Is Removable Shiplap Wallpaper the Right DIY Project for Your Home? An Honest Opinion on the Whole Process

I love shiplap. I loved shiplap before it was a household word. I loved shiplap before I knew it had a name and people like Joanna Gaines started throwing it up left and right. I grew up in a home built in 1860. It's probably what gave me my love of old houses. I love the character and the charm of an old home. My husband, not so much. I've been begging for years to put shiplap up on a wall to which the response I always get is, why would you nail boards to the wall? I finally hit a weak moment and decided to stop thinking about it and just try a little shiplap alternative with some peel and stick textured shiplap wallpaper from Target. I'm giving my honest opinion on how I feel about it and if I'd do it again. Maybe you are considering putting up shiplap wallpaper. Is shiplap wallpaper right for your home? Read on.

Is Removable Shiplap Wallpaper the Right DIY Project for Your Home? An honest opinion

Does Shiplap Wallpaper Look Real?

Let me be totally honest with you on this one, shiplap wallpaper will not be fooling anyone. From far away it looks more authentic, but close up, it looks like fake shiplap wallpaper. What I like is the color and the texture of the lines you find with shiplap. I'm ok with fake. My husband didn't want the damage to the walls, so I thought this textured shiplap wallpaper would be a good happy medium.

Where to Buy Shiplap Wallpaper?

I picked mine up at Target. To be honest, I thought that $34.99 a roll seemed like a lot and then I started looking at how much wallpaper actually cost and that seemed on the low end. I did 3 walls in my downstairs powder room and needed to use 5 rolls. It was an update for around $175. Here are some options for textured shiplap wallpaper on Amazon from more expensive to middle of the road to more bargain prices. 
The shiplap wallpaper I've seen is mostly removable paper. You don't have to apply pastes or glues. I'm sure there is a higher end shiplap wallpaper out there, I just haven't seen it. The one I'm talking about in this post is the removable shiplap wallpaper you are seeing available at the big box stores and on Amazon.

Why use Shiplap Wallpaper?

Shiplap installation is a pretty tedious process. There is measuring of boards involved, trips to Home Depot and lots of cutting. Shiplap wallpaper is a removable temporary solution you can try in your home without a lot of commitment. And if you are like me, after a quick trip at Target when you are strolling the aisles anyway. 

UPDATE: I have since removed this shiplap wallpaper and I'm answering the question everyone wants to know:Is Removable Wallpaper Really Removable?

How do you Hang Shiplap Wallpaper?

The process to hang this shiplap wallpaper is similar to hanging regular wallpaper. It has a removable backing instead of wallpaper paste or glue you have to apply so you literally just peel and stick it where you want it. 

You'll want to line up the shiplap lines to create a consistent look in the wallpaper and remove any air bubbles during installation with a wallpaper smoothing tool like this. 

I used a razor blade from a box cutter to trim the edges. 

See this post for more:
Tips for Hanging Wallpaper

I"ve hung wallpaper before. This textured shiplap wallpaper was more like installing contact paper on my walls like I did when I wallpapered my master bedroom closet a few years ago. Except for way more expensive. 

Contact Paper Used as Wallpaper DIY

This particular shiplap wallpaper I used was easy to hang, in theory, however, the paper wasn't really paper. It was more printed plastic. It stretched and didn't cut easily at corners. As I rounded the wall at the corner, if I were to use "normal" wallpaper that had some stiffness to it, I would have been able to crease it and manipulate it a bit better than I was able to with this shiplap wallpaper. It just wasn't the same thickness wallpaper tends to have. Seriously, imagine Contact paper. That's what it's like.  The wallpaper also stretched because it had some plastic consistency to it. So if I was peeling and resticking because of a mistake, I would often warp the piece I was working with. 

Would I Recommend Hanging Shiplap Wallpaper

Yes and no.  Yes, I'd recommend it if... I'd recommend it if you have a long open wall with very little trim you have to cut or work around and you want a removable temporary solution for your home. It would be perfect if you were looking for a way to personalize a space you rented or if you were looking for a short term decorating solution. In my opinion, I think it works best on a long flat wall. My space had a few walls and windows and trim I had to work around and it was a hot mess that ended up taking me hours to install. Had I just stuck with wide-open flat wall space, I could have been done in a fraction of the time.

No, I wouldn't recommend it if... You were really hoping for a more realistic look. This is not it. I also wouldn't recommend it if you have to cut around trim or edges.  I'm not totally sold on the whole process. I like it, but do I like it enough? I don't know. Was it worth the $175 and the 8-10 hours I spent hanging it? Eh.  Maybe I could have done an alternative like this shiplap sharpie or painted shiplap alternative.

In case you want to learn more about Faux Shiplap, don't miss this! Faux Shiplap: DIY Sharpie Shiplap or Painted Shiplap Tutorial

What do you all think? Have you hung this Shiplap wallpaper before? I'd love to hear about your experience.
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