Create A Modern Farmhouse Side Table

Alicia W
by Alicia W
8 Materials
$17
3 Hours
Easy

Shiplap - almost everyone knows what it is thanks to Joanna Gaines but not everyone wants to shiplap their entire house or even a room.

Here’s a little project to get a little bit of shiplap in your decor.

I have this table that’s okay but very plain - a perfect canvas for a little bit of shiplap.


Step 1: Clean the table

Using mild soap and water, I wiped the table and then allowed it to dry.

Step 2: Remove legs

The legs on this table unscrewed and I could easily remove them. This isn’t something you have to do but it makes the project a little easier.

Step 3: Sand table

Using a medium grit sandpaper, I sanded the entire table, legs included. This table has a laminate covering which is easy to sand.


Step 4: Wipe clean

After the entire table was sanded, I wiped it clean with mild soap and water and allowed it to dry.

Step 5: Paint

A - I painted the sides of the table

B - and painted the legs too

Step 6: Cut the wood to size

Because this is a little project, I used paint stir sticks as my shiplap.

A - If you look at a paint stirrer, it is curved at the top.

B - Using a utility knife & speed square, I made my cut just below the curve.

C - Once it's scored,I placed my thumbs behind the stirrer

D - and I snapped it and half

E - There was wood that was left after it was snapped in half, so I cut that with the utility knife

F - I cut 75 stirrers for this project

Step 7: Applying wood

Beginning at the bottom corner, I applied wood glue to the back of the first stick and aligned it in the bottom corner.

A - When I reached the end of the first row, the last stirrer overhung the end

B & C - I marked the stirrer

D - I cut at the mark and glued it to the table.

To begin the next row, I started at the far end of the table with a full paint stirrer and worked my way to the close end - see the numbers above.

At each end, I had to cut a stirrer to length.

You want to make sure that you stagger the ends of the stirrers so you don't have seam across the table.

Step 8: Stain

I allowed the table to dry for an hour then stained the top using Minwax Early American stain.

I removed any excess stain with a soft cloth.







And here’s the little shiplap table! It looks so much better and has more personality than the plain table.

Step 9: Seal

Once the stain was dry, I applied Minwax Wood Seal using a soft cloth.

Here is the table. Scroll to the top and look at it before and now after.

The difference is amazing, isn't it? I just love it.

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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 6 questions
  • Erma Williams Erma Williams on Sep 17, 2018

    I don’t have a question about this project , but one from the past I think last year , you made canisters Out of empty coffee containers, I want to know how to make them please my name is Erma

  • Kathy Bishop Belnap Kathy Bishop Belnap on Sep 20, 2018

    I don't get HGTV, so the assumption in the 1st line is incorrect-- I DON'T know what shiplap is.


    I see what it is supposed to look like, at the end of the project. But what is the Real Thing?

  • Patty Patty on Apr 19, 2022

    Do you have to reapply the wax sealer on a regular basis? Would a polycrilac work?

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