Peonies and Power Tools

learning to live alone, revamp my style, my house, and love every day

Is It Really Possible To Put Up Shiplap By Yourself??

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So, is it really possible to put up shiplap all by yourself?

I have done it and the answer is yes!  I applied shiplap and finished my basement all by myself!

How I applied my shiplap

  • Lightly sand the edges and good side of the planks.
  • Now you should apply primer to the planks before hanging them.  I didn’t do this and immediately regretted it.  It’s really difficult to get paint in between the boards once they are hung.
  • Install the first plank.  I know some people start at the top, but I started at the bottom.  This is why; I knew that I would be installing planks to above the ceiling line and wouldn’t have to worry about cutting and fitting up there.  I did not want to bother cutting and fitting the last planks if I ended at the floor.  
  • Keep the planks level.  The first plank is the most important as it needs to be level.  My basement floor was by no means level so I had to adjust with shims before I nailed.  Here, I did need a helper.  My neighbor, Susanne, came over and helped me hold and level the planks while I nailed them in with my handy Ryoby brad nailer.  This is a fantastic tool!  It is so light that I can use it with one hand!  
  • Use spacers to keep the look consistent.  I used nickels for spacers between the planks and continued nailing the planks, being careful to keep them level and to keep the seams staggered.
  • Nail into the studs.  Nails elsewhere will be useless.  The studs in my Insofast Panels were easy to see as they were black.

 

                                 

 

Having great, easy to use tools sure helped make this project easy.

Here are the tools I used:

  • Ryobi Chop Saw to cut the planks when needed. This is the only corded Ryobi tool I have.
  • Ryobi Jig Saw to cut around outlets, etc.
  • Ryobi Brad Nailer.  My favorite tool of all!  It made nailing up the planks a snap!
  • Ryobi Cordless Sander

They can be seen here: https://www.peoniesandpowertools.com/how-i-fell-in-love/

So this is how I installed shiplap in my basement by myself.  You can too!

 

Fun With Shiplap

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So, what in the world is “shiplap“? Of course I’d heard of it, cause I don’t live under a rock and I watch the show “Fixer Upper“.  But what is it really??

Defined in the dictionary as “a type of wooden board used commonly as exterior siding in the construction of residences, barns, sheds, and outbuildings”, it may once have been used to construct the hull of a ship, the boards overlapping each other to form a watertight surface, making the vessel seaworthy. Possibly where the term shiplap originated – however for a different slant, see What Is Shiplap? Make Sure You Know About This Hot Decor Trend.

To read what REAL shiplap is, see what Scott Sidler of THE CRAFTSMAN BLOG says. Great article!

Today “shiplap” refers to a wooden board applied horizontally to create a decorative effect. You can buy these boards at big box stores already cut in various widths. Look up “shiplap boards” on the Home Depot site and you will find 140 results, ranging in price from $5.63 a board to about $50 a board. Wow! On my tiny budget even the least expensive board was too much.

So what did I do with all this new knowledge about shiplap? I bought myself some new cool tools and got to work. I cut my shiplap boards from 4 by 8 quarter inch underlayment plywood purchased from Lowes.  Only $14 a piece – such a bargain! https://www.lowes.com/pd/Underlayment-1-4-in-Common-Sumauma-Plywood-Underlayment-Application-as-4-x-8/1000750294  Another nice thing about this plywood is that it is super smooth.  I sanded the cut edges and ran over the flat parts of the boards with my mouse sander ever so slightly.  That’s all they needed!

Some stores will rip (don’t I sound professional? I just learned that word) the strips for you, but none near me offered this service, so I ripped them myself. I cut the first several with my Ryobi cordless circular saw. I divided them equally into 8 strips horizontally, giving me boards approximately 6 inches wide. This worked out OK, but what a pain in my back!! So I broke down and bought a table saw. I highly advise you to get yourself a table saw if you plan to do this  project. So much easier! I didn’t feel guilty about this fairly large purchase as I knew I would be using it many times during this total basement remodel.  This is the one I bought:

I bought the table as well:

 

I have since discovered the Ryobi has come out with a table saw!  If it had been available at the time, this is the one I would have purchased as I really love Ryobi products and it is so much more budget friendly.  This is the Ryobi model: https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-15-Amp-10-in-Expanded-Capacity-Table-Saw-With-Rolling-Stand-RTS23/309412848

My basement remodel was on its way!

 

NEXT:  Putting up the shiplap.

 

The Miracle Product That Made It All Possible

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There is more than one way to stud a wall. Not wanting to bore you with the old fashioned way, the way that requires two people or at least one very strong person, I am going to tell you about the way I, a grandmother, did it all by myself!  I didn’t invent this product, nor am I being paid to tell you about it.  However, it literally made it possible for me to finish my basement all by myself! So, what is this product?

 

                                                                      InSoFast insulation panels!!!

 See below for info from their website:

“An excellent, cost-effective way to insulate your basement interior is with closed-cell, injection-molded EPS foam panels from InSoFast!

Feature-Rich InSoFast Panels

InSoFast is a style of engineered continuous insulation that comes in 2-foot x 4-foot interlocking panels of varying thicknesses. The closed-cell, injection-molded EPS foam panels can be applied universally to any interior or exterior wall assembly in both new and retrofit construction projects.

The InSoFast UX 2.0 Panel is 2-inches thick with a flat surface that exposes the face of the embedded studs. R-8.5 continuous insulation, rot-resistant framing, drainage channels, electrical raceways, and a simple, stackable interlocking design make this panel the most cost-effective solution for base-level code requirements.

The InSoFast EX 2.5 Panel is 2 ½-inches thick. If you need a solution that goes beyond base-level, this panel’s continuous R-value of 10 outperforms traditionally framed R-15 batt walls and provides 20% more insulation than our UX panels. Its tighter interlocks and recessed studs keep the EX barrier truer and straighter, enabling it to bridge over cups, bows and other irregularities in concrete basement walls.

Panels include built-in chases that run both vertically and horizontally across each panel, enabling you to install electrical boxes anywhere you need them. They also provide a simple, easy way to insulate cold concrete floors. The attachment studs provide a secure surface to screw the subfloor.”

Not sure if you noticed this, but the STUDS are EMBEDDED in the panels!  See those vertical black stripes?  Those are the studs!  This means you can insulate and stud the wall, ALL IN ONE STEP! AND it’s done with GLUE! The other great thing about this company is that they are so consumer friendly.  On their website you will find step by step easy to follow directions and videos.  If you have trouble, give them a call.  They are friendly and helpful folks!

I accomplished all this in one day!

Getting Started As A New DIYer

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Getting started is the absolute hardest part! 

I love doing the research and planning, but as far as actually starting the project, I’m the worst. So, for this part, I spend many hours on the internet looking for products and tools to make a project EASY. That is, easy enough for a woman in her 60s to accomplish.

Pinterest has been been a wonderful help, giving me not only thousands (OK, maybe not thousands) of ideas, but also a place to keep them more or less organized.

I have found great products and tools that have made my projects easy and fun. My goal is to share all of this with you.

 

Planning the layout

The fun part!  One can spend hours on line dreaming over beautiful room designs.  How will the room be used and who will use it? In my case, this was easy. The room was for my grandchildren. I would need a comfy place for them to sit and view television and play their electronic games. Maybe something like this:

I also wanted LOTS of storage. Cabinets with shelving overhead. Maybe something like this:

Enough room for a couple of game tables would be nice as well:

See how much fun I’m having!  (I mean how much fun THEY will have, of course)

I didn’t need bedrooms in my new basement area, but if you want a legal bedroom in yours, you will need to install an egress window.  I, personally, am not up to digging out cement and would have to hire a contractor. BUT … it is possible to do it.

So, if you need an egress window here is a great article. This young couple did a wonderful job!

Before you start a basement project, you should check for moisture.  Great article on how to do this and how to fix moisture problems here.  I am so excited about starting this project!

Basement Project

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It was a typical basement; concrete walls, unfinished ceiling with exposed pipes and wires going every which way, boxes and extra stuff everywhere, lots of spiders and a few mice.

The previous owners had made one “upgrade”: an ugly wall to wall carpet glued down.  Unfortunately, I do not have a “before” picture, but it was scary.  

Not this scary, but close!

But I had a dream…

    • Shiplap walls
    • Beautiful built-in cabinets and closets for storage
    • A stone corner wall with built-in fireplace with a TV over it
    • A wood floor, or one that at least had a wood look
    • A finished ceiling that didn’t look too commercial
    • Comfy furniture for the grandkids
    • Everything light and bright

In my dream I was going to accomplish all of this by myself on a tiny budget with a little help from Pinterest and YouTube. Crazy, you say? Stay tuned!