Wall & Ceiling
Shiplap Cladding
Overlapping horizontal boards with a rabbeted edge, used as both an exterior weatherboard and a popular interior accent-wall finish.
Best for
- Interior accent walls
- Traditional or farmhouse exterior siding
- Adding texture to a plain drywall room cheaply
Avoid when
- Rooms that need to stay perfectly flat for hanging large mirrors or art without extra blocking
Interior vs exterior grades are different products
Interior shiplap is often primed MDF, cheap and easy to cut, but not weather-rated. Exterior shiplap needs to be a moisture-resistant wood or engineered product with proper flashing and paint or stain — the two are not interchangeable despite looking similar.
Plan the gap for real boards
Real wood shiplap expands and contracts with humidity; leave a small consistent reveal gap between boards rather than butting them tightly, or seasonal swelling will buckle the wall.
Put this into practice
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