House Painters Tips: How to Paint Shiplap

Shiplap is all the rage, and for a good reason. The product is not hard to install and offers homeowners the chance to cover walls in rough shape with an exciting product that will take paint well and look good for years to come. See these tips from our trusted house painters.

Shiplap is a tongue-in-groove product, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be gaps once it’s up. To avoid the risk of holes that are tough to paint, go ahead and paint the spots on the wall where the shiplap cracks may show some of the sheetrock or plaster at the back.

Once the shiplap is up, you’ll need to patch all the nail holes and cracks at the corners, at the ceiling, and possibly along the floor. Take the time to do this right and use a product with excellent bonding and can be easily sanded. If you lack confidence, there are painting companies in Las Vegas that can help you get a smooth base.

Once your shiplap is up, patched, and sanded smooth, you will need to prime the product. Primer can be applied via brush or roller, but most experts recommend it be sprayed on the wall. Spraying your primer offers several benefits.

• An even basecoat means a great-looking topcoat
• Primers are sticky, so spraying will leave less roller and brush residue on the surface
• A sprayed primer will evenly seal spackling and patching

Shiplap already offers higher visibility. That is, you don’t have to do anything special with shiplap to turn it into an accent wall; the seams do that. However, these walls are a great place to use a bold, elegant splash of color.

For example, you could go with a lush Gauntlet Gray on one wall and pair it with cool whites. Your gray wall will now serve as a beautiful foil for bright artwork or a striking flower arrangement.

One of the nice things about sheetrock is that it is inherently flat, so eggshell and semi-gloss, properly applied, offer reflection without including texture. Shiplap is inherently textured, so unless you’re installing it in a kitchen or bath, house painters recommend you void adding any paint with a high sheen. The combination of texture and gloss can turn your shiplap walls into busy, visually disturbing surfaces.

However, if you are going for an island or a cabin look and want to bounce a lot of light around, the use of pale blues and aqua tones with a bit more glass can make a small space feel brighter, airier, and more extensive.