Love Shiplap & Joanna Gaines? Try These 3 Clever Ways to Get that Farmhouse Look for Less

Shiplap is everything a modern farmhouse lover wants these days, but not only is installing it fairly time-consuming, but it’s also not cheap! With these DIY shiplap ideas, you’ll be spending less time and money on your next home DIY.

Here are the “real deal” shiplap planks from Lowe’s:

Buy it at Lowe’s

300 sq. ft. (84 planks) – $735 (with delivery)

Yes, these planks are obviously gorgeous and anything we would want in our home if we were trying to impress Joanna Gaines. However, online you’d have to purchase a minimum of 300 square feet and either lug it home yourself from the store or pay a $75 delivery fee.

The planks also come only primed, so you’ll be buying paint and the supplies you’ll need. Need them installed? If you don’t know how to install real shiplap, you’ll need to pay a professional, which comes at an expense, too.

Hip2BeHome to the rescue! Here are 3 inexpensive ways to add shiplap styling for less:

1. Use peel and stick shiplap wallpaper.

Buy it at Target

302 sq.ft. (11 rolls) – $385 

27.5 sq.ft. (1 roll) – $35

While you probably don’t actually need 11 rolls of shiplap wallpaper (or maybe you do, I’m not judging 😉), it’s still half the cost of real shiplap. Plus, you won’t have the added expenses of painting it afterward!

I’m really loving this textured wallpaper from Target! Doesn’t it look so stunning in my friend Kristina’s nursery?! Not only does it have the texture of real wood, but it’s easy to put up and easily removable! And for all you renters who can’t damage your walls, this is such a great design alternative! Happy landlords and happy renters, it’s a win, win!

“I’m absolutely in love with this wallpaper! To my surprise, it was way easier than I had anticipated. I love how real it looks, and the texture gives it depth and dimension. This is worth every penny! I just ordered it for the third time around, and I’m going to be using it in my entryway after already doing our kitchen and bedroom. It really does peel and stick! And if you mess up, you can take it off and reposition with no problem. This is so much faster than doing the real shiplap, and cheaper, too!” – Vanessa ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

2. Make shiplap out of plywood.

Buy it at The Home Depot

320 sq. ft. (10 slabs of wood) – $360 (or less)

32 sq. ft. (1 slab of wood) – $35

Did you ever see Lina’s beautiful DIY faux shiplap wall? She did an entire tutorial on how she cut slabs of inexpensive plywood to create the look of shiplap in her home, and I am totally obsessed with how it came out!

Lina was lucky enough to scoop up the plywood in the store for just $10 a piece, making her renovation ring in at just under $100 once it was finished! Considering you’re actually using real wood (and how amazing it looks), I wouldn’t even consider this a faux alternative. Still, you’re sure going to save a ton of money once you’re finished!

“We’ve added DIY shiplap to a few areas of our home and love the bright modern farmhouse look so much! Plus, by ripping down pieces of plywood from the hardware store, we’ve saved money in materials compared to actual shiplap. The project doesn’t take much time once you get going and was a family affair (my son and hubby hung the pieces and I painted them afterward).” – Lina

3. Repurpose old fencing and paint it.

Repurposed fencing | Cost – FREE! 

Wide plank fencing is another great way to achieve a gorgeous shiplap look. Not only will it look great on your wall, but I absolutely love how Marley from our team added it to her kitchen ceiling for such a dramatic and gorgeous statement in her home!

The best part of her DIY? She tore down her old fence, so the cost for her reno was totally FREE! With a price like that, that’s some elbow grease even I can get behind. 😉

“My husband is a pretty skilled carpenter, so he was able to tackle our ceiling in just a couple of days; however, adding some old fencing to a wall would be so much easier and totally inexpensive (or free). I love the warm, cozy look of reclaimed wood, and it would look stunning painted, too.” – Marley

Which shiplap alternative is your favorite?

Let me know in the comments below!

Sara (sara@hip2behome.com) loves sharing decor that inspires people on a budget and finds joy in traveling to new places.  

Score this lookalike farmhouse console table for $1,500 less!