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Are you thinking about making a DIY shiplap headboard or a fun accent wall in your home? In today’s post, I’m sharing how we created a simple headboard wall on a budget.
We have a window in our bedroom that makes it a little challenging to decorate and place furniture.
I wanted to create an accent wall that also acted as a headboard, so we could have the visual appeal of a headboard but not the awkwardness of placing one in front of the window.
So, this DIY shiplap headboard wall idea was born and we got to work!
DIY Shiplap Headboard Wall
I love the way this accent wall turned out, and it makes the perfect headboard to give our bedroom some texture and design.
Having this headboard wall makes the window not feel so awkward and out of place.
I’m so happy with the way this headboard wall turned out!
If you want to make your own DIY shiplap headboard or shiplap accent wall, I’ve got our materials list and directions below.
Materials & Tools Needed:
1/2″ plywood – We used 2 4′ X 8′ sheets, but this will depend on the size of your wall.
White Paint – I used my favorite Valspar Perfect White in Satin
Table Saw – Used to cut the plywood down into strips, but you can ask for this to be done in the lumber department.
Miter Saw – Used to cut the strips to the perfect length.
Air Nail Gun & 16 gauge 2″ nails – Used to nail the plywood strips into the studs.
Small Paint Roller or Paint Brush – A mini paint roller would work great here, and you will also need a paint brush to get all the edges.
Nickels or spacers – We used nickels to space our boards and get an even gap between the boards.
Level, tape measure and pencil – Used to get a starting level line at the top.
Wood filler and sander – Used to fill nail holes before painting.
Stud finder – Use to find studs to nail the boards into.
Directions:
1. Paint the wall or space white.
Since there were going to be gaps between the planks, we went ahead and painted the area white so that the gaps would be white, too.
2. Cut your plywood into planks.
I’ve seen people use 4″, 6″ and 8″ wide planks for a shiplap wall. We chose 6″.
Using the table saw, we cut our plywood down into 6″ wide planks.
3. Paint the top and bottom edges of the planks.
Before we installed any planks, we painted the top and bottom edges of each plank. This would be harder to paint after installed, since the boards will be so close together.
4. Mark your studs and make a level starting line.
You will want to nail the planks into the wall studs, so have these measured before you put any boards up.
A stud finder works great for this, and sometimes you can find the studs by using a flashlight and looking for imperfections created from the nails of the studs. Studs are usually spaced 16″ apart and will be found around windows, outlets, and the corners of the room.
We used a level to make a starting line for our first board. You will want to start at the top and work your way down.
5. Install the planks with the nail gun.
We installed the first full board, and then measured the remaining length of the wall for the second board.
I knew we didn’t want to create a pattern, so we cut the next board at a random length, then measured for the next pieces.
We used nickels to space our boards evenly along the way.
Continuing down, we measured so the boards would end up at different places, so it didn’t create a pattern.
The bottom board needed to be cut lengthwise, so we used a table saw for that.
For outlets or anything else you need to cut around, you can cut the board to length, then bring it into the space and measure and mark your cuts on the board.
6. Fill nail holes and sand.
After all the boards were installed, we used wood filler to fill the nail holes (not the gaps).
Once the wood filler was dry, we used a detail sander to get the boards nice and smooth.
7. Paint the boards.
Finally, we painted the boards with a small roller and paint brush with two coats of white paint.
I love the way our DIY shiplap headboard wall turned out!
This project started our bedroom makeover and gave us a great focal point to work around.
Having this accent wall gave the space some design, texture, and helped us create a headboard that worked around the window in the space.
This project was fairly easy to complete, and very budget friendly!
We had most all of the supplies on hand, except the plywood which costs us under $40.
I hope this tutorial helps you create your own DIY shiplap headboard wall or accent wall!
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