The Bonus Room Shiplap is DONE!

Well, my friends, after FOUR YEARS of sloooooowly adding vertical shiplap to the walls of our upstairs bonus room, I can finally call that project complete. That’s right, I finished the last wall!!

No clue what I’m talking about? Let me catch you up really quick.

All of that left me with just one wall left untouched – the wall behind the couch. I’ve been itching to get it done for a while, and I finally was able to make it happen.

Installing Vertical Shiplap

I already have an entire blog post about how to install vertical shiplap, so I won’t get into a ton of details here. Go check out that post if you’re wanting to tackle this project yourself! But, here are a few tips and tricks:

• This time around, I did one coat of paint on the shiplap before installing. It made all the difference! It’s particularly important to get some paint on the tongue and grooves where the shiplap meets. I promise you, painting that part after the shiplap is installed isn’t something you want to deal with.
• It was really hot the day I painted, so I had to do it by hand rather than use my sprayer. I would cut and paint 10 boards, then let them dry. Once the first set was dry, I would install a set of ten while the next set was drying. It worked really well and made the process super smooth and quick.
• Be sure to patch your nail holes and sand them down once the wood filler dries. I like this wood filler and this orbital sander.

Once everything was dried and sanded and fully installed, I did one more coat of paint and it was complete! The paint color in here is Black Evergreen by Behr, and it’s such a stunning color.

So, What’s Next?

You may think we’re near the finish line now that the shiplap is done but I still have a LOT I want to do. We’re certainly getting close, though, and I’m hopeful to be able to call this room finished by the end of the year.

Or, you know, finished for now. No room is really ever complete around here!

Here’s what’s left on my agenda:

• Paint the ceiling to match the walls.
• Install a ceiling fan.
• Add a rug, lamps, and some cozy accessories.
• Rearrange the LEGO shelves because they’re already a bit of a hot mess (see below).
• Add some art. I’m picturing a quirky, retro Disney-themed gallery wall behind the couch.
• Add some trim boards above the windows.
• Potentially add curtains to the window wall.
• Add colored lights behind the TV (Corey’s project, but I’m excited about it!)
• Decide if I want a coffee table up here or not.

Annnnd I think that’ll be it. For now, at least. I always reserve the right to add more projects to my list!

I’m really proud of how this space is shaping up so far, and I’m feeling really excited for where it’s heading. I’ve really given Corey and the kids a lot of freedom in this space to make it feel like them, and it’s turned out so great. If you had told me a few years ago we’d have an entire room basically devoted to displaying LEGO I absolutely would have laughed at you. But, here we are and I’m not even mad about it. In fact, I’m kind of loving it. Who would’ve thought?!