. Natalie Fanwright

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  11. Angie Pickler

    Can I just say what a relief to find somebody who actually is aware of what theyre talking about on the internet. You positively know how to bring an issue out and make it important. I can’t imagine you’re not more popular since you positively have the gift of design.

  12. Beth

    I believe that you should write more on this topic, ship lap is currently all the rage thanks to Fixer Upper, which is sadly being cancelled. Maybe you should contact HGTV and fill that slot! Cheers to your future.

  13. Our Little Fox Hole

    Shiplap addiction…hahahah me too. I love the stuff an its all over my house. My mother law says I am living in a pine box before I die…..hahahaha no accounting for taste. The helpful guidelines indicates much to me and even more to my peers. Thanks a ton; from all of us.

  14. sunshine and daisies

    You really made a beautiful area there. The fireplace desperately needed something to draw the eye up in that palatial room. Now it is a gorgeous center piece for you guest to focus on. I am glad you use barn wood/shiplap verses the tired old fashioned look of stone. Plus I can tell you I have stone and it is hard to keep clean since it is porous, soot smears, and smoke will discolor it over the years, but you can actually repaint yours if that happens to you.

  15. mama 3.0

    I learned lots of details, which included what it is like to possess a marvelous mindset, and to let many more various extremely tough topics work themselves out. You really did more than my expectations and created a beautiful mantle. Thank you for supplying these great ideas on the topic to me.

  16. Sybil Kavanaugh

    I love shiplap but it is not a native thing here in Seattle. So the fact I can purchase this great looking product has me over the moon. This warm and helpful suggestions indicates to me what a great person you are. Many thanks, from everyone of us out here.

  17. Pink Warrior Walker

    A powerful share for me since I love shiplap almost as much as Joanna Gaines. I really feel strongly about it and love reading everything I can on this topic. If possible, as you become a expert, would you add your thoughts and continue to update your weblog with extra particulars you might find? It’s extremely helpful for me. Large thumb up for this amazing weblog!

  18. Once I saw this magnificent ship lap on your wall I knew I would have to hunt it down and start a weekend project. Does it work in area like a bathroom, with steam and such? Just wondering if you had it anywhere else in your home.

  19. The product is very hardy and holds up to lots of conditions, including direct rain. I made a outdoor sign with my leftover cuts and it has been outside for over a year now and still looks great.

  20. 42 herber

    Certainly have enjoyed this post as well. There are several more enjoyable periods ahead for people who take a look at your blog, including me.

  21. kelli booth

    Good day! I just want to give an enormous thumbs up for the good information you have got here on this post.This is such a great idea, I can tell that I am starting to nest, as my wedding gets closer.

  22. The DIY girl

    Keep up the fantastic pieces of work coming I am really loving your site these days, I read few articles on this website a few month ago, web actually before summer vacay and I decided that your website is really interesting and contains sets of great information. Now that I am back and had sometime to look at it your site has really stepped up it’s game, I am so proud of you work and accomplishments. Keep on doing what your are doing it is one a matter of time that big design firms will be knocking on your door.

  23. Katie Moore

    I love shiplap, ever since I saw Joanna Gaines uncover it on her first show. I gotta say I really love this grayish color you have, it is so pretty. Clearly it is not antique or original but it still looks great on the fireplace. I am pinning this beauty to my home dreams board so I can show my hubby. I really do love it, so I feel your addiction.

  24. NVMD

    You made some decent points here about how to install and wall of ship lap. It appeared on the internet and Pinterst for the issue of most people and now people will be drawn to your website.

  25. Yanitza

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  26. the cheap jordan’s

    I’m not certain I would’ve achieved my ship lap room without these secrets discussed by you directly on this blog post. It had been a very frightful scenario from my view, but understanding this expert advice you treated me to helped tremendously. I have high hopes that you are aware of a great job you are doing by instructing others from your site.

  27. Jewel Carter

    Thanks for actually being so kind and for figuring out this installation for the rest of us to copy. I ti is very kind of you and you provided superb useful guides most people are really needing to understand about this installation. Thanks again!

  28. Tina

    I found a bundle of information on how to do this here. Sometimes it is so hard to find out about how to actually do things like this. You sure made a bunch of time saving and nice points in this features also.

  29. Tina

    I just want to mention I am very new to blogs and actually enjoyed you’re blog. Most likely I’m likely to bookmark your site . You actually come with impressive article content. Thanks for sharing your web-site.

  30. gigi58

    I truly want ship lap some where in my house, button an entire room of it. This is just the perfect amount, I think over the mantle would look good in my home too. Check out all you details on where to get the beautiful wood.

  31. April Helmsworth

    Love everything about this project, Thank you for all the great ideas and inspiration!

  32. Gloria Flacks

    I am happy for this service and I have high hopes for you and your blog. I know that you are very talented and have lots of great ideas to share with us all, this being one of them.

  33. Home at Mimi’s

    Thanks for exhibiting your own work on this website. This blog has really great potential in going viral, you have great ideas and show all your followers how to achieve your results. You’re doing a tremendous job.

  34. Urban Farmgirl

    Looks look more ship lap, you know how i love it so! This is really a fantastic application too. It really frames out your fireplace nicely.

  35. Georgia Gal

    My husband and I are big fan of ship lap, barn wood and all the Fixer style wall treatments. Love how you added this to your double story mantle. It really looks great. We have been wondering what to do with ours and now I think we found our answer. Thanks

  36. Terry Haide

    I would like to convey my affection for your ship lap addiction. I too suffer from this addiction as well. Thank you so much for supporting people that really want assistance with the content for installation. Your personal commitment to passing the solution across was quite interesting and has always made somebody like me to achieve their desired goals.

  37. Dandelion Dreams

    I can not believe I did not see this article before now. Thank goodness for you Room Challenge link. I have been wanting to do this exact project but did not know where to start. Thank you so much for the shiplap/barnwood details this is exactly what I needed.

  38. Addie Mae Says

    We really want to add some shiplap to out home, thanks for all the advice.

  39. My Sunnies

    I would like to convey my affection for your beautiful ship lap mantle, it is very impressive that you installed it yourself. Nice post and another great design idea, FYI I am bookmarking you so I can kind you easily.

  40. Fiona Mullison

    “Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon.”

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  42. I see so many post about shiplap and in all different colors. I really love this one the gray barn wood color is really pretty and so popular right now. Thanks for including the link to find the vendor that is super helpful.

  43. Alicia @ What a Difference A Day Makes

    I simply want to say I am just newbie to your weblog and I have absolutely loved your page and style so much, thanks for sharing with us your blog site.

  44. Adventure Trips in India

    Thank you for your article post. Cool.

  45. The Delightful Farmhouse

    This is also a great idea to update older stone or brick that you no longer like. I have older house that needs so newer touches and we are thinking about casing the fireplace this would be a great option, thanks!

  46. Farmhouse Fixer Upper

    I hope you all have a great week, I was checking out your site and saw word search on the sidebar I just had to click shiplap and I found this post, which some how I had missed, I guess it was one of your older ones. First I got to say so glad I check out the text word search and that is cross referenced the post, brilliant, second wow what and amazing upgrade you did to your home. I did not know this was something you installed.

  47. Margie

    I really like how this mantle looks, I even like that you cindered painting it white too.

  48. Payton Krasner

    I recently discovered your blog I have been catching some of your older posts, this one is really great, I love the way you added shiplap to create your own mantle. I personally like it better than any brick or stone your could have had installed, it is so much warmer and inviting. Nice work.

  49. Colleen Draper

    I was thinking about boxing in my older stone fireplace, since I really do not care for the round rock they used. This would be a nice type of finish for the the box to make my farmhouse feel rustic.

  50. The Blue Arrow

    I really really love that mantle you created, I think I am going to add men to our home like that one now.

  51. Carol@BlueskyatHome

    I love this project your really made that two-story great room mantle a feature. The fact you chose not to use stone is impressive, I like that you kept it simple and stuck to the farmhouse look your wanted, good for you.

  52. Hardine@ Hillo Maisteri

    I truly appreciate this post on shiplap.Thanks Again for all the hard work you put in to this site.

  53. Ara Patria

    Very interesting idea and the subject of ship lap is so popular right now you SEO is killing it! “Integrate what you believe into every single area of your life”- Meryl Streep.

  54. Pracreation

    I am very interested in the this entire shiplap movement, I need to research more about it.

  55. Fozzie Moto

    I just linked over from the Dropzone post and I am so impressed with the two story mantle you created for your home in the same wood finish. Wowza that is impressive.

  56. Franie Deibler

    I am so surprised at how shiplap has become such a major part of design these days. I love that something old is now new again.

  57. Land of Nod

    I love this idea of putting shiplap up for a mantle this is so pretty and not just another brick of stone fireplace which you see everywhere. You have a beautiful vision for home design.

  58. britney_felder

    Your style is unique in comparison to other people that I’ve read stuff from, thanks for posting so much and when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I’ll just be bookmark this blog site to keep in touch.

  59. Maybelle Schulte

    Hello, I love seeing all this shiplap in homes nowadays. I have had it for years before it was trendy and now I am on point. Your home is lovely and I am happy to see all your future projects.

  60. Shiplap My Home

    I love it when individuals get together and share ideas, clearly I am also a shiplap fan so you know I loved the post! Great site, keep it up!

  61. To me, little or no explanation is necessary it just beautiful.

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  66. Gretchen

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