Shiplap - Charleston's handcrafted material of choice for custom homes
Shiplap! We won't say it started in Charleston, South Carolina but this rustic, handcrafted look is more prevalent in the Charleston beach communities than most areas of the US.
Where does the shiplap come from? Shiplap is a material that was originally used in the construction of antique wooden boats, barns, and sheds. It is a fairly inexpensive product and is more durable than sheetrock. For many craftsmen in the past, using shiplap was an economical way to build their structures. Most shiplap boards are made of pine and it's easy to identify shiplap because of it's parallel grooves. Today, poplar is another common wood used as shiplap. Poplar is less grainy and finishes smoother than pine, although poplar material costs twice as much as pine. The wood finish gives rooms a handcrafted look and adds texture and warmth to any space. Shiplap can also be used in many different ways: ceiling paneling, wainscoting, kitchen backsplashes, wallboard, niches, or even on the faces and backs of custom built-in cabinetry.
As Charleston's premier design-build firm, we love using shiplap! It has gained nationwide attention through Chip and Joanna Gaines' show, Fixer Upper, but shiplap has been around long before the popular HGTV show. Not only is it a easy product to install for DIY people, but it also looks great and adds interest to any room in a custom home because of it's handcrafted and clean look.
Above is a picture of shiplap installed in a recent beach house powder room. Here we used it as bathroom wainscoting and against the oil-rubbed bronze fixtures, we think it looks great!
As a custom design-build home builder in Charleston, using shiplap is a fun and easy way to add interest to our homes. Homeowners love the custom, handcrafted look and we are always getting compliments and requests for more of it. In many cases, we build budgets around using a certain number of square feet inside the home. Once budgets are approved, it becomes the design team's job to allocate the shiplap in the most aesthetically appealing manner throughout the home for use on ceilings, walls, or a combination of the two.
Whether you are going for rustic, farmhouse or coastal, shiplap is a great way to achieve your interior design goals.
