DIY Affordable Shiplap

Shiplap Boards- Amazon | Wreath- Kirklands | Candle Sticks – World Market | Similar Vase – Bed Bath & Beyond

2005 was a weird year…

1. I was going through my brief “emo” stage (anyone remember Etnies tennis shoes)
2. My family won a PS2 from buying so many boxes of fish sticks
3. and TVs were apparently the size of large boulders

I have two fireplaces in my house and both came with lovely TV holes for the giant TVs of the past. I guess the builder of my house did not foresee the dying out of large thick TV’s, but I guess he was also ahead of the TV mounted above the fireplace trend.

Before

Well to say the least, these holes are a pain in the rear end!! I was able to find an art piece to cover the one on my main floor, but had absolutely no luck with the basement one. After a very expensive art purchase, that was wayyyyy too big for the mantle, I decided to get creative and cover this hole with shiplap! It was super easy and less than $150 total. I bought the ship lap boards online with store credit from Wayair, but you can get them cheaper on here on Amazon. With my boyfriend, Clark’s, help we were able to finish the project in one afternoon. I love the end result and it adds the perfect amount of farmhouse charm to my basement. Here’s how we did it:

• Materials
  • Ship Lap Boards
  • Trim
  • Paint
  • Screws
  • Measuring Tape
  • Drill
  • Saw (optional, I’ll explain below)

1)Measure your mantle

Measure twice, cut once! Have accurate measurements of the height and width of the area you’re covering and make sure you don’t round. The more exact the measurement you have, the better your end result will be.

2)Prep your boards

I bought the shiplap boards I used online, so we had to cut them ourselves. If you buy your boards from Home Depot or Lowe’s you can get them to cut your boards for you. Mine were also primed when they arrived, which was helpful, but not a hard thing to do yourself.

Tip: If the area you’re covering does not equal a whole number of boards, take the same amount off of the top and bottom board to fill the gap. This will make it seem like you planned ahead and look even. Our boards fit almost perfectly, but we had about 5/8 of an inch left on the top and bottom. Instead of trying to cut a board to fit those spaces, we just planned to cover it with our trim.

3)Prep your trim

Our trim is 3 inches wide and covers the edges of the shiplap. We decided to do it this way, so we wouldn’t have to worry about finishing the edges. Cut and prime your trim so it is ready when you need it.

4)Place and fasten the boards

We started from the bottom and screwed each board in one at a time. If they were cut evenly, it should be easy to keep them flush with the edge of the mantle.

5)Add Trim

Next we placed the trim along the perimeter of our ship lap to cover up the raw edges.

6)Paint

Now that the hard part is done! It is time to paint. We painted our ship lap to match the mantle, and it looks perfect!

The completed project!!

This project was so easy, and I am so mad it took me a year to think of it! It is so versatile and looks clean and fresh. Best of all, there is no more eye sore above my fireplace!!

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