Shiplap Accent Wall Installation — Nickel Gap, MDF or Pine
One shiplap wall behind the bed, the sofa or the TV changes the whole room, if the gaps are even and the last board at the ceiling is not a sliver. We lay it out so it lands right.
JMB Builders does shiplap accent wall installation in homes across the Twin Cities metro: nickel gap or true shiplap, in primed MDF or pine, run level from a snapped line so the gaps stay even to the ceiling. Boards are glued and nailed into studs, cut tight around outlets with box extenders, and the nail holes filled ready for paint. Priced per wall, quoted from your photos within one business day.
- Priced per wall
- Nickel gap or true shiplap, MDF or pine
- Boards nailed into studs, gaps kept even
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Shiplap is a simple wall, which is exactly why a bad install shows. Gaps that wander from an eighth to a quarter inch, a wall that starts level at the floor and is a half inch off at the ceiling, a sliver of board at the top, boards that cup because nobody hit a stud. JMB Builders installs shiplap accent walls across the Twin Cities metro from a snapped level line, with the layout worked out first so the top board is a full board or close to it and the boards land clean at the corners.
Nickel gap is what most people mean by shiplap now: boards milled with a rabbet that leaves a consistent narrow gap between courses. True shiplap overlaps tight with no gap, and a tongue-and-groove board does the same with a V-groove instead. MDF nickel gap is the flattest and paints the best; pine is real wood, takes a knot or two, and looks right stained. We install all of them the same way, glued and nailed into the studs.
What you supply
- The wall, and a photo of it straight on with the wall length and ceiling height
- Board width and gap you like, or an inspiration photo and we match it in a stock profile
- Paint or stain color; the wall goes in filled and primed, painting is quoted as a separate line or paint it yourself
What JMB supplies
- Nickel gap shiplap in primed MDF, or pine for a stained or rustic look, in the common board widths
- Layout worked out before the first board so the top course is not a sliver and the gaps stay even to the ceiling
- Construction adhesive and finish nails into every stud, with studs marked first so every board is fastened to framing
- Outlet and switch box extenders so the cover plates sit flush on the new surface
- Boards cut tight around windows and doors, with the existing casing kept or built out to meet the new surface
- Corner trim or a mitered outside corner, and a small cap or the existing crown at the ceiling
- Nail holes filled and the wall primed where it needs it, ready for paint
- Photos of the finished wall in your job folder
How it is priced: per wall
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Wall size and ceiling height — a vaulted or two-story wall means more boards and scaffold time
- MDF nickel gap vs. pine, and whether the wall is painted or stained
- Obstacles on the wall: outlets, windows, a fireplace, a door, a TV mount to block for
- Outside corners that need to be mitered or trimmed vs. a wall that dies into two inside corners
- Whether the existing casing has to be built out so it stands proud of the new boards
- Painting as a separate line, or left primed for you
Send a straight-on photo of the wall, its length and ceiling height, and point out any outlets or a TV that will hang on it. That is enough for a firm per-wall quote.
How long it takes
One accent wall with a flat ceiling: a day. A fireplace wall with a mantel or a tall vaulted wall: two days. Painting adds a day if we do it.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Nickel gap in primed MDF
The most common choice. Flat, stable, no knots, and the gap is milled in so it stays even. Paints to a smooth finish. Not for bathrooms with a shower or anywhere it gets wet.
Pine shiplap, painted or stained
Real wood with some grain and the odd knot. Right for a cabin look, a stained wall, or a mudroom. It moves a little with the seasons, so we leave the gap for it.
Fireplace and TV walls
Shiplap around a fireplace or behind a TV, with blocking added in the wall for the mount before the boards go on, and the boards cut around the fireplace surround or mantel.
Full room or ceiling
Shiplap on every wall of a bedroom or a bath, or on a ceiling. Inside corners are butted and caulked, outside corners mitered or trimmed. Priced per wall, with the ceiling as its own wall.
Shiplap Accent Wall Installation — Nickel Gap, MDF or Pine: questions, answered
Is nickel gap the same as shiplap?
Close enough that most people use the words for each other. True shiplap has a rabbet on each edge so the boards overlap and sit tight with no gap. Nickel gap is milled so the boards overlap the same way but leave a consistent gap about the thickness of a nickel between courses; that is the look in most photos. Tongue-and-groove with a V-groove is a third option that looks similar and locks together. We install any of the three; the gap is a style choice.
Should I use MDF or pine for a shiplap wall?
MDF for a painted wall in a dry room. It is dead flat, has no knots, the milled gap is perfect, and paint goes on smooth. Pine when you want to stain it, want the knots and grain, or the wall is in a mudroom or a porch where MDF would swell. Pine costs a bit more and moves with the seasons, so the gap breathes a little; that is normal. Do not put MDF in a shower or a bathroom without a fan.
How do you install shiplap around outlets and windows?
Each board is marked and cut so the outlet box lands inside a clean rectangle, and the box gets an extender so the cover plate sits flush on the new surface and the outlet is safe. At windows and doors the boards die into the casing; if the casing is thinner than the shiplap, we build it out with a backband so the trim still stands proud of the wall. Nothing gets caulked over a gap around a box.
Does shiplap go over drywall or do you remove it?
Over the drywall. Shiplap adds about half to three-quarters of an inch to the wall, which is why the box extenders and the casing build-out matter. Every board is fastened through the drywall into the studs, which we mark first, plus a bead of adhesive on the back so a board that lands between studs at a cut end still stays flat. Removing the drywall is only worth it on an exterior wall that needs insulation or a vapor barrier fixed anyway.
Do you paint the shiplap?
Yes, when you want us to. The wall goes in with the nail holes filled and the MDF primed, and painting is quoted as a separate line, or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself. If we paint, the gaps get done first with a brush so there is no unpainted strip showing between the boards, then the faces are rolled or sprayed.
Which way should shiplap run, horizontal or vertical?
Horizontal is the standard and makes a room read wider. Vertical makes a low ceiling feel taller and looks right in a mudroom or a bathroom. Both install the same way, but vertical boards have to be nailed into horizontal blocking or furring because the studs run the same direction as the boards. We add that as part of the job when a wall goes vertical.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All finish carpentry pages
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