A modern twist to shiplap
For this guest bedroom space, we wanted to bring in some color and texture through a headboard accent wall, but we also wanted a solution to help soundproof the wall a little better.
Creating an accent wall with shiplap planks installed vertically over mass loaded vinyl sheeting was the solution we landed on.
I partnered with Adair Custom Carpetnry (my local, go-to carpenter) and Southern Painting (some of Austin’s best paint contractors in town)!
Cameron Getter Design
Shiplap planks add dimension and texture to the space. You can run it horizontally (more traditional style) and can make the space appear wider. You can also run shiplap vertically to compliment the height of the room. It can be installed as a single accent wall, a ceiling treatment, a backsplash in your kitchen, a fireplace surround, entirely in a bathroom, or a wainscoting accent in your bathroom – I think you get the idea… the variations are endless!
Shiplap is a great way to add another element of design and character to your home. It tends to have the “farmhouse / rustic” reputation but when you paint it another color other than white (think a moody grey, black, or an earthy shade of green or blue) then it can be customized to fit your style. You could also choose to paint in a satin or lacquer paint finish, to give a more luxury-glam look.
Here are some inspo images from other designers:
There are many different widths of shiplap planks available. The wider the plank, the less overall texture you will achieve in the space. The smaller, more narrow the individual planks, the more texture and dimension you will give the walls or ceiling, for a more modern look. There’s also no rule saying you can’t mix and match widths for an even more unique, custom look. For this guest bedroom space we went with a pre-primed 5-1/4” wide with a nickel gap- meaning a nickel can fit snug in the gap between each plank. There are also dime gap plank offerings, so the gap between each plank is harder to see.
Let’s go back to the soundproofing steps - After a lot of research on the many options to soundproof a wall, and outweighing the costs of each- we landed on using Mass Loaded Vinyl as a soundproofing barrier. We could then easily nail shiplap over the vinyl adding another layer of sound proof.
First we stapled the MLV to the wall, covering the entire wall from ceiling to floor.
Then we nailed a few 1” x 2” boards on the horizontal (top, center, and bottom of the wall) to give the vertical shiplap some structure to be nailed onto. I went with a vertical shiplap layout because I liked the idea of complimenting the 9’ tall ceilings and adding texture vertically in the space, for a more modern look.
Once all the shiplap was nailed to the 1”x 2” boards, this created a (very small) air gap between the vinyl sheeting and the shiplap planks, but that gap actually helps trap the sound even more.
We then had to putty over all the nails (so the tiny nails are not visible after we paint). We sanded and smoothed that over too.
The final and most fun step comes Paint! It was a tough call, but I narrowed down the options to six Sherwin Williams paint swatches. I bought paint samples of each and painted them on some extra shiplap planks we had. I held up each painted shiplap sample with the artwork, headboard and bedding.
We decided on Sherwin Williams Rocky River because the soft medium green hue contrasted so well with the warmth of the wood of the headboard, and with the earth tones of the photography artwork that would be mounted on the accent wall.
It also popped with the bright white bedding, so overall it was a win! We also added some brass sconce fixtures – and brass and green are two of my favorite color combos.
If you are thinking of adding some color, dimension and texture to your space, consider an accent wall or contact me to set up a consultation and we can explore the possibilities together!