Well, we did it. We finally installed shiplap in our fixer upper. It’s been “in the plans” for some time, but one thing has held us back from pulling the trigger.
It’s FREAKING EXPENSIVE!
If you’re not privileged enough to live in Texas, and have “real” shiplap, than buying it is a pretty penny (or 400).
Well, like all many other projects, we didn’t want money to get in the way of what we wanted. So we drove to Home Depot and spent 1 1/2 hours going back and forth from the shiplap to the baseboards to the pre-cut slats to the sheets of plywood looking for a less expensive option. And guess what, WE FOUND ONE!!!
If we had used real shiplap, pre-cut slats or baseboards, the cost would have been around $450.
For one wall.
In our small dining room.
I’ll let you calm down before we continue.
And folks, that’s $450 for just the wood. You will also need nails, a skill saw, paint and labor (if you sub it out).
Mmmmkkk. That’s too much moolah for this garbage-picking girl.
So we channeled our inner “Chip and Jo” and found a freakin’ amazing alternative.
Sheets of pine.
Those words have never felt so good to write.
We found 4×8 sheets of pine that were $30/piece. If we cut them into 6-inch slats, each slat would end up costing around $3.75/slat. (Which is less than half of the real stuff.)
We ended up buying four sheets of the pine, and when cut, we ended up with a total of 32 eight-foot boards. (7 of the 8 boards are 6-inches wide, and one will be around 5 1/2 inches because you lose around a 1/2 inch when cutting the boards. We used the smaller boards at the bottom of the wall knowing that the base boards would hide them.)
Did you do the math?
That’s a total of $130.
What shall I ever do with the $300 savings???
In order to space the boards on the wall, we used 1/8 inch tile spacers. And we used an electric nail gun to adhere them on the wall.
We also chose a staggered pattern, which we felt was more farmhouse-y. If you’re looking for a more modern look, than I would suggest to not stagger the boards and make sure your boards are the same width as your wall.
We also still need to paint the wall, and when we do, we will spray it white with an airless sprayer.
And I pinky promise you that I will post a picture when she’s all done.
Can’t. Wait. For. That.
Love, Audra