Shiplap walls are pretty huge in design right now. It instantly adds character and charm:
image: Studio McGee
I was flipping through an issue of Country Living a few months ago and saw where a homeowner had penciled horizontal lines going up her staircase to mimic the look of shiplap. I was curious about how good of a reproduction it actually was and decided to experiment on the walls in our back entryway before I repainted them. Disclaimer: this was a pretty sloppy job done with a pencil, a yard stick and zero exact measuring.
I kept the pencil markings pretty light—you may have to squint to even see them in the photos. I didn’t finish the entire wall, but decided to live with it for a few days—okay, weeks—to see if it grew on me. I actually thought it looked kind of cool. But, then I had four different people (two in my family, two who were visiting) ask why I had marked on the wall and if I was planning on painting more stripes. . . Okay, so maybe not the effect I was going for. Eventually, I ended up just painting over them, but I’m still not convinced this couldn’t look good with more precision.
What do you think? A smart short-cut or just a big fail?
Sorry Emily…big fail. Ship lap adds texture. Pencil lines on the wall do not.
I think I actually agree with you. :)
Lucky for us, our 1928 Tudor has nothing but shiplap walls. :) If you hadn’t told us, though, I’d have just thought these walls were made that way,, but seeing them in person might be different.
I think this is a really interesting idea! My only concern would be that the pencil mark would get smudged and would end up looking dirty. What if instead you did a super skinny line of super faint pale warm gray paint? Like, just a few shades darker (and grayer) than the color of your wall. That might achieve the same look of the boards (and shadows). You could tape it off, but I think that a less perfect line would look better and would mimic the look of imperfect boards.
I agree. I think the less perfect, the better. Gray paint might do the trick.
Looks good. I actually prefer this to the real thing and if you get tired of it you can just paint over it or change the color of the line.
It works to trick the eye in photos, but in real life I think it lacks texture, dimension and looks like there’s an unfinished project in the works. But hey, it was worth a try!
In the photos it looks like the real thing. However, in person, it probably doesn’t look quite as convincing… That being said, I think that actual ship lap in that space would like absolutely fantastic! :-)
Painting the lines, as suggested above, would create the effect. And when people see that it is paint, perhaps it would curb any questions. It’d also be a good way to see if you wanted to create any actual shiplap wall. . . So I can really see the benefit to both. Thanks for sharing. :)
I vote for the real deal. I think pencil marks would end the end just look like pencil marks. The variation and texture would be lacking.
I think, like lots of styling ‘tricks’ it looks good in photos but not in real life!
xo~Jill
I think it looks good in these pictures but I can imagine that in person in looks like you were about to paint stripes like you mentioned. It was worth trying out though, especially if you were going to paint anyway!
What Jill above said! I saw that feature as well and wondered about it. Just shows that what you see in magazines doesn’t always translate to real life. I try to remember that when I have house envy! But kudos to you for trying it, Emily! That why I love you and your blog–your never afraid to try something new.
I love shiplap, love it on the floors and ceilings, can’t get enough! I think the photo looks great, totally fools the eye! If I tried this my husband would be like why is there pencil on the wall and of course my 2 year old would probably smudge it! #reallife (:
It does look great in photos, and I think would be a good idea if you just need a temporary change in a small area–but I do love the depth of real shiplap! I am wondering if this will continue to be such a strong trend in the next few years or if it will fall off a bit…I hope not, since it is obviously a comeback from older times. :)
Thank you for experimenting with this! I have been considering doing something similar in our mud room, thinking that maybe a sharpie would work, creating a bit more depth perhaps?? I don’t know. I think I might try the paint idea. If it doesn’t work, you can always paint over it. I just don’t want to spend the money on the wood for a real shiplap wall.
What about using an Xacto knife to score a line in the drywall. That would give the dimension. But if it sort of tore the drywall paper and left fluttered edges…