Shiplap Installation cost at a glance
- Typical range: $500 – $1,200
- Most homeowners pay: around $800
- Prices vary most by: Shiplap boards & material (40–50% of the budget)
Cross-checked against three published sources for this project. Sources used for this page: Angi's shiplap installation cost guide, HomeGuide's shiplap installation cost guide and Fixr's wainscoting and wall paneling cost guide. Sources last checked: October 2026 — HomeGuide, Fixr, Angi. Last updated October 2026 · How we calculate these costs
Cost by scope
| Scope | Typical cost | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Small accent or fireplace wall (about 60 sq ft) | $300 – $600 | A fireplace surround or a short entry wall in MDF or pine. HomeGuide prices an 80–150 sq ft accent wall at $240–$1,700 across materials, and Angi's size table starts 100 square feet at $300–$800 — a small wall in a standard board sits at the bottom of both. |
| One accent wall (about 120 sq ft) | $500 – $1,200 | The typical project on this page: painted pine or MDF, boards levelled and fixed, seams and nail holes filled, finish coat on. Angi prices 100–150 square feet at $300–$1,200 and puts most homeowners' spend at $500–$1,500, and HomeGuide's $3–$11 per square foot gives $360–$1,320 for the same wall. |
| Full room, ceiling or exterior siding | $1,500 – $5,600+ | Several walls, a ceiling or the outside of the house. Angi prices 400 square feet at $800–$2,800 and 800 square feet at $1,600–$5,600, HomeGuide prices a bedroom at $1,200–$7,200 and exterior shiplap siding at $3–$8 per square foot — and Fixr's paneling guide prices shiplap as a panel style at $9–$23 per square foot installed, the premium position the top of this tier reflects. |
Where the money goes
| Part of the job | Share | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Shiplap boards & material | 40–50% | The boards themselves: HomeGuide prices material at $2–$7 per square foot, and Angi's material table runs pine at $2–$4, MDF at $2–$6, plywood at $2–$3, pre-finished boards at $3–$6 and cedar at $3–$7 per square foot — species is the swing inside this line |
| Installation labor | 35–45% | Cutting, levelling and fixing the boards: HomeGuide puts labor at $1–$4 per square foot, and Angi's installers charge $35–$100 per hour — a straight wall is fast work, a ceiling or a wall full of outlets and corners is not |
| Paint, stain & finishing | 8–12% | Shiplap is usually painted or stained after fitting: nail holes filled, ends caulked and the finish coats on. Pre-finished boards move this money into the material line instead of the painter's day |
| Wall prep, trim & fasteners | 3–8% | Getting the wall ready and closing the edges: truing up a wavy wall, the trim that finishes the top and corners, and the fixings. Angi budgets $4–$17 per square foot extra when old siding or drywall has to come off first — that is a different job, and it is priced in the top tier, not here |
What moves the price most
Species is the first lever, and it is a ladder. Per square foot for the board alone, Angi prices plywood at $2–$3, pine at $2–$4, MDF at $2–$6, hardwood at $1.50–$6, pre-finished boards at $3–$6 and cedar and PVC at $3–$7; HomeGuide's board table agrees on the order, running to $11 for premium woods. Where it goes is the second: Angi prices interior shiplap at $2–$7 per square foot against $3.60–$11 outside, and HomeGuide prices ceilings (150–250 sq ft at $450–$2,800) above plain walls because overhead fitting is slower. Reclaimed boards are the third: Angi adds $5–$7 per square foot for reclaimed wood, which can double the material line on the same wall. Finally, prep is the hidden one: boards fitted over sound, flat drywall are the standard job, while Angi's $4–$17 per square foot for demolition and siding removal turns a wall project into a strip-out project — get it named as its own line before you compare quotes.
Worked example: how a typical shiplap installation budget breaks down
A typical job: one 12x10-foot accent wall (about 120 square feet) in painted pine shiplap — boards levelled and fixed over the existing wall, ends trimmed, nail holes filled and two finish coats of paint. The budget below totals $800 — the "most homeowners pay around" figure from the top of this page — split using this page's own cost breakdown. It shows how a real quote at that level is usually composed; every line is built from the ranges on this page, and it is an illustration, not a quote for your project.
| Line item | Example budget |
|---|---|
| Shiplap boards (painted pine, about 120 sq ft) | $360 |
| Installation labor | $320 |
| Paint and finishing | $80 |
| Wall prep, trim and fasteners | $40 |
| Total | $800 |
What most people get wrong
- Pricing by the room instead of by the wall — shiplap is priced per square foot of covered wall (HomeGuide, $3–$11 installed), so a quote that never states the wall area cannot be compared with one that does.
- Choosing the species by the photo — Angi's ladder runs from pine at $2–$4 per square foot to cedar at $3–$7, and reclaimed boards add $5–$7 per square foot; the species decision can double the material line on the identical wall.
- Forgetting the strip-out — Angi budgets $4–$17 per square foot extra when old siding or drywall has to come off first, which turns a board quote into a demolition quote if it surfaces after signing.
- Comparing a board quote with a paneling quote — Fixr's $9–$23 per square foot is for shiplap as a built-up panel style; the standard board-on-wall job prices on HomeGuide's $3–$11. Different scopes, not different honesty.
Costs in your city
Shiplap pricing is carpenter pricing: Angi's installers charge $35–$100 per hour, so the same 120-square-foot wall costs near the bottom of the band in a low-rate market and well above it in a metro where finish carpenters are booked out. Housing stock travels with the city — older homes with wavy, out-of-square walls take longer to level boards across than new-build rectangles, and coastal and humid markets push buyers toward cedar and PVC, which sit higher in Angi's material table than pine. Board prices themselves are national retail, so two quotes in the same city differ mainly on labor, species and whether prep is inside the number. Ask each bidder for the wall area they measured, the species and grade in the quote, and whether painting is included or separate.
Frequently asked questions
How much does shiplap cost per square foot?
HomeGuide publishes $3–$11 per square foot installed, split as $2–$7 of material and $1–$4 of labor, and Angi prices interior work at $2–$7 per square foot. Fixr's paneling guide prices shiplap as a panel style at $9–$23 per square foot installed — the premium, built-up end of the market rather than the standard board-on-wall job.
How much does a shiplap accent wall cost?
For a 12x10-foot wall (about 120 square feet), budget $500–$1,200 in a standard painted board. Angi prices 100 square feet at $300–$800 and 150 square feet at $450–$1,200, and HomeGuide's accent-wall band for 80–150 square feet is $240–$1,700 depending on material — pine and MDF land at the bottom, cedar and reclaimed at the top.
Can shiplap be used in a bathroom or outside?
Yes, with the right board. Angi publishes a dedicated bathroom shiplap guide and prices moisture-resistant PVC and cedar at $3–$7 per square foot, and exterior shiplap runs $3.60–$11 per square foot in Angi and $3–$8 in HomeGuide as siding. MDF is the one to keep out of wet rooms — it is a dry-area board.
Is shiplap cheaper than drywall?
No — it is a finish upgrade, not a saving. HomeGuide prices drywall at $1.50–$3.50 per square foot against shiplap installed at $3–$11. The comparison most homeowners actually make is shiplap over existing sound drywall, where the drywall is already paid for and the boards are the whole added cost.
Does shiplap need to be painted?
Raw pine and MDF boards are painted or stained after fitting — that finishing is the 8–12% line in the breakdown above. Pre-finished boards skip it at $3–$6 per square foot in Angi's material table, which moves the money from the painter into the material line; natural cedar is the common leave-it-bare exception.
