Shiplap Cost
How much does shiplap cost in 2026? Shiplap pricing by species, wall size, and finish. What materials and labor cost, how long installation takes, and how to price shiplap jobs for your clients.
Updated March 2026
Shiplap Cost by Project Size
The table below shows typical linear footage, labor hours, and installed sale prices for common shiplap wall projects. Sale prices include lumber, fasteners, finish materials, labor at $80 to $100 per hour, overhead at 20 percent, and a 30 percent profit margin.
| Project | Sale Price |
|---|---|
| Accent wall, 100 sqft, painted pine | $700 to $1,400 |
| Accent wall, 100 sqft, white oak oil finish | $1,800 to $3,200 |
| Full bedroom, 3 walls, 280 sqft, painted pine | $2,200 to $4,000 |
| Full room, 400 sqft, cedar, natural finish | $4,500 to $8,000 |
| Cathedral ceiling wall, 150 sqft, white oak | $3,500 to $6,000 |
Note: Prices above reflect custom woodworker and finish carpenter pricing. Big-box pre-primed pine shiplap panels are cheaper but produce a different result. Use the custom woodworking pricing guide to build a precise cost using your actual shop rate and overhead.
Shiplap Cost Per Square Foot
Per-square-foot pricing is the most practical way to estimate shiplap jobs quickly. These ranges cover material cost (lumber only) and total installed cost (lumber, fasteners, finish, and labor) for common shiplap board widths.
| Species | Material (per sqft) | Installed (per sqft) |
|---|---|---|
| Pine (1x6, painted) | $3.80 to $6.00 | $6 to $12 |
| Poplar (1x6, painted) | $5.00 to $8.50 | $8 to $15 |
| Cedar (1x6, natural) | $6.50 to $11.50 | $10 to $18 |
| Douglas Fir (1x6, stained) | $5.00 to $8.50 | $9 to $16 |
| White Oak (1x6, oil finish) | $13.00 to $20.00 | $18 to $28 |
| Walnut (1x6, oil finish) | $20.00 to $36.00 | $28 to $48 |
Material cost per square foot is calculated using actual board face width, not nominal width. A 1x6 shiplap board has an actual face of about 4.75 inches when installed with a standard 1/8-inch gap. You need approximately 2.53 linear feet of 1x6 shiplap to cover 1 square foot of wall. Always add 10 to 15 percent for waste.
Shiplap Wood Species Comparison
Shiplap is available in a wide range of species. The choice of species determines cost, the finish options available, and the aesthetic of the finished wall.
| Species | Per Linear Foot | Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Pine | $1.50 to $2.50 | Budget |
| Poplar | $2.00 to $3.50 | Budget |
| Cedar | $2.50 to $4.50 | Mid-range |
| Douglas Fir | $2.00 to $3.50 | Mid-range |
| White Oak | $5.00 to $8.00 | Premium |
| Walnut | $8.00 to $14.00 | Premium |
Pine: the standard for painted shiplap
Pine is the most widely used shiplap species because it is inexpensive, widely available at lumber yards and home improvement stores, and takes paint well when properly primed. #2 common pine shiplap runs $1.50 to $2.50 per linear foot and is the material used in most farmhouse and coastal interior projects. The grain is visible under paint but acceptable in most residential settings. Clear pine or Select pine runs $2.50 to $4.00 per linear foot and produces a cleaner painted surface with fewer knots. See hardwood prices per board foot for current lumber market pricing.
White oak: the premium choice for natural-finish shiplap
White oak has become the most requested species for natural-finish shiplap walls in contemporary and transitional interiors. Its open grain, warm tone, and distinctive ray fleck produce a wall that reads as architectural rather than rustic. White oak shiplap runs $5.00 to $8.00 per linear foot, roughly three to four times the cost of pine. The oil or hardwax finish used on white oak shiplap adds $0.80 to $1.50 per square foot in material cost and one to two additional hours of labor per 100 square feet of wall. See best wood for furniture and millwork for a full species comparison.
What Drives Shiplap Costs
Wood species
High impactSpecies is the single largest cost variable in a shiplap project. Pine at $1.50 to $2.50 per linear foot versus white oak at $5.00 to $8.00 per linear foot means material cost can be three to four times higher for the same wall area. For a 300-square-foot room, pine lumber costs $1,150 to $1,900; white oak costs $3,800 to $6,100. Species also affects labor time: harder species dull saw blades faster and require more care around outlets and inside corners, adding 10 to 20 percent to labor hours.
Wall complexity and cutouts
High impactA flat wall with no windows, doors, or outlets is the simplest and fastest case. Each window or door opening requires measuring, marking, and cutting boards around the casing, adding 30 to 60 minutes per opening. Electrical outlets require score-and-snap cutouts or a jigsaw cut in every board that crosses the box, adding 5 to 15 minutes per outlet. Cathedral or vaulted ceilings require cutting boards to match the pitch at the top row, adding 2 to 4 hours for angled layout and fitting.
Board width
Medium impactShiplap is available in 1x4, 1x6, 1x8, and 1x10 widths. Wider boards cover more wall per linear foot, reducing total linear footage and material cost, but wider boards are more prone to cupping and movement and require more careful acclimation. Narrower boards like 1x4 require more pieces and more installation time but produce a finer, more detailed look. Most woodworkers use 1x6 or 1x8 for interior walls as a balance of coverage, stability, and proportion.
Finish type
Medium impactPainted shiplap requires primer, caulking of all gaps and nail holes, and two coats of paint. If the woodworker is providing the full painted finish, add $0.75 to $1.50 per square foot in paint materials and 0.02 to 0.04 hours per square foot in labor. Natural or oil-finished shiplap requires sanding to 120 or 150 grit and one to two coats of oil or hardwax-oil, adding $0.80 to $1.50 per square foot in material and 0.02 to 0.03 hours per square foot in labor. Leaving the boards raw or in a whitewash finish is the least labor-intensive option.
Acclimation and moisture content
Medium impactSolid wood shiplap should acclimate to the room's humidity for 3 to 7 days before installation to reduce movement after installation. Species with high tangential shrinkage (pine, oak) are most susceptible to cupping or gapping if installed without acclimation. Scheduling acclimation time adds a site visit for delivery and adds to the project timeline. Kiln-dried boards acclimate faster than air-dried. In high-humidity environments such as bathrooms, cedar is preferred because of its natural moisture resistance.
Installation height and access
Medium impactStandard 8-foot ceiling walls are the simplest case. Walls above 10 feet require scaffolding or an extension ladder, adding setup and breakdown time. Cathedral walls with peaks above 12 feet require scaffolding rental at $100 to $200 per week. Stairwell walls are among the most time-consuming shiplap installations because each board must be cut at two different angles and the installer must work safely at varying heights. Quote stairwell shiplap at 1.5 to 2 times the per-square-foot rate of a standard flat wall.
How to Price a Shiplap Installation Job
Shiplap jobs are priced differently from furniture and cabinet projects because material cost is lower relative to labor, and the job is measured in square feet of wall coverage rather than board feet of lumber.
Measure wall square footage and calculate linear footage
Measure each wall to be covered in height and width. Subtract window and door openings. Total the net square footage. To find linear footage of board needed, divide total square footage by the face width of your shiplap board in feet. A 1x6 shiplap board (actual face width of about 4.75 inches, or 0.396 feet) requires roughly 2.53 linear feet per square foot of wall. A 1x8 board (actual face about 6.75 inches, or 0.563 feet) requires about 1.78 linear feet per square foot. Add 10 to 15 percent for end cuts, waste, and defect culling. Rooms with many windows, outlets, and inside corners increase waste to 15 to 20 percent.
Price lumber at your supplier cost plus markup
Get current pricing from your lumber supplier for the specified species, board width, and surface finish (rough, S4S, or pre-primed). Pine 1x6 shiplap runs $1.50 to $2.50 per linear foot. Cedar 1x6 shiplap runs $2.50 to $4.50 per linear foot. White oak 1x6 shiplap runs $5.00 to $8.00 per linear foot. Multiply your total linear footage by the per-foot cost to get your material cost. Add a markup of 15 to 20 percent when billing the client. Also include fasteners (finish nails or blind nails), construction adhesive, and caulk, which typically add $40 to $120 per room.
Estimate labor hours by wall complexity
A straightforward flat wall with no windows or doors takes 0.06 to 0.08 hours per square foot for an experienced installer. A wall with multiple windows, outlets, inside corners, or a cathedral ceiling takes 0.10 to 0.14 hours per square foot. Add setup and layout time (1 to 2 hours) and finish application time (1 to 3 hours depending on finish type). A 100-square-foot accent wall with no cutouts runs 6 to 8 hours total. A 300-square-foot room with windows and outlets runs 20 to 30 hours. Multiply total hours by your shop rate ($75 to $100 per hour).
Add finish costs
Shiplap finish cost depends on the specified look. Painted shiplap requires primer, caulking of all gaps and nail holes, and two coats of paint. Budget $0.75 to $1.50 per square foot in materials and 0.02 to 0.04 hours per square foot in additional labor for painting prep. If the client supplies their own painter, omit the painting labor and materials but include the caulk and nail hole filling. For natural-finish shiplap, oil (such as Rubio Monocoat or Hardwax-Oil) runs $0.80 to $1.50 per square foot in material and 0.02 to 0.03 hours per square foot to apply.
Add overhead and apply profit margin
Overhead covers fixed shop and business costs not tied to a specific project: insurance, vehicle costs, tools and equipment, and administrative time. A standard overhead rate is 15 to 25 percent of total labor cost. After summing materials, fasteners, finish, and labor, add overhead and apply a profit margin of 25 to 35 percent on your total cost. A 200-square-foot painted pine shiplap room costing $1,400 to build sells for $2,000 at a 30 percent margin. Use CraftQuote to enter all line items and generate a professional, itemized PDF for your client.
Example: 100 sqft Pine Shiplap Accent Wall, Painted
10 ft wide by 10 ft tall bedroom feature wall, 1x6 pine shiplap, no windows or doors, nail holes filled and primed by woodworker, client paints.
Build this quote in CraftQuote
Enter your lumber, fasteners, finish materials, labor hours, and overhead. CraftQuote calculates your margin and generates a professional, itemized PDF for your client.
Start a Shiplap QuoteFrequently Asked Questions
- How much does shiplap cost?
- Shiplap costs $1.50 to $8.00 per linear foot for materials, depending on species and grade. Pine shiplap runs $1.50 to $2.50 per linear foot. Cedar shiplap runs $2.50 to $4.50 per linear foot. White oak shiplap runs $5.00 to $8.00 per linear foot. Installed prices including labor run $6 to $25 per square foot of wall coverage depending on species, room complexity, and whether the boards are painted or finished with oil. A 100-square-foot accent wall installed by a woodworker runs $800 to $3,000 depending on species and finish.
- How much does a shiplap accent wall cost?
- A shiplap accent wall costs $600 to $3,500 installed, depending on wall size, species, and finish. A standard 10-by-10-foot bedroom accent wall (100 square feet) in painted pine or poplar runs $600 to $1,500. The same wall in cedar with a natural finish runs $900 to $2,000. In white oak with an oil finish it runs $1,600 to $3,200. Labor for a single accent wall is typically 6 to 12 hours including layout, cutting, nailing, caulking, and finish application.
- How much does shiplap cost per square foot installed?
- Shiplap installation costs $6 to $25 per square foot of wall coverage installed, depending on species and finish. Painted pine shiplap runs $6 to $12 per square foot installed. Cedar shiplap with a natural finish runs $9 to $16 per square foot installed. White oak shiplap with an oil finish runs $15 to $25 per square foot installed. These prices include materials, labor, nails, caulk, and finish but do not include priming or painting, which adds $1 to $3 per square foot.
- What is the difference between shiplap and tongue and groove?
- Shiplap boards have a rabbet cut (a stepped notch) on each edge so that adjacent boards overlap slightly, leaving a characteristic shadow line gap. Tongue and groove boards have a protruding tongue on one edge and a matching groove on the other, joining tightly with no gap. Shiplap is faster to install because it does not require fitting a tongue into a groove for each row. Tongue and groove is used where a tighter fit is needed, such as on ceilings, floors, or exterior applications. Both are priced similarly per linear foot, though tongue and groove milling is slightly more expensive to produce.
- What is the best wood for shiplap walls?
- For painted interior shiplap, pine is the most common and cost-effective choice at $1.50 to $2.50 per linear foot. Poplar is a step up for paint-grade work, taking primer better and machining to a cleaner edge at $2.00 to $3.50 per linear foot. For a natural or stained finish in a contemporary or farmhouse interior, white oak is the most popular premium option at $5.00 to $8.00 per linear foot. Cedar is preferred for moisture-prone areas such as bathrooms, mudrooms, and covered exterior applications at $2.50 to $4.50 per linear foot.
- How do woodworkers price shiplap installation jobs?
- To price a shiplap installation job, calculate the wall square footage and convert to linear footage of board needed (divide square footage by board face width in feet, then add 10 to 15 percent for waste and cuts). Price lumber at your supplier cost plus a 15 to 20 percent markup. Estimate labor at 0.06 to 0.12 hours per square foot for straightforward flat walls, higher for cathedral ceilings, around windows and doors, or rooms with many outlets and switches. Multiply labor hours by your shop rate ($75 to $100 per hour). Add overhead at 15 to 25 percent of labor, then apply a profit margin of 25 to 35 percent on total cost. Use CraftQuote to build a full itemized estimate and generate a professional PDF for your client.
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