Den transformation using Ship Lap

Zeke giving you a look at the Before.

Hello on this bright and beautiful sunny day!

I'll get right to it since it's been a while and I have a back log of completed projects and topics for the coming weeks. 

Previously, I posted about our move, semi-retirement and how we are making some small and big changes to our new digs.

When our PA home was built in 1964, the room we call the den, was used as a breezeway between the garage and home. Large sliding doors graced the front and back of the home and when opened, I'm sure a wonderful breeze blew through, keeping the area ventilated.

Since then, a large stone fireplace was added, the front slider replaced with a fixed window, the walls paneled and the concrete floor covered with ceramic tile.

Exceptionally maintained through the years, when we moved in, this room's paneling was painted a dark brown. There was a lighted gun cabinet on the wall and a built in bar taking up the corner where the piano is currently. 

You can see the dark painted paneling. The unpainted area is where the gun cabinet was removed.
 The green paint was where the bar was attached to the wall.

There were a lot of large holes and once the gun cabinet and bar were removed, it became apparent that something had to be done to update this area because a new coat of paint would not do the trick.

Damaged, dark painted paneling.

Since we are big fans of the HGTV show Fixer Upper, we decided to go with pine ship lap. Of course we scoured Pinterest for cost effective ways to transform this entire room. When it came to the fireplace wall, there's only a small area of paneling and a curved top doorway. We thought about using one of the newer wall paper designs, as they look so nice and updated. In the end, we went with the same color paint since the area is so small.

There are several ways to create a ship lap look without purchasing authentic ship lap. Why would you go for the "hack" rather than the "real deal?" Because ship lap can be pricey, between $2.50 and $7 per square foot, which can cost between $500 and $1500, not including paint and primer, caulk and any other extras needed. Now double or triple that price if you have to hire someone else to do the work.

We also found it difficult to find the product we wanted. We were looking for 10" wide, clear (without knots or blemishes) boards. Ironically, we found some folks in our community who do not know of Chip or Joanna Gaines - all of the sales people at our local lumber yards, to name a few. 😒

We wanted to support local business, but the 2-3 lumber yards in our area did not stock ship lap and could not order it from their suppliers. (I know...seems impossible, right?)

Since we wanted the real deal, we ended up ordering 8" wide knotty pine ship lap from Lowes. We ordered online and had it delivered. The process was smooth and easy and it ended up costing about $1.80 per foot. 

We did not paint the walls first as some of the sites recommend.

Also, we did not begin hanging the ship lap at the floor, as most sites recommended. We started hanging at the ceiling.

This is more difficult, but it minimized any gaps at the ceiling, especially since we had not yet decided to place the 1" x 2" trim around the ceiling.  Any small gaps at the floor would be hidden by the base trim.  My husband completed one wall each day, and it took about five days until the room was ready for caulking/painting.

starting at the ceiling.

Those cuts around the doors and windows can really slow things down.

1"x 3" trim on sides of doors and windows, 1"x 4" trim on top with 1" x 2" face down (as in photo). 
 

Ship Lap was butted against trim. 

We then caulked the corners and any big gaps, filled the nail holes with wood putty and sanded. We applied one coat of Zinsser oil based primer to all of the walls and trim.

We painted the trim with two coats of Sherwin Williams' Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel, Bright White, in a satin finish. The walls, including the paneled wall, were painted with two coats of SW Emerald Interior Paint, White Duck, in a satin finish. The door is painted with SW Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel, Peppercorn, in a semi-gloss finish (Love this color and use it with every opportunity!). 

Ta-da - the final product.

Yarn obsession!

Sammy posing for a photo.

What. a. difference...complete transformation! Total out of pocket for everything was about $1000. It took us almost 2 weeks to complete, but we are slowpokes and had a few big events in the middle. 

If you want to try this yourself - I suggest researching online first -  Pinterest, YouTube, DIY Network. Home Depot & Lowes have kits and pre-stained ship lap if you want to try a wall first and then go to the full room. We are definitely not professionals, but enjoy a good challenge and saving some money. 

Comment below if you have any questions, and don't forget to like Kelli in the Middle on Facebook, follow on Instagram, or subscribe to this blog via email along the right column.

Have a great day!

Kelli

*Disclosure - my husband retired from SWP last year and we do receive an employee discount, however, we don't get any compensation for recommending the products on this blog. We also use other brands such as Benjamin Moore, Behr from Home Depot, Valspar from Lowes, etc. I happen to prefer SWP, I find that it goes on easily, covers well, clean-up is easy and IT LOOKS GREAT!

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