Most DIYers are in this situation—painting shiplap that’s already installed—so the step-by-step sections of this article will focus on that scenario. But don’t worry—you can get great results no matter when you paint the shiplap!
Note: If you’re painting before install, take the opportunity to paint the wall you’ll be hanging the boards on the same color as the shiplap. While you’ll only see slivers of this color between the shiplap boards, it’ll make the gaps less noticeable. If you have true shiplap boards with overlapping tongues and grooves, painting the backer wall is less important (but still a good idea). If you have faux shiplap without any overlap between boards, though, you’ll probably be able to see slivers of the backer wall in the gaps.
If you have true shiplap boards with overlapping tongues and grooves, painting the backer wall is less important (but still a good idea). If you have faux shiplap without any overlap between boards, though, you’ll probably be able to see slivers of the backer wall in the gaps.
Doing a decent amount of painting both before and after installation is probably going to slow down the entire process. But the results you get may be worth it!
If there are nail heads sticking up above the surface of the wood, tap them down with a hammer and a nail setter before using the wood putty.
If you’re painting with a sprayer, cover everything in the room—ceilings, walls, floors, furniture, you name it—with sheeting and tape. If you leave anything exposed, the overspray mist will find it! If you’re painting with a roller and brush, cover all surrounding walls, ceilings, and so on with at least 1 ft (30 cm) of plastic sheeting. When it comes to the floor, cover as much of it as possible—even the entire room—with plastic sheeting, adding thick paper or cardboard underneath if it’s a high-value flooring material.
When it comes to choosing a paint sheen (finish), semi-gloss works best in a high-moisture or high-contact area, while eggshell or flat is best if you want to reduce reflection (such as near a sunny window). Using primer is really important on unpainted shiplap, since it keeps the wood from soaking up the moisture from the paint. But even if your shiplap is already painted, it’s a good idea to use primer. You can save some time by using an all-in-one primer and paint, instead of separate cans of primer and then finish paint. However, you won’t get quite the same level of stain-blocking coverage, and the final look of the finish paint might not be quite as crisp.
Once you factor in prep work and drying times, accept that you’re looking at a full day’s job here—but the results are worth it!
You may, for example, need to thin the primer/paint with water or paint thinner. Always follow the specific directions for your particular device.
Spraying at a slight angle from both above and below does a better job of getting paint into the hard-to-reach areas between shiplap boards.
Just like if you were using a sprayer, plan on adding 1-2 coats of primer and 2 coats of finish paint. Just keep repeating the instructions in this section for each new coat.
This is easiest to do while the primer is still wet, as opposed to when it’s tacky or fully dried.
When adding primer or paint, get a thin, even coating on the roller (and therefore the wall) by running the roller brush back and forth on the ridges in the paint tray. Skipping over the seams on the first pass helps prevent primer or paint from completely gunking up the gaps between boards.
Wait at least 1 hour, and better yet 4 hours, between each of your 1-2 coats of primer and 2 coats of finish paint.
