Best Paint Colors For Shiplap
So you installed shiplap but what color should you paint it? Today, I’m sharing my 3 favorite colors for shiplap!
A few years ago, we redid our son’s room into Evelyn’s farmhouse nursery.
Want to see how we DIY’d shiplap? Hop over to read the viral post about budget-friendly DIY Shiplap!
While I definitely don’t love farmhouse style anymore (fell into the Joanna Gaines trap and realized it subsequently wasn’t actually for me), I am really proud of how that room turned out.
We did a super simple (and really inexpensive) DIY shiplap wall. Shiplap is really the perfect easy way to add texture and interest to a space. I mean, try and picture that room without the shiplap. Its beauty is still there in general but the depth and interest would be way less.
I 100% believe you can use shiplap in your home even if you don’t love farmhouse style.
Examples of shiplap that’s NOT farmhouse-style
Unique ways to add shiplap
- Add shiplap to the ceiling
- Lay the shiplap vertically instead of horizontally
- Try using “skinny lap” or shiplap that is not as wide
- Paint the shiplap a bold color (i.e. not white)
You don’t have to just do the traditional shiplap that is seen in farmhouse style. Or, more specifically, the shiplap done by Joanna Gaines and Fixer Upper.
We’re even considering using it in our living room renovation (whenever that happens ??).
The moral of the story is that shiplap isn’t just for farmhouse style!
Best Paint Colors For Shiplap
Best White Paint Color for Shiplap: Alabaster by Sherwin-Williams
Alabaster is by far my favorite color for shiplap. It’s warm and creamy, almost reading as an off-white. It does look more white in person but not a stark, cold white.
It’s the color we used for Evie’s nursery!
I get asked a lot about pairing Alabaster with white trim. In Evie’s nursery, that’s exactly what we did and I think it looks great! Trim is just plain gloss white paint from Home Depot and walls/shiplap are Alabaster.
Other examples of Alabaster shiplap
Best Black Paint Color for Shiplap: Tricorn Black by Sherwin-Williams
Tricorn Black is a deep, true black. It’s not muted and will definitely make a bold statement. I think it makes shiplap instantly look more modern and polished. There’s almost no chance of being mistaken for farmhouse style when using Tricorn Black!
Examples of Tricorn Black Shiplap
Best Other Paint Color for Shiplap: Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore
If I had to choose a third color for shiplap, it would have to be blue. I think a deep, dark blue would look beautiful and modern. Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore is my favorite navy blue color. It’s dark and moody but definitely looks blue, not black.
Examples of Hale Navy Shiplap:
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Loving new ship lap colors, especially Alabaster white
Thank you!! Alabaster is my favorite white for shiplap for sure!
Isn’t Alabaster too yellowish?
It definitely has yellow undertones but I think that gives it a creamy look. That’s what we used in my daughter’s room for her shiplap and I LOVED it!
Hi Sarah,
I’m trying to choose the best gray colour for the shiplap thats going on a fireplace. The walls are Gray Owl (BM) Any suggestions?
All of these colorful materials are 2D. The 3D ones don’t have this level of colors in one very. informative blog btw
Thank you for this very helpful tutorial! We want to shiplap our foyer, but maybe give it a more modern twist, like paint it a darker color potentially. I have another question for you, if you don’t mind. We have an access panel in our master bathroom. The opening is 24 in wide and 20 in tall. Behind it are the shower water pipes. There is currently a panel nailed in over the hole that looks okay, but if we need to get back there, we have to remove it from the wall. We’re trying to think of creative ways to use this space. Maybe install a recessed shelf where we can store bathroom items, that can be easily removed if we need to get to the pipes? I’d appreciate any insight you may have. Thank you!
Hi Jessica, that sounds like a tricky situation in your bathroom, but I think your recessed shelf idea is a great one. I’ve seen built in shelves in bathrooms in recessed areas and they look great and provide function with the extra storage. You could try hanging floating shelves in the area that have a keyhole hanger on that back so they can easily be lifted up and off the wall when needed. Good luck!