If you already have a crown molding installed on the walls and are considering a shiplap to accentuate things up, you might be shit scared to pair the two together.
But there’s really nothing to worry about as the two are perfectly complementary to each other.
Here’s how crown molding goes with shiplap
Crown molding goes perfectly well with a shiplap, especially the diagonally oriented shiplaps having many different patterns of alternating colors. The best crown molding to use for shiplaps however, are the simple crown moldings that have shorter dimensions like length and protrusion.
Does shiplap look good with crown molding?
Shiplap certainly looks good with a crown molding, especially the vertical and diagonally oriented shiplaps having overlapping woods of varying colors.
When you’re choosing crown molding for a shiplap project, make sure to not go overboard with it.
To guarantee maximum satisfaction, go for simple crown moldings like those that aren’t accentuated or have too many layers, and feel free to install them tilted (at 45° or whatever you’re doing) or pinned flat against the wall.
What kind of crown molding do you use with shiplap
The type of molding you use with shiplap is something that is strongly personal.
Generally though, the simple type crown moldings; shorter lengths and projections, almost always fit well with shiplap and provide for that perfect transition at the top where they meet no matter the style of shiplap you have be it: vertical, diagonal or horizontal.
For me, if I ever worked on a shiplap project and have no crown molding installed on the wall already, I’d definitely stay away from the traditional type crowns because they are too pronounced.
I also wouldn’t go for plus sized Victorian molding with crazy complicated patterns, and neither would I go for Greek or heavily stepped moldings.
I’d prefer flat moldings like those used for baseboards, the farmhouse type molding or a fewer stepped molding, and have it fitted at an angle (maybe 45°) or pinned flat against the wall.
Does shiplap go under trim?
Shiplap should go under the trim when you’re installing it on a wall that doesn’t have one to begin with.
So you take all necessary measurements and fit shiplap boards from bottom all the way to the ceiling and then install the crown molding over it.
When you have an existing crown molding however, you have two options.
Either you fit your from bottom all the way to the top and cut the last piece to create that perfect transition from the shiplap to the shiplap, or you take off the entire crown molding on the section of wall you’re working with, work your way up (fitting the shiplap) from bottom to the ceiling and then install back the crown molding.
The latter might require some trimming and cutting especially when you have caulk filling at the edges of the crowns, just so you have the shiplap slide right into the corners perfectly.
Should shiplap and trim be the same color?
Right off the bat, shiplap and the crown molding would (or should) have the same color: which is white.
And you’ll agree with me that the all white color combo looks absolutely stunning, which is thanks to the pronounced grove marks running horizontally on the “shiplap’ed” wall that creates the breakage in the uniformity of color.
If this break wasn’t there, the entire all white combination would have probably looked so plain and uninteresting.
Now that’s for the uniform color.
If you choose to go a different route by having a different style or color for either or both the shiplap and crown, it’s absolutely doable and has been done many times with great results.
The normal and easiest way to embark on a multi-colored adventure is to use a variety of colors for the shiplap to compliment the white color of the crown above.
The natural variance in tones that exist in wood makes it very easy to achieve a multi-colored look with a single shiplap.
You can install a shiplap finished in the wood texture and you’ll have this natural variation in colors without having to paint the shiplap in different colors. One brilliant tip is to add a white shiplap into the mix to pop things out a bit.
Such design sits perfectly well on diagonal shiplap walls as well as vertical shiplap walls.
If multicolor isn’t your thing, then you can simply stick with a single color for your shiplap wall while maintaining the whiteness of your crowns.
Popular colors that actually complement crowns really well are navy blue, coffee brown, tortilla, umber, jet grey, charcoal grey, Prussian blue etc.
It’s not typically to play around with the colors of the crown molding because of how easily doing so can highlight a room.
However, a popular way is to paint the crowns black, or into any of the off-white color and then leave the shiplap white.
How to install shiplap with crown molding
Having learnt the techniques of installing shiplap with crown moldings, the color choices you have for both crowns and shiplap, as well as the styles of crown moldings that would easily compliment the various orientations of shiplap, let us learn how to properly install a shiplap with a crown molding.
This section will not dive into the nitty-gritty of installing shiplap as that is a topic worthy of an article of its own. We’re mostly going to focus on installing shiplaps around crown moldings for that perfect blend.
So let’s begin.
It’s important to know that when installing shiplap on walls having crown molding already in place, you don’t have to take the molding off. Same thing with the baseboard; you might only need to take off the top plate in it.
So with all necessary procedures followed, attach the shiplap onto the wall starting from the bottom (above baseboard if you have one already) all the way up until you meet the crown molding; making sure to preserve the smooth alignment of the grooves on both sides of the wall if you’re working on two walls, and also trim the last bit of shiplap that meets the crown to create a smooth transition to it.
If you don’t pay attention to this, the entire project might end up looking rough and messy.
If you also have crowns around window areas, make sure to take your time and trim the shiplaps perfectly for that clean transition.
Case
The method above is the easiest way to go about installing shiplap with a crown molding already in place. Another way to do it is to remove the crown molding first on the portion of the wall you wish to install the shiplap, then install the shiplap all the way to the ceiling covering the area previously covered by the crown molding and then install the same crown molding over it, so that the shiplap is under the trim.
Now you might have moldings that are filled up in their corner using caulk (as shown in the video) and so you will have to make a cut on the molding in order for the shiplap to slide effortlessly in.
If you have a baseboard, it’s still the same process. Take off the baseboard and install the crown molding right from the very bottom and work your way up. Now attach the baseboard over the shiplap and you’re good to go.
If you have a wall that does not have crown molding and you wish to add crown molding together with a shiplap, then it’s very easy to do so. Install the shiplap first, then add the crown molding over the shiplap later.
Do you need baseboard with shiplap
If you don’t already have a baseboard, then you don’t really need to add it to your shiplap project as the shiplap meeting the ground would help add some height to the wall, although its absence would mean the first shiplap wood would be exposed to kicks, abrasion from furniture, possible water damage, and the uneven gap at the bottom would still be visible.
Having a baseboard would affect the overall height of the wall a bit, especially when the baseboard is of a different color than the shiplap, but then it would offer extra protection at the bottom.
So really, whether or not you’d need the extra protection would depend on how sensitive the wall is to the above mentioned problems, and also your personal choice.
Do you caulk the corners of shiplap or what?
When you’re done installing shiplap on walls, you’ll have some gaps exposed at the inner corners, and the best way to seal them is using either a caulk or trim obtained by cutting the lap of the shiplap.
You can also purchase trims and you might find the need to do so when you’re dealing with an outside corner instead which transitions into another room. For these, you should purchase a corner trim.
How to caulk inside corners of shiplap
As caulk is a substance used to seal joints and it starts out a paste and dries up after sometime, so you want to run it along in a bead from the top to bottom of the inside corner and use a rag to smoothen things out.
Make sure to wipe any extra caulk and do so as soon as possible to prevent the caulk from drying up into an uneven mess.
After the caulk has dried, you can then paint it.
How to add trim to the outer and inner corners of shiplap
Trims come in various shapes and forms, and are used for different purposes.
The corner trim has a bend to it and is used to hide any imperfections that may occur at the corner spot, in this case, the exposed edges of the shiplap.
For inside corners, you can use flat trims, rounded trims and even those having a bit of pattern to them to add more details while serving their intended purpose.
Adding a trim to the outer corner is really just an option as the edges of the shiplap themselves are finished perfectly and wont make things look awkward, unless you decide to use the cut edges of the shiplap towards the outer corner.
But if you still choose to do so, then here’s how.
After taking the necessary measurements, and making the necessary cuts, attach the trim to the outer edge or inside corner using finishing nails. Fill up the nail areas using caulk and smoothen things out with your hands. Allow to dry before painting.