The flexibility of ship lap both permanent and as a back drop!

Ship lap is easy to install and can be used in multiple applications, it can be painted, sealed, stained or left as is. In my farmyard I’ve run into a lot of old ship lap that I’ve used extensively throughout my home mostly in permanent situations but it doesn’t always have to be permanent. What’s great is how flexible it is depending on your choice of finish and application but it still always adds that certain bit of country charm! Lets all give a big welcome to Leanna from Faeries and Fauna who will be joining me today to talk about how she used ship lap as a backdrop!

My main experience using ship lap was in my basement. (Unfortunately it was not ALL ship lap as there was only so much leftover in my “barn stash” so I ended up with a combination of pallet wood, ship lap and barn wood all mixed in.) I liked the rustic look as my basement is “what it is” however there was a part of me that was really itching to paint it white 😉 In true Chip and JoJo fashion lol I still may end up going down there someday and painting it out (at least just in the bathroom) just to make the whole place a little cleaner and lighter feeling.

Leanna’s lovely ship lap back drop is a really great example of the white ship lap of my dreams! Here’s Leanna’s beautiful backdrop:

Leanna: “Unfortunately, our home is very suburban, with a tiny yard. The only farm animals I have here come in motifs. I have commented before that I avoid doing anything permanently trendy to our home. I tend to stick to traditional decor with little bits of other decor styles including farmhouse decor added. As a blogger and obvious decor fanatic, I am just a “tad” overzealous with using picture hooks everywhere. To be fair I do fill them regularly and do most of the interior painting but Hubs was getting annoyed at the various nail holes and different heights so my artwork backgrounds looked good.

This shiplap wallart background is my solution and I am so happy with it. It doesn’t look like much on its own, but oh my it is so versatile for decor vignettes and I can move it from room to room wherever I want to. I am going to start by showing you how remarkably handy this diy shiplap wallart is, how I use it, and then how you can make one of your own. When you place something in front of it, it already looks more finished than a simple plain wall. Don’t you agree.

This wallart is fairly heavy. It would need screws into the wall studs to hang freely. Again I avoid permanence, so I leaned it against the wall on top of a piece of furniture. To protect the furniture I put a strip of carpet non-slip dollar store rubber backing underneath it.”

Click here for her full step by step tutorial.

Thanks Leanna! I think I may just be sold on painting out my shiplap, what do you guys think? Should I keep the rugged barnwood look and just let my basement bath be, or would a white wash bring some light to an otherwise window-less space?

I covered all of the walls in my basement with shiplap, barnwood and pallet wood that I had leftover using a brad nailer and 1 1/2″ brads. The result was a dramatic space that I just can’t wait to finish! Thanks Leanna for showing us how we can get the ship lap look without the permanence of a full wall application!