I wanted to add some character and warmth to my guest room, so I decided to add shiplap and create an accent wall.

I started out by going to a home improvement store looking for a ship lap I liked. Shiplap was originally used to waterproof ships. Shiplap is a type of wood paneling with a rabbet (groove) cut at the top and bottom of each board so that they overlap to form a tight seal.

I learned that it is easier to order the boards online from the home improvement store. They delivered the boards to my garage and all the pieces we straight and undamaged. You can return any unused boards to the store for a refund.

After researching, I found that it is recommended to install shiplap from the bottom up. I chose to do it from the top down, as I wanted a full piece of board at the top. I used a stud finder and then nailed in the boards.

After installed, I stained the boards with a dark wood stain.

When the stain dried. I added a white wash. I used white paint with water added. After applying the paint on top of the stain, I rubbed it off with a cloth. This effect gave me a distressed or antiquated look.

The final touch was to go over some areas with a fine sandpaper to bring out imperfections that are in the wood.