$0 Shiplap and a Laundry Room Makeover

4 Materials
1 Hour
Easy

If you have a Sharpie, a wall, and a love for shiplap- check out this tutorial!

This project is great for a wall that doesn't get close attention or that people stand a few feet away from.

My laundry room/space (a closet in our bathroom) needed a makeover. My first idea was to try out some stick-on subway tiles on the whole back wall, but this $0 option was obviously the winner. After all, I'm the only one spending any time here!

After Photo



Before Photo


Here is our laundry area "before" photo! Yikes... Good thing there are closet doors to cover this up! For this space makeover, I planned to:


  • Put in shelves between the cupboards
  • Spackle and paint
  • Put handles on the cupboards
  • Make some sort of cover for the laundry sink
  • Add subway tiles or shiplap to the back wall


After pricing out the stick-on subway tiles (even the really cheap ones), I decided it wasn't worth it for the back of a closet. After some searching, I came across this Sharpie Shiplap idea and had to try it out!

Supplies


What you'll need for this project:

  • Black Sharpie
  • Level stick
  • Pencil/grey pencil crayon
  • Your wall painted white (preferably a matte/flat white)

That's it!

Paint & Sharpie


  1. Paint your wall with a matte/flat white. This will help make it look more convincing- a glossy paint won't look like shiplap.
  2. Measure down the wall and tick off every 6 or 8 inches. These are standard heights for shiplap boards.
  3. Using your level and a Sharpie, draw your horizontal lines across the wall!
Details


Using a pencil, I drew on little knots and grain lines on the "boards". Use your Sharpie to draw nails down the wall every few feet or wherever you would normally put nails to hang the boards. This makes it look a lot more real!

More Details


I also drew a line down the corners on the walls or anywhere where a "board" would end to look like a shadow/gap.

All done!


Enjoy your faux shiplap wall! Show it to some friends and family, and see if anyone notices that it's fake ;)



For more ideas and ongoing projects, follow along on Instagram and Facebook!


Insta: @farmhouse.ongunnshill

Facebook: Lauren Ann Design


~Lauren icon

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Frequently asked questions
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  1 question
  • Meredith Phillips Meredith Phillips on May 24, 2020

    Looks really great. Fabulous idea. The shelves are very pretty too and the cover on the sink is a great idea. But here’s a question I always have when looking at the after picture of these things: did you stop using the plastic laundry baskets altogether or you just don’t keep them on top of the washer anymore or you just didn’t include them in the picture?

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  • Donna Belvees Donna Belvees on May 24, 2021

    Love it!! You could use the same method if you really want a subway tile look. Just use gloss or semi-gloss paint, make the stripes narrower and add vertical lines. Subway tile is usually 3x6 or 4x8 and shinier.

  • Teresa Teresa on May 24, 2021

    Covering the sink adds extra space for storing or folding. Great idea!!

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