5 Alternatives to Shiplap Walls

A lot of people seem to be vibing with more neutral, calming colors and natural textures these days, and shiplap walls are definitely a crowd favorite. They look great anywhere, match a range of styles—from farmhouse to boho—and bring in the brightness of a white wall with a little something extra. Chip and Joanna introduced it to America (bless!), and it’s paved the way for some other really cool wall treatments. If traditional shiplap has been on your “to do” list for a while, you might want to take a peek at these other projects first—all bring similar texture and warmth, but with a unique twist.

Have you ever seen anything as beautiful as these DIY cane wall panels by Mandi of Vintage Revivals? Like shiplap, cane panels add texture and can be stained or painted any color you like. With a few easy modifications to the installation process, they could easily be renter-friendly, or just a good solution for covering up damaged walls. 

For a slight departure from the horizontal lines of shiplap, a herringbone accent wall is a great option. Paint it white and bring out the playful zig zag, or stain it a beautiful neutral for a more subtle impact. Holly from Our Faux Farmhouse created a gorgeous herringbone accent wall in her home office for under $150—way less than the cost of a traditional shiplap wall! 

If you’re short on budget but big on creativity, trim is a great product to play with. Liz from Within The Grove created interesting geometric designs and an added element of texture with 1-inch trim boards she ripped from a single sheet of 1⁄2-inch MDF. If you don’t have a table saw at home, you could just pick up a bunch of 1” x 2” x 8’ boards and create a similar design. 

I was delighted to discover that renter-friendly board-and-batten could be installed using trim and a common adhesive found almost anywhere. For less than $50, I created this accent wall on what would have otherwise been a very boring transition wall in a very colorful room. 

Warm up your walls with natural wood! Bre from Bre Purposed created this gorgeous accent wall in her laundry room using 1” x 2” pine boards. This project takes quite a few tools and lots of patience (and a few helpful friends or family members if you can talk them into it!) but the outcome is a lasting work of art.