DIY Faux Shiplap Tutorial. No Power Tools Needed. You Won't Believe This Technique!

Since I have tried all forms of shiplap, I decided to try a new one! A completely faux shiplap where no power tools are required. Intrigued? 

Well, this little spot in our upstairs hallway doesn't get any love. It's the one spot that usually acts as catch all of school artwork, toys, dirty clothes, etc. I always wanted to brighten it up and make it more inviting. I had ideas about doing shiplap but the molding on the door adjacent to the wall was too close to the wall and actually somewhat crooked. So, then I decided I would do floor to ceiling board and batten. Even bought the boards and everything. That was like 3 months ago :) On a whim, I decided to try something new last night. And I completely love it! It was so quick, easy, and cheap....practically free. Plus, no power tools required which is the best!

Here's the after:

 And here's the gloomy before. Of course, this was at night but it really didn't get much prettier or brighter than this. 

 So, how did I do this faux shiplap? 
First, I painted the wall Swiss Coffee by Behr. 

I then took my level and measured down from the ceiling and marked every 6 inches. I did this on about 4 areas of the wall. I then took a pencil and connected the horizontal lines, making sure they were level. I've done this type of shiplap twice now and wouldn't skip this step even though you can. It just makes sure the next step stays accurate.

Next, I took a black marker, or a sharpie (fine point). Since all my sharpies are not fine point, I borrowed one of my kids markers initially for the bathroom one. Mainly because I didn't know how this would end up looking and new it would be easier to wash away than a permanent sharpie :) With the marker, I lined the level up again with the pencil drawn lines and then went over the lines with the marker. I made sure not to pick up the marker at the end or the beginning too fast since it would sometimes leave a vertical mark. Just took my time with it.  

 On my big wall, it found that doing horizontal sections was a lot quicker than doing whole lines by themselves. 

 I taped off the wall initially when I painted it white and took the lines to the tape. But, I didn't like how undone this looked. So...this is the part that does require some tools, but it's technically not apart of the shiplap :) 

 I took a small 1/2"x1 1/2" mdf board and secured it to the end. I feel like this finished it off much better than before. If you were to do a whole entire wall that doesn't randomly end, you wouldn't necessarily have to do this. Or, if you do a whole entire room, wouldn't need it either. 

 Here's the finished look:

 I can't get over how bright this looks! And be truthful....if I showed you this picture without you knowing how I did the shiplap, you would have no idea it was just marker! 

 Okay. Now for my first initial try at this. I did it in my bathroom. Above the bathtub I did a stencil a few years ago, and truthfully hated it ever since. The molding kept falling off and it was a big mess.

 So, I did the same technique, and rehung the molding...

 And I am in love! Just some lines, that's all it is. I've shown a few people this in person, and they had no clue until I told them. Yep. Like, had to go up and touch it to figure it out.

 Now, here's my two cents. I think this looks amazing on small spaces. I'm sure it'll look great doing this to a whole room. But, if you are going to sell your house soon...I don't know :) I think it would be a big let down to buyers to find out it's just marker. Also, this is something you would have to be willing to repaint your whole entire room if you decide you don't like. Which is of course, totally doable but a big pain in the butt :) haha. 

That being said. I have a big ledge loft thing in my entry way that I am totally going to do this on! Serious. It's up high so no one will ever notice that it's not. Now, only if I can get some nerves to get up on that ledge :) 


PIN FOR LATER:

Top Posts of 2018 and Some Awesome News!

I know its two weeks into January, but I wanted to get this out before it got even later :) I had a lot going these past few weeks, and now I finally have time! If you follow me on social media, you'll know that I had an awesome opportunity come up! I had a photo shoot for American Farmhouse Style Magazine where they shot all my Christmas decor this year for next year's (well technically this year's now) magazine. I am so honored to be chosen for this! It was a little nerve wracking though trying to get my house ready for it. It's a little different taking pictures for my blog knowing the screen is only so big, and that the camera hides a lot of stuff. But, having my rooms blown up to magazine size....now that's a different thing. I really had no clue how dusty and dirty my house had gotten over the years. I had to touch up paint like no other, dust places I didn't even know grew dust...yes grew :) haha. There was a lot of prep, but it was totally worth it and I can't wait for the issue to come out! ....to bad I have to wait like a whole year! I'll be sure to share with you guys when it's out on news stands so you can check it out too :)

Now for my top posts! I love looking back at these every year, first because it's fun to remind myself I actually did accomplish something and second to see what you all like seeing :) Here it goes! Click on the titles or the pictures and they will take you to the post. 

#1: DIY CATHEDRAL WINDOW FRAME FOR LESS THAN $5

#2: SPRING HOME TOUR

#3 DIY SPRING HULA HOOP WREATH

 #4: DIY SHIPLAP FAUX FARMHOUSE CLOCK

#5 SUMMER HOME TOUR

#6 DIY SPRING EUCALYPTUS WREATH

#7 UNICORN BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS AND DIY UNICORN CAKE

#8 THE BEST DIY FARMHOUSE DECOR PROJECTS AND TUTORIALS

#9 DIY FARMHOUSE STYLE WOOD CORBEL

#10 BOARD AND BATTEN KITCHEN ISLAND MAKEOVER

DIY Faux Cement Tiles For Decor

I was provided product by DecoArt and compensated to write about this project, but all thoughts, opinions, and ideas are my own :)

Happy New Year! This past year has come and gone all to quickly. Do you remember when the days seemed to take forever to go by when you were younger? And, well, now, I feel like summer was just two weeks ago. Obviously, telling by the -5 degree temps we are currently experiencing that's not the case :) I decided to live this year by being more in the moment. I love looking forward to things, but I feel like that makes you wish the current moment away or not enjoy it in it's entirety. When you have little ones in the house, you want to live as much in the moment as possible and soak in every little bit. 

That being said....on to today's project! Have you seen the beautiful cement tiles recently that are all the rage? Whenever I get a chance to rip up my tile in my bathrooms, that tile is for sure going on. But, until then, I decided to get the look going in my new hutch with these beautiful stencils and paint from DecoArt.

Supplies I used for this project:
3 Canvases (two 8x8, one 6x6)
DecoArt Americana Decor Stencils in Mediterranean Tile and Scandinavian Stitch

 DecoArt Americana Decor Acrylic Paint in Thicket, Light Sage, Sand Grey, and Morning Mist.

Spray Adhesive

Stenciling brush(es)

1/2x2" molding pieces (for 8x8 canvas -2 @ 8" and 2 @9". For 6x6 canvas -2 @6" and 2 @7")

Hot Glue

My first step was to get all my paints and decide what colors I wanted to use. I knew I wanted 3 for the 8x8 canvases and the Mediterranean Tile stencil. Next was deciding on a coordinating color for the smaller canvas and Scandinavian Stitch stencil. I found a good way to do this was getting all the colors I had in mind out on a single piece of paper. 

 Step 1: Lightly spray the adhesive onto the back of the stencil and then place it onto the canvas as evenly as possible. Press down on the stencil so it adheres to the canvas. Some areas may not adhere as well, so you'll just have to hold those areas down while stenciling.

 Step 2: On the first tile, I started with Sand Grey in the middle design. That design also carries through onto the corners. I used a stippling brush and the dry brush technique to achieve this look. That means, just dip your brush into the paint, then tap it a few times on a scrap piece of paper to get excess paint off of it. Then you are good to go. 

 Step 3: I then used the Light Sage on the more floral sections of the stencil using the same dry brush technique. 

 Step 4: The last color was Thicket along the remaining pieces. 

 Here's the finished look using this color combination.

 I wanted to use the same stencil and same colors, but didn't want them to match. So, I switched up the color placements. You can see that the stronger color takes the focus and creates a totally different look and feel even though the colors and stencil are the same.

 On the Scandinavian Stitch stencil and 6x6 canvas, I used Morning Mist as the main color and then tied in the Sand Grey on the squares.

 Step 5: To finish this off, I cut the 2" molding pieces to spec (as mentioned in the supplies above).

 Step 6: I painted the molding that was going onto the 8x8 canvases with Thicket. I made sure to paint all sides. I painted the 6x6 molding with Sand Grey.

 Step 7: I then used my hot glue gun to adhere the molding. I placed the smaller pieces onto the canvas first leaving about a 1/2" space on the inside. I then secured the longer pieces making sure they overlapped the shorter molding equally. 

 And done! I don't add color into my house often, but when I do, it's usually in this corner of my kitchen and for some reason, in this color :) I just love how it pops against neutrals and browns. 

 You can see from this angle the difference in the 8x8 canvases. They look like completely different stencils. It's just all about where you place the dominant color :)

I actually love this Mediterranean Tile stencil so much, I used it on the playhouse floor. You can see more about this space here:

And I'll probably be using it lots of other places too :) 

Be sure to check out DecoArt and their social media for more inspiration!
www.decoart.com
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Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”